Need advice re. spine injury (bulging disc)

Laura42012 · November 2013

I was in a major auto accident in July. It's been a cluster f of injuries from it trying to navigate back to the world of being my old self. I need advice PLEASE! The doctors suck b/c I don't totally understand what they're talking about and I think they're too arrogant to take the time to walk me through things.

The MRI showed at the end of August that I had a bulging disc in my T12/L1. Doc said it will heal in time. I usually always feel it. I've learned it's called disc pain?!? When it feels tender and because of the tight space in the thoracic spine, I feel "pressure" when I bend over or move a certain way. Sometimes, I don't make it back up if I bend over the wrong way. I end up clutching things to get up.

Then another doctor this week, re-reviewed my scans saying I had arthritis in my lumbar, which I also had a hairline fracture on my L5 joint with a build up of fluid there. The physical therapist has been working on this area for weeks thinking it was a muscle injury. He finally said there was an injury that must have been missed in August. He was right, there was a non-muscular injury there!

I also have a torn hip flexor which makes me limp depending on how much I've walked or if I have to walk up an incline. It got worse when the physical therapist thought my SI Joint may be injured so we tried some exercises to stretch the SI joint. Unfortunately, it rendered me unable to walk (hence, having to see the 2nd doctor for answers). Well, sometimes, the limp is severe, which then irritates my lumbar injury and the T12/L1. When that happens, it's like an explosion of pain in my back causing me to be unable to stand upright or walk. I've had to crawl when this happens to the bathroom and up the stairs. It happened yesterday with very little warning. I was in the car for a total of two hours, half an hour out of the car, I bent over and the next thing I knew, I couldn't stand or walk anymore. I was in tears, I was in so much pain. Since the auto accident, I've only cried ONE other time, which I hope shows how much pain I was in. I was laid up on my back all night in bed laying flat without a pillow or anything or the pain would increase.

Can a bulging disc really cause all of this or has it possibly have gotten worse? I don't have pain radiating down my leg. I had nerve pain from the injury in my left shoulder that was horrible so I don't think this disc is causing that but how can it render me unable to walk sometimes?? I want to ask for another MRI of my spine to see what's going on. The doctor doesn't seem that concerned that sometimes I can not walk at all, which floors me. One would think a single mother with a five year old would want to be able to walk!!!!

Laura42012 · November 2013

Bump

Kaligryl · November 2013

I definitely know what your going through. I have the same problem in my L4 and L5 from a plane crash. Sciatica, and pain down my left leg. I've got other injuries from the crash, but I try not to get discouraged. They always tell me what I can't do...as far as exercise instead of what I can do. I'm going to keep pushing though. But I've been dealing with it for 14 years (next month) and still have pain. Just found out the other day I have flat feet too. You just have to stretch a lot. Swimming is really good for your back is what they keep telling me.

novakac · November 2013

I had a bulging/ruptured disc in my neck, so I sympathize.

However, I had a MUCH more supportive physician.

When your dr. said it "would" go away with time, what he should have said was "probably would" go away with time.

I don't have any experience with low back injury, but from my experience with my C6/C7 disc, I can tell you that it can mess a lot of stuff up. Physical therapy is a great start, but it's November already. If you're still having pain, they should consider steroid treatments.

I tried oral steroids (nothing), and injected steroids (nothing for me, but these have worked for every other person I know with spinal injuries), before we finally scheduled surgery.

The surgery was a miracle. I was pain free in 5 days. I don't mean just the pain from the cervical injury, I mean my surgeon was so skilled that I had no pain even from the surgery itself. That was 8 years ago now. I still have mini flare ups sometimes. And they're still unpleasant and rotten. But they go away.

My advice? Find a good neurologist/neurosurgeon. If your health plan allows, shop around a bit. Call around. Read reviews on the internet until you find one who is willing to talk in a way that you do understand, and discuss options. Isn't there a ratemydoctor.com website or something?

There are other options. I don't know which is best for you. The doctor might not know which is best for you, but a good doctor should be willing to keep trying until you find something that works.

littleburgy · November 2013

I'm a little hesitant to offer any advice because my prolapsed disc doesn't have a specific incident I can pinpoint it to (though I have theories), I just woke up with it one morning (on my 30th birthday! Happy birthday!) So what helped me might not be the same for someone else in a different situation like yourself, as mine was a standard prolapsed disc that didn't have other musculoskeletal injuries. So I'm not a doctor and can't offer medical advice, only my experience. But I genuinely feel for you, because I've been there. They gave me the maximum amount of pain allowed and I was still screaming when they took me to the hospital. And I cried many, many times. I was in such a bad way I actually had a friend come over to help clean and cut my toenails when I was trying to recover.

It took a few months for me to be normal, but even then I moved somewhat cautiously and gingerly for quite a while.

Stretching for me for a while was quite uncomfortable and painful, and seemed to aggravate the sciatica. I was advised to do at least a little bit of mobility because that seemed to help with the inflammation. Things like sitting for a long time (like you had to when sitting in the car) was brutal because there was no mobility and inflammation built up. Every morning I had pain pills by my bedside, I had to take them and wait for them to kick in before I could even get up and out of bed. But hobbling around just a little bit (and eventually working up to walking) did help.

I had a relapse and kept a cold pack on my lower back, this helped with inflammation as well. But I would ask a doctor before doing any of the things I did, those were my experiences.

I eventually got a cortisone shot. I had newly moved to the UK and they were pretty conservative about doing surgery. But I think they tend to explore the surgery route more often in the U.S. Mine apparently was able to resolve without surgery but again my situation didn't involve an accident. In severe cases they will do surgery and it sounds like something they may need to explore with you if it doesn't show signs of resolving soon.

Hugs and many painkillers for you. :flowerforyou:

MzzFaith · November 2013

Yes. Please a lot of bulging disc pressing against the spine. Can't do nor have surgery nor nerve blocks. Getting aggravated.

SteveStedge1 · November 2013

I just had a partially dehydrated disc S1/L5 and it put me on my back for 2 weeks. Back injuries are such a PITA. I cant even describe the pain..at one point my wife drove me intot he hospitals ambulance entrance and they put me on morphine. REAL morphine. I was crying like a little girl it hurt so much.

anyways....I just had some pressure on the nerves. It does weird *kitten* things. Like feels like someone hit me in the butt with a sledgehammer (sciatic nerve?) and later pain on the top of my foot..like a burning sensation. It wasnt real, it was just bad signals by neerves.

The end result, the only thing that "fixed" me was time and exercise. Ive gone through a whole new way to lift focusing on core strength and now (a couple years later) I cant even remember the back pain.

I am very sorry for you pain. The fear of not getting better is the worst part.

Oh, and my doctors ALL were complete @ssholes and crooks. No one would tell me anything. They woudl just run out of the room or pass me on to another person.

The nurses would treat me like a CRIMINAL when I wanted more pain medication. Trust me, I dont care what people say, being on opiate based drugs like vicotin (too weak), percoset (better) , and dilaudid (even better) were not pleasant. Try having nightmares and being constipated for 2 weeks straight.

pinkraynedropjacki · November 2013

Welcome to my world. L4, L5 & S1 bulging along with tearing in L5 & S1 discs, sciatica down BOTH legs all the way to the toes & my discs are pressing on my nerves.

Been 4 years now & it's not gotten better despite losing all my weight, strengthening my back & exercising more. I live on painkillers & can't sit for more than 5 mins a day.... yep 5 whole mins a day I can sit for. My days are filled with a mixture of walking & painkillers that contain codeine (cause not a damn thing else works).

I can run easily without pain, I can zumba, I walk from the moment I get up at 7am till I hit bed at about midnight. I now am back at work after 4 years off because of it & it's killing me but I have no choice...plus I love my new job.

Got hurt at work & for some reason their DR (use that term loosely) has the opinion that cause I can walk that I'm all better. Strange that cause the Medical Panel that awarded me $$$ said it was permanent & was 6% body impairment so I have no idea how I got better according to a DR I'd never seen before & who's main reason for his decision was my walking & my reasoning for not doing a squat all the way to the floor (I'd fall over if I tried, plus my knees are not that great in that position)

Anyway....I doubt it ever goes away. For anyone. Pain will always be there, some Drs are just stupid and want to just get $$$ for it.

Need advice re. spine injury (bulging disc)

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