Low back pain 3 months :(

[Mrs Anxious]

Hi all, I haven’t been on for a while but I am in a terrible state at the moment I have very bad low back pain since September 2nd, unrelenting every.. single.. day :( the pain is also in my right hip and groin and radiating further up my back.

I have always suffered with back pain and in 2019 had an mri after doctor thought I had cauna equina ( genuinely, sorry didn’t suggest it I had no idea what it was!) the mri showed degenerative disc disease which I think is very common in women my age (46) I was given codeine, Valium and crutches and eventually after about a month it went away.

This time it feels a bit different like I have no movement at all in my lower spine, I went to a chiro on Wednesday for a treatment and woke up Thursday worse, I can’t sleep at night every time I move or roll over it’s agony… I made the mistake of saying to the the chiropractor I was worried it was something serious and she said yes there are cancers that have back pain as a symptom ( she has no idea about my HA and the trigger that would of been) so now I’m in the terrible rabbit hole, convinced my back pain is cancer :( doctor won’t send me for a scan as I had one in 2019 that only showed degenerative disc disease, I feel so low and depressed, it’s not normal to be led in bed in the dark while my husband sleeps Googling to try and get an answer :( just wondering if anyone can relate at all, the longer it’s going on the more worried I am getting my doctors are telephone appts but I’ve managed to get a face to face but not til 23rd , thanks for reading I really appreciate it xx

[ServerError]

Doctors often say things like that when they don't realise the anxiety of the patient. It is a million miles away from saying you have cancer. I mean, there are cancers in which headaches are a leading symptom, but most headaches are not cancer. Lower back pain is one of the most common human ailments of all and it sounds like yours is more likely linked to your disc issues. Definitely don't catastrophise as it's likely - in time - you'll be able to get helpful treatment.

[ErinKC]

I'm sorry you're in so much pain! Can you see a physical therapist rather than a chiropractor? I wouldn't suspect it's cancer given that you have a history with back pain, but I do think it's ridiculous your doctor won't send you for another scan as that would show if your disc issues have advanced and maybe give you some guidance on how to treat it! Is there a way to get a second opinion in that regard?

[serith]

Just want to reiterate -- back pain is SUCH a common thing, it would be really weird if someone didn't have ANY back pain at all in their lives. Human beings were the first primates to walk upright and we are very unfinished evolutionarily -- hence, why we have to so many back problems, and why child birth is so painful. You could say we are meant to have back pain. I work on a farm with 18 year olds and most of them complain of back pain at some point-- and they're only 18.

My opinion is that you should insist on getting re-scanned, just to ease your worry. You shouldn't have to live with this agony and with so much worry! <3

[NoraB]

Hi all, I haven’t been on for a while but I am in a terrible state at the moment I have very bad low back pain since September 2nd, unrelenting every.. single.. day :( the pain is also in my right hip and groin and radiating further up my back.

That's a specific date, so can you remember what you were doing in the days or hours prior to the pain coming on?


I have always suffered with back pain and in 2019 had an mri after doctor thought I had cauna equina ( genuinely, sorry didn’t suggest it I had no idea what it was!) the mri showed degenerative disc disease which I think is very common in women my age (46) I was given codeine, Valium and crutches and eventually after about a month it went away.

The degeneration doesn't go away. It only worsens with age, but there's not always pain and discomfort. Sometimes, lack of pain lulls us into a false sense of security and we make poor choices, like doing things which put a strain on that area of the spine where the wear and tear is.


This time it feels a bit different like I have no movement at all in my lower spine, I went to a chiro on Wednesday for a treatment and woke up Thursday worse, I can’t sleep at night every time I move or roll over it’s agony… I made the mistake of saying to the the chiropractor I was worried it was something serious and she said yes there are cancers that have back pain as a symptom ( she has no idea about my HA and the trigger that would of been) so now I’m in the terrible rabbit hole, convinced my back pain is cancer :( doctor won’t send me for a scan as I had one in 2019 that only showed degenerative disc disease

I have degeneration in my neck (cervical spondylosis), so I do sympathise with you here.

Instead of torturing yourself Googling something that is highly unlikely that you have, why don't you deal with the issue you do have? (Pain)

Manage your pain as best you can until you can see your doctor. You'll know, by now, what works and what doesn't. (It's heat, painkillers, and rest for me).

I'm thinking that you did something around the time the pain started, (cause and effect) and that the chiropractor has somehow aggravated things. :shrug:

I don't think you have cancer, but I'd say that a scan is in order. It's been three years and you have been diagnosed with disc degeneration. The chances are that this has worsened (as it inevitably will) and there may need to be adjustments to your treatment.

Ask your GP to send you for another scan, and if they refuse, get a second opinion.

[Mrs Anxious]

Thank you all, I tried to reply to you individually but I wasn’t sure how! Nothing I have is touching the pain which is making me worse, I have co codamol, naproxen and Valium, I’ve asked for another scan but I’ve been told “David beckham wouldn’t have had a better scan than you did on 2019” so they feel there’s no need…. The reason I am so specific about the date is 2 days previous I quit smoking so naively thinking it’s that that’s caused it, I know it isn’t and I’m still smoke free

[NoraB]

Thank you all, I tried to reply to you individually but I wasn’t sure how! Nothing I have is touching the pain which is making me worse, I have co codamol, naproxen and Valium, I’ve asked for another scan but I’ve been told “David beckham wouldn’t have had a better scan than you did on 2019” so they feel there’s no need…. The reason I am so specific about the date is 2 days previous I quit smoking so naively thinking it’s that that’s caused it, I know it isn’t and I’m still smoke free

Well done on packing the fags in. :shades:

I know, from experience, that anxiety makes pain worse. Anxiety can cause pain, but it can definitely amplify pain too, so anything you can do in the way of relaxation will help you. (Though I do know how hard it is to try and 'relax' when you're in pain, believe me). What I am mainly talking about with you, is trying to reign in those catastrophising thoughts because that will fire up the stress response and this will mean that your pain is amplified.

In all honestly, while this doesn't sound like cancer to me, pain is pain and when it's unmanaged it can be really, really crap. I'd say a scan is in order after three years, and that's because you're in so much pain. I had some very 'mild' inflammation in my pelvis and it caused me a lot of pain and discomfort. Weirdly (or not) exercise improved the situation.

I would be getting a second opinion here re the scan. This could also be referred pain. There are a number of things it could be, the least likely cause being what you fear it is, but nobody should have to live in pain, so go back and ask to see someone else.