No whining allowed on the blog is one of my big rules . . that I’m about to break. I think I posted a month or so ago about having a flare up with sciatica. Went to the doctor, got meds, shots, steriods .. and thought I was cured til I worked in the garden this past weekend. Bending, stooping, planting everything left to be planted and here it is back again . . sciatica and worse this time. It hurts to sit, it hurts to stand . . it doesn’t hurt to sleep. The meds make me so sleepy. I get up in the mornings feeling about 75% ok, probably do too much, and by afternoon, I am back in bed thinking I’m going to die.
I had planned to sit in my chair and knit all day yesterday and then the buttermilk was ready so I had to make a pie and do a few more things in the kitchen and by the time Vince left to go back to work after lunch, I was back in bed.
I’m doing some gentle stretching exercises recommended by the doctor but I am a terrible patient. I just want to feel better. It’s hard to do anything when every step I take, or even standing not taking steps, and now, just sitting . . it all hurts.
Today, I will be sitting in my chair knitting, or in the bed sleeping. I’m definitely doing nothing for the next four days and hoping by Monday, I’m back to normal.
Meloney says
I had terrible problems with sciatica and the chiropractor helped me. Now the stretches and I roll a frozen bottle of water through the arch of my foot and it helps relieve some of the pain.
It’s no fun.
Good luck and hope you heal quickly.
Sherry V says
Hey Judy,
I am sorry to hear about your pain. I have just gone through a bout with muscle spasm so I can understand.
As far as whining……if that is the level of whining you do just go on doing it. There is another blog that I have almost completely stopped reading because of the whining that goes on.
Besides, you are not whining, you are discussing a medical issue that is effecting your life….and that is what your blog is about, right?!
I hope you feel better soon.
Melody Wathor says
Hi Judy, I don’t think you are whining. I know it is excruciating. Physical therapy helped me the most. It took a long time (6 months) and I was about to have surgery when it finally helped. I had it for over a year. I couldn’t stand for more than 2 minutes. It was awful. I had injections, steroids etc. Finally physical therapy helped. I just kept doing the exercises. It is kind of a maintenance thing. It included stretches and exercises to increase abdominal muscles. Hope you get relief soon. Take care of yourself so you can do all the things you love. We love hearing about them.
sheila sanderson says
Know the feeling about sleeping due to painkillers and at the moment having trouble walking, have an appt at Pain Relief clinic….when August. Hope it all clears up soon, your and mine
Dorothy Matheson says
I had an MRI on NYE for sciatic pain after a round of oral antibiotics. Found problems in my lower spine and a tumor on my kidney. Had surgery on the kidney in March and it was a cyst thank goodness. Also had injections of steroid into my back in Feb. No help with them so now have had Surgery on my back to remove the protrusion of the disk over on to the nerve in April. Now just two weeks later no pain from either surgery but I do have to say the pain is still here. I am trying so hard to stop taking the narcotic. I will start PT in 4 weeks.
Have to admit this year is so bad.
I will heal and will be OK (hope it is soon)
Hope the exercise and stretches help you. Keep doing them.
Warm up and stretch before garden and set a timer for 30 min. Then stretch again. Use a cane to lean forward to arch your back. That opens up the spaces for the nerves a bit and helps.
Carolyn says
Not sharing any pain related stories….just a simple Get Well Soon.
Joanie says
Be good girl and listen to our doctor. you r not being lazy you r taking care of yourself. Love your designs.
liz says
I know the pain and I am also experiencing some of it right now. I learned about the benefit of stretching when I went to bed to try to get rid of the pain. Because I was bored, I started rearranging my stash closet by refolding my fabric. The slow movements helped and I got an organized stash as a side benefit!
Maybe I need to find some more fabric to fold! Take care of yourself!
Edna says
I had sciatic problems a while back. My PT said to lie on my belly and raise up my chest, head resting my forearms on the floor. (like reading a book or watching TV while on the floor)
It really helped me. Sciatica is no fun.
I enjoy reading your blog, it’s like listening to a friend I’ve known a long time.
I hope you’re feeling much better quickly.
Robin F. says
sciatica is so sneaky. Feel better. Try heat. Sleep is good for refreshing the body.
Lynne in Hawaii says
Also try a good chiropractor…something has just slightly shifted and is rubbing that sciatic nerve. A few trips putting you back in alignment should help. Find a chiropractor who does manual manipulation. Get well soon.
Judy S says
Never even knew what sciatica was until last October when it hit me. Weird thing, it left me for several days a week later while I dealt with my husband’s sudden death and funeral. It came back in full force right after. Just had an MRI and learned my spine is pushed forward from arthritis causing a pinched nerve. Bottom line, my doctor said to take two Tylenol arthritis 650 mg. extended release tablets. (Cheap store brand works just as well). They last approximately 8 hours and won’t interfere with your sleep and work well most days. I try to wait until later in the day if I’m going anywhere where I’ll be doing a lot of walking. He said as long as that works, he’d rather I stay away from Ibuprofen as that is harder on your system. I don’t know how you do all you do with sciatica, Judy! The pain can be crippling some days. Hope you find a good solution.
Rebecca in SoCal says
This served as a reminder to do my stretches. That’s a good thing.
Also, I imagine your “do nothing” will be much more productive than my “do nothing” would ever be.
Lee says
So hope you feel better soon; sciatica, and other related back pains are the worst. Every now and then I’m hit with them. After a number if means prescribed as treatment, including PT, but excluding steroid injections & surgery, I found LidoDerm patches helped (an RX req’d). Recently, I was away from home, lifted/bent improperly and felt the pain…my pharmacist cousin brought me some Salonpas Capsicum patches (OTC) since I’d forgotten my LD patches. I will say they worked as well – effectiveness takes 12-24 hours, but they were not pleasant to wear – Capsicum is pepper, so they feel like burning on the skin where my LD doesn’t burn.
What works for one, may not work for another, but I appreciate that others post there treatments too because I may learn of something I haven’t tried. Aleve helps sometimes if I catch it soon enough and it’s more muscular in nature.
Praying for you.
pattilynn9 says
I hope you feel better soon! I know you are an active person (even sitting you are working with your hands) – I know it’s hard for you to do nothing. Hopefully, rest and meds will have you back to normal soon.
diana in RR, TX says
Galen went through that about 10 years ago this month. We found an excellent chiropractor who worked with him and as you know he has been good ever since. Yes, he has realized that he is not superman now. You don’t go lifting really heavy stuff without help etc. But he got so bad when that hsppened-we were on a trip to Big Bend. I ended up doing all the driving on the way home. He slept on an aero mattress wherr he could adjust the firmness etc. 3 weeks with the chirp he was on a plane to Asia. Neither of us would have believed it. The guy helped me a lot too with a neck problem. Everyone is different but that sure helped both of us
Penny Holliday says
I really don’t consider that you’re whining Judy! I think it’s beneficial for your well-being to share health issues.There are so many helpful replies to you, also. My best wishes to you for a speedy recovery!
Dottie N. says
Hope you feel better SOON…..
Elaine says
Sorry to hear about your pain..o w….been there. The LidoDerm patches do work, I also used acupuncture. Feel better soon, Elaine
Barbara Gardner says
My husband had sciatica that wouldn’t go away. Turns out it wasn’t his back, but was hip. He had a hip replacement and is cured.
Linda in NE says
Hubby was having a problem with back pain/pinched nerve a couple weeks ago. Four trips to a good chiropractor fixed him right up.
Diana Grindel (Casoppia) says
Oops I broke one of your rules .. I whined about my inlaws a while back .. I am so sorry ..
I find that if I can go swimming, and do some exercises in the pool it helps as well as heat (this was told to me by an elderly woman who had it for years and she swam). I love my king sized heating pad (Rite Aid or Walgreens). I too have the sciatica condition and it started after the birth of my 2nd child. Sometimes I could hardly drag my leg, it hurt so bad. Went to the dr and of course the first thing mine wanted to do was operate. Umm no thanks.
Not sure if that will help but that is what helps me ..
TerriS says
Hope your sciatica gets better soon. I’ve had bouts of it since I was in my 30s (I’m 64 now) and it usually would go away in 4 weeks or so with antiinflammatory medication. Last year, I just woke up with it one day in January and it was the worst it has ever been. Chiropractic treatments made it worse, PT made it worse. Antiinflammatories, ice, heat, stretching … nothing worked. For 5 months I could not stand up straight, could hardly walk. It hurt to sit, it hurt to stand, it hurt to lay in bed. I can’t take narcotics, so that was not an option. I had to find a different job that would allow me to work as my pain allowed. I finally got an appointment with a neurosurgeon approved and had to wait 4 weeks for the appointment. In those 4 weeks, after 5 months of unrelenting pain, it went away completely. It’s been almost a year and it has not come back. So my advice is threaten your body with surgery and you may miraculously recover!! I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to me … I fool around with something and then finally decide to go to the doctor and it goes away!! Seriously though, I know it’s very painful and it’s no joke, and I hope you get over it quickly!!
Gisela suski says
You need a hot tub – cool water in the summer.
Sharry Madden says
Oh Judy – you’re not whining sweetie! Just be sweet to yourself and remember your stretches.
Cindy says
Oh goodness. I hope you feel better soon and can get back to your daily routine. Thinking of you and wishing you well!
Libby says
Feel better soon !
Jean says
I had sciatica about 30-40 years ago as did my mother. The only thing that did it for both of us was going in Lake Champlain up to our waists as soon as the ice was of the lake. In other words iced it but good. Not as uncomfortable as it sounds as the part of the body in the water just went numb. Wore a winter jacket on top, bathing suit on the bottom, while I stood there in the icy water. This may have been just a fluke but we both got lots better
Diane/FL says
I’m sorry you are dealing with such pain. I hope you get some relief soon.
I am 53 and have been dealing with chronic pain for over ten years. The hardest part is learning when it is time to stop, when I want to do “just one more thing” so I don’t put myself into more pain later.
Kristin says
Whenever you do bending forward things (like gardening), you should stretch yourself opposite. Bending forward is the worst thing for your back, because it encourages your disks to protrude backwards onto your spinal cord. By arching your back like a reverse C, you are minimizing the damage done by bending forward. There is a book on Amazon (“Treat Your Own Back”) about McKenzie exercises and you should consider getting it. This was recommended to me by my physical therapist and is the standard treatment for disk issues/sciatica. Hope you are better soon.