NHS Cut Backs - Back injury- disc

[Will1985]

How do I get my scan onto my medical records? What happens next?

This may surprise you, but the private sector do communicate with the public sector! When you went for your scan they would have asked who your GP was. Once the scan has been reported the GP usually receives a copy of the report within a week...what the admin staff do with it then is anybody's guess. There is no point giving the GP a copy of the disc as he would not be able to interpret the images anywhere as well as a specialist...the report is enough. Any decent referral letter you may have in the future would mention that you had a private scan in x month at x clinic, which would allow the orthopaedic surgeon to know where to get it if he wanted.

 

[lulubel]

Re. lulubel's and saluki's suggestion of a chiropractor, be very wary. In the WHO chiropractic guidelines spinal manipulations for "frank disc herniation with accompanying signs of progressive neurological deficit is an absolute contraindication" i.e. do not do it

My suggestion was based on my father's positive outcome. Obviously, there are good chiropractors and bad chiropractors, and he found a good one.

I'd like to correct the misapprehension, however, that chiropractors focus on manipulation of the spine. Although people generally go to them for back pain, they actually take a whole body approach in the knowledge that back pain or spinal misalignment is often caused by imbalances elsewhere in the body. I've been to 2 different chiropractors in my life, and both concentrated on correcting a muscle imbalance in my lower body - neither manipulated my spine.

 

[doog]

Many thanks for your replies and sharing your experience of back problems.

I fully agree that time can be healer and indeed it is in most cases. If I could be 'assured' that within 6 months I would be pain free then I wouldnt even think about surgery, however such are the complications of spinal injuries that you just cannot predict anything.

Reference surgery, as with everything in life (Holidays from hell etc ) we only read about the things that have gone wrong. People tend not to post about not being in pain so clearly there are thousands of operations that do succeed.

Many many people, most of the elderly population in fact have prolapsed discs, they dont even know it. I know it because 10mm of the gunk from the dehydrated disc is rammed up against my S1 nerve root.

My previous injury took well over a year to become tolerable and this is what is getting me down. My recent injury is connected to my old injury, only worse so I know I probably have 12 months of back and sciatic pain in front of me...again. However my GP is well aware of the previous injury, knows I was on prescribed medication for 15 months (diclofenac) but seems totally blase about the whole thing.

Hobbies : Golf, running, cycling, cycle touring, 46 year old male - fittest I have ever been in my life basically being told by my GP to just sit at home, watch Jeremy Kyle for 6 months, take lots of painkillers, do a bit of physio and hope the pain goes away, or I get used to it and when it happens again............repeat.

(It was my physio who told me about GP's not referring by the way)

The below was taken in June on the French / Spanish border at 5000 feet on my 760 mile tour...I am glad I got this tour in before the injury. I cant even lift my leg to sit on the bike

Lifes a bugger

 

[vickster]

If it helps, I have had no recurring back injury/pain in the nearly 20 years since my op. Other than the big scar, the only remaining consequence is altered sensation in the back of my calf/thigh, which is mildly annoying, being a bit odd feeling when I shave my leg. It can get a bit achy if I stand or walk a lot especially on uneven surfaces, but this now annoys my bad knee more than my back!

I might have ended up in a wheeelchair had it not been operated on , with a week of extremely unpleasant spinal traction ineffective, followed by CT and an op 2 days later. If a spinal surgeeon thinks that surgery is the only option and that the problem can be fixed, then have the conversation. I don't think they rush into back surgery unless only course of action available. If the pain is unbearable and you have the readies, I would pay to see an NHS surgeon privately and then if needed, get referred onto the NHS list - at least you'll know one way or the other

Good luck

 

[Becs]

Stay away from back quacks (chiropracters). They can do more harm than good and it's not worth the risk.

 

[bikergrove]

I would recommend physio. NHS service is going from bad to worse though. All NHS physio will do is give you a piece of paper with some exercises on it.... I had to go private.

 

[geordie41]

Hey Doog.

I too suffered a prolapsed L5/S1 8 years ago whilst in the military. I only had this fixed with surgery in April 2010 because after all those years no-one would send me for a scan. Not the military doctors (whose immortal line was 'take more brufen, you'll be fine') or my own GP after I left to join civvie street because I couldn't do my RAF job anymore because of the back pain. In 9 years not a month went by without being under the care of a physio-terrorist which was only bearable because of my ongoing love affair with Tramadol. I could live my life but I couldn't do any sport or even play with my daughter! Finally in early 2010 one morning I couldn't get out of bed as something serious had obviously happened while I slept. Only then did I get the mri scan that I had pleaded for during those years of pain which showed the prolapse as an old injury but this time the disc itself had protruded into the spinal cord. They got me into surgery pretty quick to sort it and although I have no feeling in my right leg, still have back pain and reckon I always will I am now cycling about 100 miles a week for fitness and pleasure and am playing 5 a side football twice a week at the age of 41. I just wish I had been stronger and forced the issue earlier because up to January this year I last kicked a ball or did any sport when I was 32 because of the prolapse and my naiveity in forcing the issue.

All I would say is don't give up mithering your GP/Physio. You know your body better than anyone and having been there before myself and the new lease of life I have now I know there are multiple options about what can be done to fix it.

 

[numbnuts]

I have just come back from the hospital for the results from my scan, I have a 10mm prolapsed disc at L5 I have two options epidural injection or surgery, I'm going for the epidural injection to see if that works first and if not it will mean surgery

 

[doog]

I have just come back from the hospital for the results from my scan, I have a 10mm prolapsed disc at L5 I have two options epidural injection or surgery, I'm going for the epidural injection to see if that works first and if not it will mean surgery

I notice your previous post about surgery. Your current prolapse is similar to mine, 10mm at L5/S1. What are your current symptoms? Its 7 weeks since mine occurred, im still off work and still off the bike. Bad back pain and sciatica.