Why won't he prescribe any meds for your pain? I would think if he confirmed that it is nerve pain, he would have given you Neurontin or Lyrica to help with the pain. I don't understand his reasoning for not giving you some kind of pain relief...sounds cruel to me. I'd find another doctor, ASAP!

Hello Ashoverman,

I too have a pinched nerve in my spine. The pain radiated down my right leg and I had tingling in the lower part of my leg. With the advice of my pain management doctor I had an epidural injection which contained the corticosteroid Kenalog. It reduced the inflammation by the pinched nerve thereby giving a bit of "room". Nine months later I still am free of the pain caused by the infammation around the pinched nerve. Not a cure, but it keeps the knife away.

Ashoverman, I would highly recommend that you seek a second opinion. Not so much so that you can get some pain meds, but that another neurologist or spine surgeon can determine what needs to be done to take care of the problem.

I would also suggest that you look for the best pain management doctor that you can find. Hopefully an epidural injection by a very skilled PM doc will be able to help you as my PM doc helped me.

Use the time between now and Monday morning to search out the best spine doctors you can find in your area. Talk to friends and if you have a pro sports team in your area call their office. Find out the name of the neurologist they use for their players. Then call on Monday morning to make an appointment to the doc at the top of your list. Push to get in as early as you can.

I wish you the very best. Do stay in touch and let us know how things go.

Take care.

RichT

Injections is a temporary solution and often has a long term side affect that many are not aware of yet, but they will.

You may want a quick fix and thats understandable, you have a life to live! But what are the injections really doing to your body, have you asked the Dr's? They have been told use this it has this result by the people who supply it. Yes it numbs the pain but what else is it doing. Have you ever looked in a GP's computer that has all the different Meds? You will find a med then another page to counteract the side affects, then another page, then another page.... you will normally find about 7 pages minimum. Why? because they are using a medicine that is opposite to the body's natural healing process.

But you want to stop the pain end of story! why do people think that a simple thing like stretching cannot fix the problem? How did your back get that way?

Learn about your body and know what makes it contract and give you pain, why muscles compensate for weakness in other parts of the body. You can be pain free if you simply look and feel what is really going on. Even if you have a buldging disk
why is it buldging? look and learn it may be more important than fixing your back itself.

A Dr will read this and say what a load of crap, And thats fine, I had a vertabrea that slipped 10mm (about 1/4 inch) and spent the next 15 years of my life understanding why the body does what it does, so you can say I have first hand experience, does your DR? Unless he or she has had the same problem and fixed it I would spend some time questioning there reason for treatment.

Hey I have a lot of respect for them, Many of my friends are dr's and I have worked with them but please dont take things like injections lightly, You have a life to live!

Jedd.

No hard feelings Guys and Gals, freedom of speech is important.

well, the neurosurgeon didnt say anything about a nerve being pinched or anything. He said that I have a massive ruptured disk and "many degenerating ones". he was hoing to do surgery, as he recommended, I was going along, as I just want the pain to stop. Then he realized that I am on Medicaid and said that he couldnt do the surgery because he is not a Medicaid doctor. So, I am left with the other option...pain management. I have an appointment on Thursday. I dont know what they will say. My girlfriend thinks that Yoga will help. Does anyone have an opinion about that? The doctors all want to cut and take out and I know that is their job, but I am open to any ideas. I dont want to be a "junkie" and be doped up all of the time but I KNOW that they will have to give me something strong to relieve this pain. Everyone says that they will most likely give me Oxycontin. I have friends with the same problem and they have ended up with MULTIPLE surgeries. I dont want that. They are all on Oxycontin and it just seems like the drug works, but they all are doped up. I mean they take 3 80pmg pills a day along with 3 40 mg pills a day. That just seems excessive to me. I know the drug works, I have been told, that it is a lifesaver to some, but ANY drug in that dose just seems like alot to me. I dont want to have to take 360mg of Oxycontin per day. Doesnt that just seem like alot?!?

Hello Ashoverman,

NO, you are not left with just the option of a pain management doc. Start looking for the best neurologist/spinal surgeon you can find who is in the Medicaid program. Many docs are.

Definitely keep your Thursday appointment.

Your girlfriend means well by suggeting Yoga, and it does help people. My daughter is really into Yoga and suggested to ole dad that I should go to Yoga. My response "Thanks, but when it comes to exercises for my back, I will only accept the guidance from a trained physical therapist with the recommendation of my doctor."

Ashoverman, you and I have some very similar thoughts about a number of things. I'll share them with you through a PM. It may be sometime tomorrow.

RichT

Thanks Rich. I look forward to your message. There are NO Medicaid doctors in this area. I am in Alabama, so everything is not as accessible as they would be in other areas. I know. I have lived in MANY places. I have looked through Medicaid all over the state. Birmingham would be the best bet and actually is very close to me but there are none there either. It was hard enough to find a general practicioner here who didnt think that I was a drug seeker. I actually am looking for another one, as the one I have now will not even give me my Paxil for deporession.

I suffered with back pain for over 20 years of my life. Not severe, but at least once a year I would, as they call it, pull my back, be in severe pain for a week or so. Would ice/heat my back, lay on a floor and just rest taking muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory meds.

But one year when I pulled my back, I believe just after a sneeze, went thru the ritual or ice/heat, etc... and after a week, nothing...still was in very bad pain. Pain started to radiate down my leg. The doctor confirmed with an MRI that I had a bulging disc pressing on my sciatica nerve.

I was in so much pain 24 hours a day, that nothing seemed to relieve it. I went to pain management drs. that gave me drugs....pain still there, but not as severe, went to a chiropractor for 5 months straight, 6 days a week because he was the only person that could straighten me out but just for the day...Also went to an acupuncture doctor for 2 months.

No injections could be given to me because the disk was pressing on my nerve.

After consulting with four different doctors, neurologist, orthopedic surgeon, nerve doctor and a neurosurgeon, all told me the same thing.
Surgery was my only way.

I went for the surgery 5 years ago... I have had NOT ONE DAY of pain since I opened my eyes in the recovery room

The neurosurgeon did microscopic surgery, where he shaved the bulging disc off my sciatica nerve.

my scar if 2 inches long...thats it and recuperation was 3 weeks.

Best thing I ever did.

Forget the drugs...forget the chiropracter, forget physical therapy.....Been there...done that....

I just had back surgery and I am on Medicaid and had to go to Tampa to have it done. There was no Medicaid surgeon in my county. If I were you, call Medicaid and ask where is the closest neurosurgeon to you. There has to be on. Most of them only do Medicaid once or twice a month. I was lucky cause mine normally does not take out of county patiants. Don't just let one doctor tell you he does not to Medicaid and leave it at that. RESEARCH!

Carrie

I agree with Carrie - Search all over the U.S. if you have to, but find a neurosurgeon (which is the only kind of doctor that I would have do the surgery). Get the surgery. THe only pain after the surgery is minimal surgical pain that plain tylenol takes care of maybe for a day or so. No more drugs that just take the edge off...no more PAIN!!!!

I'm on medicaid in Alabama. There are a few doctors-good doctors-Orthopedic specialists. Try OSA. I've had 4 low back surgeries and one neck surgery and I'm one of those "failed back surgery syndrome" people. In pain ALL the time! I need pain management but in Alabama there doesn't seem to be any doctors that take Medicaid and do pain management. At least I can't find any and I've called over 60 doctors! And no primary care Medicaid doctors seem to know of any pain doctors either. I've had 3 pain doctors but two abruptly quit taking Medicaid and one moved to Chicago. And the pain doctors that quit taking Medicaid won't see me if I pay cash. For some reason the doctors say that is Medicaid fraud. Medicaid said it isn't, but I don't know what's up with that. Now I can't find any pain doctors in Alabama and I am in extreme pain. If anyone knows of any PLEASE let me know! I've had blocks and they don't do anything. I'm at my wits end. -please I need a pain doctor that takes Medicaid in alabama. Even if I paid a doctor cash his prescriptions wouldn't be covered by medicaid. I'd still need a Medicaid doctor to write prescriptions because you need to fill out preauthorization paperwork for pain meds. And no cash doctor will fill out Medicaid paperwork even if it is just to get prescriptions filled. I'm between a rock and a hard place.