Day 4 without sleep...

[AK907]

A couple days ago my lower back started hurting really bad. Feels just like kidney stones, which I have had before. All my family has had them, as well as my in laws have had them. I know the symptons pretty well. A day later it locked up bad and we went to the ER around 7pm. The doctor having only looked at me sitting on the side of the hospital bed and my vitals decided it wasn't kidney stones and I just tweaked my back. He sent me home with a couple low doseage vicodin. A few hours and two vicodins later I had to have my wife drive me back to the ER because all I could do was scream because of the pain. This time I told them to basically cut the crap and find out whats wrong with me. They started me on an IV, gave me a several doses of morphine which just barely took the edge off and wheeled me off to radiology where I got a CT scan. Got the results back from that a hour and a half later. Doc says no kidney stones and that my back is just spasming a little and told me to just take some ibuprofen along with some of the low doseage vicodins he gave me. Bull crap! My back does not hurt this bad from a spasm or tweaking it at work.

Well its been two days since that I haven't slept in 4 days now (going on day 5) because of my pain. I am starting to halucinate. I cannot lay down at all, in any position. I can only sit in an old dinner table chair because its all that we have besides the bed. If I attempt to lay down at all the pain becomes unbelieveable and I can do nothing but scream until I can pick myself back up and sit up with back support or stand. In these upright positions I only have to grit my teeth or yell about once every couple minutes when it locks up or spasms. I am very tired and very cranky. These pills I have been given are doing absolutely NOTHING! They do not even take the edge off. There has been no improvement in my situation. The ER has simply told us to come in again. All they are going to do is maybe juice me up with just enough morphine that it takes the edge off, tell me to keep eating ibuprofen and send me a $1,500 bill. I know they have the means to find out whats wrong with me and treat me. At least enough so that I can comfortably get a few hours sleep so I can gather my bearings. They are a band-aid hospital and will not even try to help me!

We have yet to find a single doctor, even one we have to pay out of pocket for, around here that will take in a new patient. So far we haven't even found any within a couple hour drive in any direction who will accept me as a new patient!

What can I do? I am so strung out right now from the pain and lack of sleep and I'm at wits end. My wife has even caught me talking gibberish to someone who wasn't even there while I was in the bath tub earlier today. I don't really recall any real details of this, but I know I did it.

[llovelace]

You would think they would give you a muscle relaxer, and recommend a chiropractor.

[Eric Doane]

I would say ask for a muscle relaxer or an epideral. My dad has back problems, and has to get an epideral every so often. I'm sorry to hear you are in so much pain. I don't know if you are able to or not, but maybe try to stretch it out. I hope it gets better. Best of luck.

[AK907]

I wish I could just stretch it out. That would be really nice. The thing is is that this isn't just muscle spasms. I've had back muscles spasm really bad before and they were nowhere near as intense as this is and I can feel the kidney stones moving around. Most people who have had them know what I'm talking about. My mother in law was told by her doctor she didn't have kidney stones last year. Guess what, she gave birth to several a week later and after re-testing her they found she still had several left in her. They were just hiding.

I've tried some muscle relaxers I had leftover from a year or so ago. I've got lots of cyclobenzoprine and carisoprodol and a few others. Thier effects were negligible.

Once these do pass I know I'm gunna have the best sleep I've ever had.

[shaqthaballkeeper]

srry this is going on for u and taking u though hell.hope u get better.i will pray for u.

[mechnut450]

no stranger to back issues ( mine are related to hardheadness, and the CP) I gotten suck sittingni the pc chair and yelling for over an hour for mom or someone ( didn't care if it wa stranger off the street) to help me get out cause i h ad to use restroom (at 11pm at night) .

Have you tried some thing like icyhot or such to see if that will relax the muscle ot even allow your back to pop? IF only able to sit up right try having it yourself propped up in a sitting postion ( with feet in aire on your back) be surprise how that works ( until you roll over )

I also use to have niecce or nepheew walk on my back they did it so much ( enjoyes it) that my back be semi numb and i was able to walk arond a gain for a bit like a normal human.

[kristan]

I started getting random severe pain in my back a few years ago (right around where the gallbladder is) and on day two of no sleep and hours of dry heaving from the pain, I ended up going to the hospital. Several tests later they were not able to find anything wrong with me (no, it was not my gallbladder) and sent me home with some tramadol. I took the meds for about three days and when I stopped taking them the pain was gone. I have never found out what caused the pain, but whatever it is "flares up" every once in awhile. However, since then I've talked to two individuals with identical symptoms to mine, and both of them had pinched nerves in their backs, which took several months to diagnose.

[AK907]

Thanks yall.

After a couple more trips to the ER they finally gave me methocarbamol (Robaxin). I had to extremely firm (bordering on outright rude!) with them to do more than giving me a small dose of morphine and sending me home. More pain meds is not what I needed. What I got is similar to a muscle relaxer. I still cannot lay down in any position, but lack of sleep combined with these new pills and vicodin and percocet makes me REALLY drowsy and I've passed out several times for a few minutes at a time. The toilet, bath tub, sitting outside smoking a cigarette. I got a few hours of broken sleep last night sitting in bed. Still in a daze, but I'm not talking to the bath tub or watching non-existant ants dance on the ground anymore. I passed a few small kidney stones too (smaller than a bb) which they said I didn't have. Also had an impacted bowel. My back is still tweaking, but not as bad as it was. So for now I am ok.

[TomC]

Prayers with you hope you heal up soon.