Sciatica details
Still going through old posts, and realized how useful they have been in dating things, like my hip problems. So I will chronicle it here the best I can.
The first sciatica problem started in early September when I helped lay the dining room floor. By the 27th, I was using crutches. September 30, I had to do errands and was 'walking' around a lot, in spite of which I was in less pain by the end of the day, and went to the doctor too late on October 1st.
The arthritis itself was quite bad, but I was still doing all right.
There are four very distinct kinds of pain, which I label as: sciatica (very sharp pain which radiates from the spine down to the knee), muscle spasm (a 'loud' though not sharp pain which cramps the whole thigh and can make it impossible to move the hip at all), bone spur (sharper than the spasm, and likely to cause spasm), and arthritis (sharp and very brief, depending on how the hip gets used).
In late November, the sciatica hit my right hip. By mid-December I was on crutches again. It didn't go away so quickly and easily as the last bout, so in January I started going to a chiropractor. I think now that the sciatica itself was nearly gone by the first visit, but the muscles were now cramping enough that I couldn't control the leg without a lot of pain.
By January 13th I was good enough to be able to go to ORC, even though I still needed both crutches. On late Sunday the 16th, the muscle spasming suddenly got much worse, so that packing and getting home again were very bad. It continued throughout January. On the 21st, I called the doctor and got a prescription for Cyclobenzoprine, a muscle relaxer, and recommendation that I go to the walk-in clinic. The muscle relaxer worked quite well, though I slelpt 14 hours a day, and I was quite a bit better by February 5th.
The walk-in clinic recommended Motrin (!!?!???!?!?!?wtf?), sent me for x-rays, and referred me to an orthopathologist. But the Cyclobenzoprine (now taken only at night) was really helping. Probably by the 1st of February, the cramping had almost stopped. However, it left behind a new kind of pain. Until I know otherwise, I think it is bone spurs rubbing the muscle as it tenses. I'm (mostly) okay so long as I don't move. At all.
On February 5th, a Saturday, the temperature was warm enough for the car to operate, so with Raederle home to help me, I felt that I must take the opportunity to stock up on groceries. We went first to Aldi's and then to Tops and by then I could barely get in and out of the car.
By Sunday the pain was worse than it had yet been. I'm sure the sciatica hasn't come back, but there is both the bone spur pain and the spasming pain.
So that's were I am at this point.
I was supposed to have the appointment with the orthopathologist on Monday, but he got called out on an emergency, so I have been put off until the 23rd. Another two weeks. Thank you very much.
The first sciatica problem started in early September when I helped lay the dining room floor. By the 27th, I was using crutches. September 30, I had to do errands and was 'walking' around a lot, in spite of which I was in less pain by the end of the day, and went to the doctor too late on October 1st.
The arthritis itself was quite bad, but I was still doing all right.
There are four very distinct kinds of pain, which I label as: sciatica (very sharp pain which radiates from the spine down to the knee), muscle spasm (a 'loud' though not sharp pain which cramps the whole thigh and can make it impossible to move the hip at all), bone spur (sharper than the spasm, and likely to cause spasm), and arthritis (sharp and very brief, depending on how the hip gets used).
In late November, the sciatica hit my right hip. By mid-December I was on crutches again. It didn't go away so quickly and easily as the last bout, so in January I started going to a chiropractor. I think now that the sciatica itself was nearly gone by the first visit, but the muscles were now cramping enough that I couldn't control the leg without a lot of pain.
By January 13th I was good enough to be able to go to ORC, even though I still needed both crutches. On late Sunday the 16th, the muscle spasming suddenly got much worse, so that packing and getting home again were very bad. It continued throughout January. On the 21st, I called the doctor and got a prescription for Cyclobenzoprine, a muscle relaxer, and recommendation that I go to the walk-in clinic. The muscle relaxer worked quite well, though I slelpt 14 hours a day, and I was quite a bit better by February 5th.
The walk-in clinic recommended Motrin (!!?!???!?!?!?wtf?), sent me for x-rays, and referred me to an orthopathologist. But the Cyclobenzoprine (now taken only at night) was really helping. Probably by the 1st of February, the cramping had almost stopped. However, it left behind a new kind of pain. Until I know otherwise, I think it is bone spurs rubbing the muscle as it tenses. I'm (mostly) okay so long as I don't move. At all.
On February 5th, a Saturday, the temperature was warm enough for the car to operate, so with Raederle home to help me, I felt that I must take the opportunity to stock up on groceries. We went first to Aldi's and then to Tops and by then I could barely get in and out of the car.
By Sunday the pain was worse than it had yet been. I'm sure the sciatica hasn't come back, but there is both the bone spur pain and the spasming pain.
So that's were I am at this point.
I was supposed to have the appointment with the orthopathologist on Monday, but he got called out on an emergency, so I have been put off until the 23rd. Another two weeks. Thank you very much.