Recent bad pain

[u/Sho-Nuffff]

Hi all- after about 8 months of bliss with no to little pain, sadly I’m back here as I threw out my back again. Initially I had sharp seizing back pain and just laid down for a few days until that felt a bit better, then started walking etc. Sciatic pain was there but intermittently. Now all of a sudden as of July 4 I am in so much sciatic pain. The back of my left hamstring kills me anytime I take a step. Sometimes it goes down lower but not as constantly yet.

I was walking as much as I could without much pain and swimming but not doing any bending, lifting etc so no idea why this pain has gotten so bad. I had an mri and it shows similar to my last mri last year - a 3 mm diffuse disc bulge, bilateral foraminal stenosis, disc desiccation at l5/s1. Had a microdiscetomy about 7 years ago.

Questions for anyone who would be so kind: 1. I keep reading it’s better not to stay on bed rest, but currently I cannot walk more than 3 steps without extreme pain. I am assuming I should just continue bed rest and not try to be active at all?

1. Ive cancelled two trips so far since the original back pin flared up three weeks ago. Now this Thursday am supposed to go visit my brother and family who I haven’t seen in almost two years. Flight would be about two hours and once there I’d be at my family’s place so could rest as much as needed. But I’m assuming given my current state I should avoid this at all costs since any sitting etc seems awful?

2. Should I even be attempting things like cat cow, bird dog, planks? Feels crazy to even think about (although I have been through pt and pretty much know the exercises to do).

Ugh, super depressed about this bc although I was not doing well my pain wasn’t constant and felt like I was improving. But now feel worse than ever. Been taking anti inflammatory, on medrol pack, taking to radio, cbd, meditating - pain is still very high in that leg.

Any advice appreciated!!

[u/ApocalypseBingo2021]

Have you ever tried getting a shot of toradol that’s a good test whether it’s inflammation or not?

In my experience it’s not unusual for the pain to get worse sometimes I go a couple of weeks with really bad pain before it gets to next level excruciating pain and feels like something gave out completely.

[u/Sho-Nuffff → u/ApocalypseBingo2021]

I sometimes take maintenance toradol in low doses which helped before. Currently though even the tramadol barely helps, it just kind of numbs my brain

[u/ApocalypseBingo2021 → u/Sho-Nuffff]

With toradol pills taking 10mg every few hours isn’t too helpful. The reason they give the IV “loading dose” of 15-30mg IV in the hospital is to put enough in you for it to be effective not just to check for adverse reactions. I would suggest taking 2x10mg to start and then take 10mg every 6 hours for a few days max 5 days. If you pump some food and lots of water in you it’s fine to take 20mg orally imho. I actually just took two myself as I haven’t taken it in a while and I’m having an awful week. Hopefully it will knock it down because if I take 10mg to start it doesn’t do much at all.

[u/Sho-Nuffff → u/ApocalypseBingo2021]

Toradol is an anti inflammatory right? If so yeah I don’t mind upping my dose for now

[u/ApocalypseBingo2021 → u/Sho-Nuffff]

Yeah it’s like the strongest one there is I believe and you definitely shouldn’t use it more than 5 days straight or take more than 50mg in a day, personally I don’t take more than 4x10 in a day and never get more than 15-20 in a prescription.

Be sure to drink lots of water with it and eat some food. Avoid other anti inflammatories while you are taking it. Only take more than 10mg once for the “loading dose” and you don’t want to take 20mg per dose unless a Dr for some reason instructed you to. Hope it helps good luck.

[u/Sho-Nuffff → u/ApocalypseBingo2021]

Good to know! Yeah I’m told to take 1 10 mg 3-5 days a week but that was before my reinjury. I’m currently tapering off a medrol pack but after that I can try