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Got an MRI today


Harry P.

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I should have replied to this earlier, but from the fringe medical side of it I heard a doctor explain the procedure as putting you in a garbage can and then beating it with a big hammer. When I transport people to an MRI appointment I tell them of the side effects as being a change in personality (magnetic) and the tendency to sleep pointing North.

greg

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My doctor described an MRI as a large magnet that looks into your soul.

If the doctor can find the cause of the pain, like a ruptured disc, they can usually fix it. The longer you wait or just live with the pain, the greater the chance of permanent damage. Found that out the hard way.

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Finally met with the orthopedist today regarding the MRI (he was so booked up that I had to wait a week between the MRI and seeing him).

The good news is... he sees nothing particularly out of the ordinary in the MRI results.

The bad news is... since something is causing my pain, I have to go back and get another MRI from a different angle. Tomorrow at 5 PM. Oh goody... so looking forward to this... :rolleyes:

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How's the physical therapy going? And what kind of pain meds do they have you on? And are you sleeping any better?

I have been on 6-7 different pain meds... none of them worked. So now all I take is OTC stuff once in a while...ibuprofen or Aleve.

The doc said today that pending the second MRI results, I might need cortisone/steroid shots. He said it usually takes from one to three injections, and the results (no more pain) can last a long time... months, even years, before another shot is needed.

He described how the sciatic nerve feeds through a small opening in the bone as it passes from the spine and on down your leg. He said that small opening may have become smaller over time due to normal aging (calcium deposits, etc.) and the nerve is now being "pinched" at that point. If that is the case, the only remedy is surgery. But it all comes down to what he will see on the second MRI.

And no... lotta pain, very little sleep. Got maybe three hours last night, and that is a lot for me lately. Too many nights where I get zero sleep.

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The shots can work and I would use that as the first option.  Pain meds make some people have insomnia.  You may need Ambien or an equivalent to help get some sleep.  And eat lots of fiber, all Pain meds will stop you up.  Trust me, been there done that.

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For years I've had chronic pain, mostly in my hips and lower back, completely debilitating at times...sometimes for days on end. I've taken sustained doses of 600 to 800mg of ibuprofen, 4 times daily, with no ill effects (I apparently have a cast-iron stomach)....and sometimes as much as 1000mg at one dose (this is actually one of the doctor-prescribed dosages).

If your dosage isn't that high, you might ask your doc what he/she thinks about upping it. See if your stomach can tolerate a dose that will knock out the pain, at least enough for you to get some rest.

When I started my self-imposed hiking physical therapy, there was NO way I could get through it without a LOT of ibu. Over time, I've been able to ditch the ibu and only take occasional aspirin to knock the pain edge off.

Edited by Ace-Garageguy
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I have some Tramadol and it works pretty good for me. Try taking Vicodin and washing it down with a beer, you'll feel better as I know I certainly did.

Actually I also have some prescription Vicodin, too.

Man, with all the meds I currently have, I could make a good living as a drug dealer! :lol:

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Tramadol is one of the ones I've been prescribed. In fact it's right here in front of me.

Mom has been taking Tramadol for at least a year now, sometimes it helps her more than others.  Just be happy you don't have night terrors to go along with the lack of sleep and the pain, she takes something for that every now and then if they start to pick up.  Juzt out of curiousity, are you trying to sleep in a bed or in a recliner, that sometimes helps her sleep, and with all the time Dad spent with her at the hospitals and nursing homes last year when she wasn't quite with it, he's gotten to be the same way.

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 Juzt out of curiousity, are you trying to sleep in a bed or in a recliner, that sometimes helps her sleep...

Well, I start out in the bed. And after a few minutes of tossing and turning and trying to find a positionany position–where the pain is less, and not being successful, I go to the living room and try the chair. It's not a recliner, but it's a big, cushy leather chair that I can sort of "spread out" in. Some nights I actually feel less pain in the chair, some nights it makes no difference, so I go back to the bed... then the chair... then the bed again... you can imagine how fun my nights are. And if you look at some of the time stamps on my posts, you'll see that I definitely wasn't sleeping that night.

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Well, I start out in the bed. And after a few minutes of tossing and turning and trying to find a positionany position–where the pain is less, and not being successful, I go to the living room and try the chair. It's not a recliner, but it's a big, cushy leather chair that I can sort of "spread out" in. Some nights I actually feel less pain in the chair, some nights it makes no difference, so I go back to the bed... then the chair... then the bed again... you can imagine how fun my nights are. And if you look at some of the time stamps on my posts, you'll see that I definitely wasn't sleeping that night.

Some nights, when my back is really bad (like tonight) I do pretty much the same thing. There are times I can only sleep in a recliner, times I can only sleep with my head down on the desk, times I can't even GET into bed. Kinda sucks. But I at least have good days, sometimes weeks at a stretch, where I can work and walk and move like a normal human.

I really hope they can find a way to fix you up. Years of this carp can make you kinda grumpy.  ;)

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Well, I start out in the bed. And after a few minutes of tossing and turning and trying to find a positionany position–where the pain is less, and not being successful, I go to the living room and try the chair. It's not a recliner, but it's a big, cushy leather chair that I can sort of "spread out" in. Some nights I actually feel less pain in the chair, some nights it makes no difference, so I go back to the bed... then the chair... then the bed again... you can imagine how fun my nights are. And if you look at some of the time stamps on my posts, you'll see that I definitely wasn't sleeping that night.

If my MS is acting up i have the same pain as what your having Harry, in my right leg and pelvis.  Believe it or not i sleep in my computer chair when its bad a 3 hour nap in the chair and 3 hours in the bed..

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Well, I start out in the bed. And after a few minutes of tossing and turning and trying to find a positionany position–where the pain is less, and not being successful, I go to the living room and try the chair. It's not a recliner, but it's a big, cushy leather chair that I can sort of "spread out" in. Some nights I actually feel less pain in the chair, some nights it makes no difference, so I go back to the bed... then the chair... then the bed again... you can imagine how fun my nights are. And if you look at some of the time stamps on my posts, you'll see that I definitely wasn't sleeping that night.

if you can swing ine, look for a nice, comfy recliner, the one Mom sleeps in is very easy to do so, and it's one of those helping chairs that not only reclines, but also lifts and tilts forward. 

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