OK so I had an SI injection on Tuesday

[yasmina27]

and it has done NOTHING for the pain. During the day, my lower back and leg are pretty much ok. I move gently and take my meds. But at night, when I'm sleeping, everything stiffens up. Getting out of bed and moving around for about the first hour is absolute agony. The dr. who gave me the injection realized the extent of my pain when I could barely get up from the table. He tripled my dose of neurontin (from a starting dose of 300 mg/day to 900mg) and gave me a 5 day script for vicodin. Like I said, during the day it's not so bad, but when I get up in the AM it's torture. He said the neurontin could take 6-8 weeks to start working :(.

I think I'm going to start sleeping in my lounge chair downstairs. It's got heat and I can sleep in a reclined position which is more comfortable.

I really don't have a question, but thanks for listening to me whine! If anyone has any opinions or suggestions to offer, I would greatly appreciate them.

[Warpy]

1. Injections, even dry needling, can work wonders for

muscle spasm pain. They don't do much of anything for sciatica or other nerve pain. However, when they do work, they take a couple of days to kick in. It gets worse at first.

Have you considered trying to sleep on a futon or other type of platform bed? You could have been describing me 25 years ago when a futon was all I could afford. Once I started sleeping on it, my morning back pain completely disappeared, along with a lot of the stiffness from the arthritis. I think it works like that because it provokes a lot of position changes during the night and the movement prevents the stiffness.

It's just a thought. Good luck with the meds.

[flamingyouth]

2. Poor you.

I've been going off and on with pain like crazy lately.

We started swimming in the lake recently because it's been so hot and, lo and behold, it really helped my back pain. We're not swimming miles and miles, mind you. In fact, I spent about 20 minutes just treading water. But I noticed a difference almost immediately. People have been suggesting swimming to me for a while (I used to swim all the time but haven't had access to a pool; my gym doesn't have one).

Anyway, since it's summer, maybe you can try to get in the water a little and see if it helps you relax a bit, even in the shallow end.

Hope you feel better. :pals:

[Susang]

3. Unfortunately, they don't always work

I'd had about four of them before my pain doctor felt it was pointless. No pun intended! As for neurontin, your doc can max you out at 3,600 mg per day, divided by three doses. It's been helpful for me. Not a cure by any means, but it is pretty effective on the nerve pain. You also are going to need more than 5 days worth of pain meds. Is there a specific reason he only prescribed 5 days? Are you being explicit about exactly how much pain you are in? I minimized the extent of my pain and it only prolonged my early treatment. Doctors have a hard time understanding descriptive explanations. Use the 1-10 scale. If you tell them you are at a 9 and you're being honest, they will usually do more for you than if you are only at a 5. Don't be stoic, it doesn't help you get treated correctly.

I hope you feel better soon. :hug:

[yasmina27]

4. I think the only reason he even prescribed

pain meds is because he saw how much pain I was in when I tried to get off the exam table. I had been laying on my stomach (very painful!) for a long time. I was actually ticked that it took so long. The tech prepped me on the table, lowered my shorts so my back side was showing, then left the room. Twice she had to come in to get something with people in the hall who could see me in all my glory :(. I finally lowered the back of my shirt - thank god it was long enough - to cover me in case she had to come in again.

I would bet I layed there for a good 20 minutes before the dr. finally came in. He was really good though, the shot was done in no time. But when I tried to get up, I had tears in my eyes. I told him that's why I can't sleep, turning over is agony and in the mornings I can hardly move. Any time my right hip moves in a direction opposite from the rest of my body, it shoots pain.

The vicodin is almost gone. I'll see how it goes for a day or so after I run out, then if necessary, I will call the office and try to get more.

My main concerns are:

1. Vacation - DH & I are taking our daughter 9 & 11 on a surprise trip to Disney World next week. I want to be able to have a good time, even if I can't ride everything.

2. Work - I go back to work Aug. 22 (I am a teacher) I don't know how I will be able to do my job if this pain continues. I guess I could be like all those teachers I scorned as a student who taught sitting at their desk. It's really not possible when teaching French to 7th and 8th graders. First of all, their behavior will get out of hand if I'm not able to move around. Secondly, my curriculum is multimedia. I have to be able to move around to the overhead, the CD player, and the TV/VCR.

When I get back from vacation, or maybe even before I go, I plan to make an appointment to discuss my work situation with him.

Thanks for all your opinions. It's nice to hear from people who understand.

[mopinko]

5. what is your dx?

do they know what is causing this pain?
i have fibromyalgia, and taking a muscle relaxant at bedtime really helps that morning stiffness.