[Ches]

I've got rods from about T2 - T8 (im not sure where they start n stop) and they are making me miserable. I dont know if its the onset of winter, or maybe just being near 7 month post injury and now my body is finally getting all the kinks out, causing my focus to be the rods? They've never bothered me this much. I cant sit up for 3 or 4 hrs without pain. What can I take to help the pain? I means its hardware not anything medicine can affect.

[dave420atya]

Damn! I hate to hear that you are hurting , Ches. I get stiff sometimes around my rods if I over do it. Loratab 10mg and lyrica have been taking care of most of my pains. Getting a good stretch in the middle of activities also helps. Do you do any laying on your stomach? It's the best way that I am able to stretch my back out. Of course I've always got my herbal meds to inhale. ( I'm not Bill Clinton, I did inhale)
I hope to hear that your doing OK soon! Take care !

[LuckyinKentucky]

Mine go from T6 - L2 and three years out they still ache if I'm up for longer than 4-6 hrs straight. Moving alot helps (while in ur chair) but doesn't aleve. Mine was really bad the first year or two, I would get these golfball sized knots on ,what I assumed to be, the head of each screw. My stand point was that the pain was occurring from natural conflict and that once my body became adjusted to the new settings the pain would fade. And to a large extent it does... now I only have 1 set of permanent golf balls that only ache after prolonged sitting


Theres lots of things for pain out there, of which most of us have no prob getting scripts for... and dont get me wrong if I have to do something extra demanding or am hurting exceptionally I'll take a Tab or better yet a Darvocet (the big ones help quite a bit) but when dealing with issues of extended, daily pain. If you use opiate's to deal with it, eventually they will deal with you.

[russ1]

Yep - me too and mine only go from T2 to T4. Been meaning to get the damn things taken out for the last year but not fancying the surgery I've not pushed it. Have appt at spinal centre in Jan and will arrange it then. Hopefully that'll help, would be so nice to lose some of that pain.

[hockeydahc]

wouldn't a massage, or a LIGHT adjustment at a chiropractor be helpful. I'd go that route before getting meds. I get adjusted every week or so. the pain for me is right above and below where the rods are. the rods and my spine are fused and not going to move, so the adjustment just realigns the adjacent verts. feels darn good. massage, I havent tried yet. I'm a bit scared I'll pass gas somewhere within my hour long massage.

[Ches]

I get the meds for pain, I dont know why but I've never been one to pop a pill to fix my problems. But I will pop one recreationally? The pain killers help a little, but not enough. Im not in constant pain, just when the pain starts it stays around for a day or two. I do the stretches, I get adjustments, and massages. They all help, but can only go so far.

I feel like I need to pop my back, its like a stiffness, the pain that is. I guess its obvious and permament.

Russ, what do they doctors say about removing the rods? I was told it would be an option 1-2yr post injury. I think about gettin it but Im always worried they are gonna mess me up even more. I dont care about the physical pain. "Its merely a flesh wound" I just never realized how delicate the cord was, now Im terrified to mess it up again. Life without these rods would be great.

[RacingAxe]

My pain got less and less over about the first 8 months. I think it takes a long time for the muscle to grow back and get strong around the rods. That is to say if you have muscle control in the area around the rods it will get stronger and if you have sensation it will probably hurt in the process. Maybe that is what is happening with you?

[Kev-O]

I know how you feel as a T-5 i went trough the same crap. Mine also hurt if i layed in bed to long. Over time the sitting up pain goes away but i still cant lay in bed for 10+hrs without my shit hurting

[Ches]

Back Pain is a bitch.

More like...

I'm its bitch.

[LuckyinKentucky]

Axe I think you nailed it muscles reforming over hardware + pain... It gets better once they permanently knot up.


About the back feeling binded, Every night I lay down on my stomach and after the para-hump subsides and you can lay flat on your belly comfortably lift up and set on your elbows. move around a little and see if you get a good back pop. It seems to help that binding feeling but I don't know if it's good or bad for you in the long run... but damn it feels better now!

[Texaswheelz]

yea laying on your belly and arching up with your hands while trying to push your pelvis down into the matress is great for loosening up those abs and lower back muscles that tighten during the day.

Bad part about the holidays is I visit so many people and easily spend 15 hrs a day sitting in my chair and it kills me at the end of the day, but feels great when i crawl in bed and get those kinks out.

My rods haven't ever bothered me though other then getting cold a few times when i was outside in the cold for to long without enough warm clothing on. I once got stuck on a snow mobile up in the mountains and sit there for 2 hours before they came looking for me. I climbed in bed when I got back to the cabin and my skin felt fine, but the metal in my back had gotten cold and it took about 8 hours for me to stop shivering even under about 5 blankets. Learned my lesson on that one, as it was only a year and a half after my accident.

[1heart4u]

Hey Ches
I had my rods out, one year post. The surgery and recovery was hell. But the pain from the hardware is gone. I am glad I had the surgery. I have had some pain in my ribs, but I enjoy the freedom of not having all the hardware in my back. I thought it was the rods causing the pain, but the doc said it was the screws and brackets. For me having the hardware removed was the right thing to do. Now the worst I deal with is spasms and some nerve pain. I take some Lyrica for that and some oxy. Down to 10 mg oxy a day from 40 so I am making some progress and I only have to take 75 mg of Lyrica. I don't know that I will ever be pain free, but I would do it all over again.
1heart4u

[Ches]

Hey Iheart4u.. what were the risk involved? You had spasm and nerve pain before hand right? Or are these weird side effects of the removal?

[Murray]

Hey Ches - I'm late gettin' on this string... I'd forgotten you were haulin' iron. And the stuff's givin' ya' some good pain, huh? You nailed it - can make a person a real bitch! Sorry, kiddo. Wish there was something concrete I could add to the above, but I think it's been hit purdy good. I'm with Dave on the herbal med. It's done a helluva job for this ol' fart. That, plus an occasional oxy. Haven't had to do the pill for a long time. Been workin' in the yard a lot. Raking leaves, all that jazz. It seems to keep my back loosened up good. Sometimes a little pain at night, but that's just the price of overdoing it. Haven't learned how to moderate yet. Don't think you have either, have ya' - lol. Well, hell. Consider yourself squeezed and hang in there, girl. You're a tough cookie... and a little bitch, too - couldn't resist. -Murray

[wheeliebear75]

Hey if back pain is a bitch.............let's have her put to sleep.

I've been told I need a rod from L1-L4 or T12-L5.............and I was told the rods only have a %30 chance of improving things.........not good odds. I don't have any hardware but I do have problems with cold and especially the lower part of my body. I like you Ches was only told about how to not get heat rashes.......not how to stay warm. Polartec for your arms & legs and UGS for your feet.

[Job13]

Hi Ches, I know what pain means... and I understand your concern that by taking those rodes out doctors can make it much worse....Really...it can be MUCH worse. I see that you cant sit for more than 3-4 hours. Well, I am "happy" now that can sit for 15-20min...
I was perfectly healthy with no any injuries or back pain 3 years ago when I had my first prolapse...
My husband made this video to show the world how a german doctor experimented on my healthy knee patella and ruined it for life. I am 33y.o. at this video....only 3 years ago I had a full life...and now- bed ridden. Can I accept it? No.
http://www.youtube.c...h?v=hrG1O_6-s7o
We moved to Germany with Texas Instruments 3 years ago and I got crippled thre in two years flat!
After I had my L4/5 prolapse, for 6 months I I couldnt sit at work for more than an hour and had to get up all the time. I thought that life was way too miserable and had my first IDET (microoperaton to remove the tiny prolapse....which wasnt removed but the 7mm hole was drilled by the one of the best surgeons in Phoenix...It started a rapid cascading degeneration of that disc).
I had an artificial disc replacement a year ago (mind you , it was one of the best surgeon in that field) and spent all year in bed in unimaginable pain, couldnt sit (even to have 5 min meal!) or stand... 3 months ago this device was taken out (laterally, meaning form the side. I had the most horrid recovery from this operation....Still recovering and waiting for a fusion to take place.... )
My full story is on this site if you are interested:
http://spinesupport....emachinesforum/
The user name is Job13 "One year ADR hell in Germany. Revision of Prodisc to Fusion".
The moral for me is: if you can function and not bed bound-you'd better really think twice about going for surgeries... Ches, I do understand-no one wants to live life in pain and we all hope to get better, especially if we are young...but its like in the song "...Who can tell where the road goes?...Only time."

[kewlcatkez]

wheeliebear75, on Nov 27 2007, 01:25 AM, said:

Hey if back pain is a bitch.............let's have her put to sleep.

I've been told I need a rod from L1-L4 or T12-L5.............and I was told the rods only have a %30 chance of improving things.........not good odds. I don't have any hardware but I do have problems with cold and especially the lower part of my body. I like you Ches was only told about how to not get heat rashes.......not how to stay warm. Polartec for your arms & legs and UGS for your feet.

Ahh yes, the rod route! I have had several drs inform me that I either have to have multiple surgeries on all my joints, or rods inserted practically if not definitely to my whole spine. This is in an attempt to stop the spinal movement which has me where I am right now, and to try and rectify the dislocations. If I thought for one minute they might actually help rid me of this fecking pain, I might do it.....The good thing is that my Consultant I am seeing now as told me that it will only cause more problems and won't 'solve' anything, which fits in with my reckoning too.

I haven't got any rods, bit I have known people who have them who have had no adverse effects ( as far as I and they know) and then I have known others who are in agony with them, or are severely limited.

Pain and I are familiar adversaries, unfortunately. I seem to be 'blessed' ( yeah right!) with a good few types. As for back pain, I get a lot from my dislocations and the associated traumas. My posture isn't as good as it could or should be because of the permanent paralysis and the transient ones too - I often wake with less function because of the shift in my spine/disc/vertebrae etc.

I do find that gentle stretching, (and it has to be gentle or I pop another joint!) is beneficial for reducing some tension and helping break that vicious cycle of "pain-fear-of-pain-pain" and the (residual) Muscle protective Muscle spasms and the "for the hell of it" ones.. I hope that myt new chair and cushion will go at least some way to assist my posture if nothing else..( Although I have been complimented on how good I seem to sit! LOL LMAO )

I keep saying to myself, that if only one aspect of my pain ( say the back or dislocation) would go, I wouldn't ever moan again!....Then I remember I am Human and it doesn't work that way, anyway..

Sorry for moaning on!, personal Rant over!

Good luck all who are dogged by this!


Take care,

K

This post has been edited by kewlcatkez: 18 January 2008 - 10:52 PM

[Motor]

kewlcatkez, on Jan 18 2008, 05:50 PM, said:

wheeliebear75, on Nov 27 2007, 01:25 AM, said:

Hey if back pain is a bitch.............let's have her put to sleep.

I've been told I need a rod from L1-L4 or T12-L5.............and I was told the rods only have a %30 chance of improving things.........not good odds. I don't have any hardware but I do have problems with cold and especially the lower part of my body. I like you Ches was only told about how to not get heat rashes.......not how to stay warm. Polartec for your arms & legs and UGS for your feet.

Ahh yes, the rod route! I have had several drs inform me that I either have to have multiple surgeries on all my joints, or rods inserted practically if not definitely to my whole spine. This is in an attempt to stop the spinal movement which has me where I am right now, and to try and rectify the dislocations. If I thought for one minute they might actually help rid me of this fecking pain, I might do it.....The good thing is that my Consultant I am seeing now as told me that it will only cause more problems and won't 'solve' anything, which fits in with my reckoning too.

I haven't got any rods, bit I have known people who have them who have had no adverse effects ( as far as I and they know) and then I have known others who are in agony with them, or are severely limited.

Pain and I are familiar adversaries, unfortunately. I seem to be 'blessed' ( yeah right!) with a good few types. As for back pain, I get a lot from my dislocations and the associated traumas. My posture isn't as good as it could or should be because of the permanent paralysis and the transient ones too - I often wake with less function because of the shift in my spine/disc/vertebrae etc.

I do find that gentle stretching, (and it has to be gentle or I pop another joint!) is beneficial for reducing some tension and helping break that vicious cycle of "pain-fear-of-pain-pain" and the (residual) Muscle protective Muscle spasms and the "for the hell of it" ones.. I hope that myt new chair and cushion will go at least some way to assist my posture if nothing else..( Although I have been complimented on how good I seem to sit! LOL LMAO )

I keep saying to myself, that if only one aspect of my pain ( say the back or dislocation) would go, I wouldn't ever moan again!....Then I remember I am Human and it doesn't work that way, anyway..

Sorry for moaning on!, personal Rant over!

Good luck all who are dogged by this!


Take care,

K

Hey Guys!

I guess you can say I'm lucky, if there is such a thing with SCI (not feeling pain) I am fused from T-6 thru T-12 and have titanium rods. I am not supposed to feel pain from the nipples down, however I can feel touch just not hot, cold or pain. Just under my right pectoral muscle I get really bad pain as if I was beeing stabbed. Its hurts straight thru to my back. My wife says it is not near my scars so I don't understand it. Doc says its a neuropathic pain. What is that? Nothing helps. I use percocet prn and lidoderm patches with only slight relief. Guess it could be worse. I have learned to live with the pain. I also tore both rotator cuffs and didn't have them repaired. If I do I would be unable to transfer at all, so I deal.

Be well guys

[Ches]

These rods are hellacious.. They had actually gotten really settled and I was beginning to forget I even had them. Until, I busted my ass in the shower..went to the chiro and got some work done to my tailbone. Maybe it was the fall, maybe it was the adjustment.. either way my back hurts like hell again.. But you know its mainly when I slouch.. so Im thinking.. this could be my own fault. Its hard to sit up straight all the time.. pre or especially post injury, but it helps.

As you for you Motor, Ive got this one spot that had stabbing pain like that too.. its just one little spot in the shoulder blade. THe pain is overactive or damaged nerves I hear. If the pain isnt UNBARABLE.. then do as I do.. Shut up, Relax, and just be glad you can feel anything at all!

This post has been edited by Ches: 19 January 2008 - 12:14 PM

[nomis]

Hey Ches, if you can be hardass strict on yourself in keeping a straight back it will pay off heaps in the future. Us T4/5s tend to slump and it screws your posture putting pressure on your tailbone and messing with your breathing.
I sort of tried to be a good boy but wish now I'd put more effort into sitting straight. Now I have to work even harder at it.

[dave420atya]

I also ha noticed myself slouching more and more. I have gotten really lazy lately , but I met a lady friend who is .... well , let's just say she is "motivating" me. Sorry , back to the slouch thing I think I have noticed my nerve pain increases sometimes if I'm slouched for long.
Motor you are a lucky bastard no pain and a trike but then you say you get the stabbing pains...??? I get a variety of pains but the bad stabbing ones are the worst . Seconds seem like minutes when I get them. I fear I'll end up crashing if I get a real bad one while riding. Try lyrica for the "unexplainable" pains I take 300mg as needed not on any schedule . In about an hour no more pains . It's a miracle to finally find something that works My doc . disagrees with me so now I'm looking for a new docter that will listen to me! Keep ridin bro. See ya at the pub

good luck with not slouching be prowd of your self it helps ya hold your head up and sit up strait
if nomis says it's the right thing to do he's probably right.

This post has been edited by dave420atya: 20 January 2008 - 02:51 PM