Still peachy

Back is still pretty much OK! A few mild aches now and then, and a little, very mild, sciatica when I have my laptop on my lap too long - that is all!

Pain free at the moment!

Well, such is the power of bloggage! My back is the best it has been for several months. Or maybe the acupuncture has had an effect. Apart from a few sciatic twinges I have been fine since my last blog.

Hopefully this will be the last entry on this blog but I fear it won't be - back problems never go away that easily....

Night shifts

Well, I took 1 ibuprofen before Mondays' night shift just in case and had no problems. Tuesday and Wednesday I took nothing and had only a few twinges and a little sciatica. Same today, though I ache a little in lower buttock area. Had acupuncture today and feel a little sore; hopefully it won't be feeling worse tomorrow when I am on the plane to Copenhagen (yay!).

A no drugs day?

Decided to be brave and not take anything today. I really don't want to keep taking medication.

Lower back is a bit painful and right thigh is a bit crampy but not enough to stop me doing anything. Still cannot sit with either leg straight as it is too painful.

I have a night shift tonight so I don't know if I will make it through the night drug-free.

Taking the set down day

Today we took the set down after the latest play. I hope I haven't done anything naughty to my back.

Took 1 ibuprofen with breakfast and my lower back has been a bit sore and still. Sharp pain in lower back when I straighten either leg whilst sitting. Slight sciatica on right.

Wake up call

Wote up this morning with horrible shooting, crampy pains in the front of my right thigh which felt as bad as period pains. Took 1 ibuprofen and they reduced to a manageable level. Sacral area of back is a little sore and stiff but that is all.

Took 1 AF with lunch to be on the safe side and at present my back is the same and my leg is only a little painful.

First day of the diary

I had acupuncture session number 5 yesterday and true to form, I feel worse today. I woke up with nasty spasming pain in my right lower back and sciatica down the front of my right leg. Took 1 AF (anti-inflammatory - 75 mg diclofenac) and one ibuprofen (200mg time-release).

Went to GP today as Adam is insisting I ought to go but I don't feel hopeful. Spent an hour and a half sitting in the waiting room with the pain shooting down my leg the whole time. When started explaining the problem to the GP, I started sobbing - partly from the pain and partly PMT, I think. As I thought, the GP said there wasn't much he could do apart from painkillers etc. I mentioned the allergy I thought I had and he said an allergy was likely and I may never work out what I was allergic to, but as it wasn't helping my back he gave me a prescription for a nasal spray. He also gave me a sheet with back exercises on to try, so I will try and remember to do them.

Took a further ibuprofen when I got home and now pain is easing a little.

A bit of background

My back pain first started in 2002, as I was getting in the car. I'm sure this particular activity didn't actually cause the back pain, probably more likely the straw that broke the camel's back (if you pardon the expression). Anyway, that cleared up after a while, with only a few niggles in the meantime.

This May, I noticed the niggles were getting gradually worse, then one morning, as I was getting ready for work, my back went into spasms and all I could do was collapse into bed in the worst pain I have ever experienced in my life - like I was being stabbed in the back. A prescription for co-proxamol, diclofenac (anti-inflammatory) and diazepam (muscle relaxant) got me hobbling about again. I stopped taking the tablets about 5 days later as one or more of them were making me feel nauseous but I mananged, and was back at work a week after I hurt my back.

Since then, my back pain has been off and on and I'm having trouble remembering how much it hurts, and when. I know I was having pain and sciatica fairly badly 8 weeks ago because that was when I first started talking to the lady at work who does acupuncture about my problem.

I have had 5 sessions of acupuncture so far. It is pretty much as the acupuncturist said it might be - a little worse the day after treatment, a bit better a few days after and pretty much back to the original level of pain after a further few days. The sciatica down the back of my left leg has pretty much cleared up but the sciatica down the front of my right leg has got worse, if anything.

One reason I think my back pain isn't going is my mystery allergy. I haven't worked out what I am allergic to but I sneeze off and on, and often when I sneeze it cause agony in my back. I'm sure this keeps setting my recovery back.

The last week has been worse. I have been trying to avoid painkillers as I don't want the pain to be dulled so much that I end up doing things that are bad for my back but I wouldn't have been able to function this week without painkillers and anti-inflammatories.