Such misery! I'm so sorry. I wish you comfort. You are going through A LOT!

May I ask why you keep going back to that hospital? No other choice? Bless you. I hope your pain subsides with treatment.

I remember! How awful. Hope you feel better soon.

I can’t believe what you are going through. What’s wrong with those people ? I had sciatica but was caused by a bulging disc. I had to lie on my back as much as possible until it subsided. Wow, it hurts. I hope you find an answer.

boy, oh boy, I went thru a problem in the ER last summer (and again in August).

last yr they put a potassium IV in me and left me alone. it was horribly painful and they didn't answer the call button even after I rang it several times. I finally resorted to yelling 'help' as loud as I could. and then I passed out from the pain. Then they tried to insist I spend the night there. ha! that wasn't gonna happen. and this was after they told me there wasn't a phone in the room (to call my sister). shortly before I left I found out there was one in a back corner behind the equipment. so they lied to me.

this summer I found out that they can slow the drip down and that eases the pain of it. In Aug they had to again IV potassium into me prior to surgery, it was again painful, but at least a nurse promptly appeared after I pushed the call button and she slowed it down because she said it'd ease the pain and it did.

And their beds were absolutely horrible on the back. I told them they should have a 'mattress burning' in the parking lot. they're actually just foam mats covered in vinyl. 95% of my pain was the result of their beds. Once I got home to my own bed, the majority of the pain eased.

I hope they get you fixed up so you're healed and no longer in so much pain.

but keep a detailed record of all that happened, when and where etc.

I’ve been wondering about you Chisue. I’m sorry your having problems. I remember your story and I remember thinking that at 77 our bones are already more fragile. I was surprised that they didn’t x-ray at the time of the fall.

There are exercises for sciatica. It will depend on your ability to do the stretches, but many are available on You Tube or the Internet if you Google stretches for sciatica. Occasionally I will get a bit of it when I have overworked in the garden. Heating pad and stretches help, along with an Aleve.

I feel so bad for you.

i have been fighting sciatica for years. I go to the pain clinic to get shots in my spine when needed. Sometimes the pain is shooting in both legs and that really hurts.

i hope you can get some relief soon.

I'm sorry to hear that you are in such pain. I hope that it subsides quickly.

Its a pain the the butt, literally. I've been fighting similar pain for year and it wasn't until the past two to three days that it showed signs of abating. X-rays show that I have deposits around the openings in the hip bone and arthritic deposits in the lower spine. Mine is concentrated on the left side and leg. My Doc hasn't been able to pin down an exact diagnosis, but it seems that the bursa sacs are inflamed, i.e., bursitis of the butt. The hip structure is filled with these sacs that protect the tendons and muscles that operate there. Some of these slide over the edge of the hip bone; nerve bundles and blood vessels pass through holes in the hip bone and exit the lower spine, all places that can pinch nerves. I have a recommendation from my doctor to get physical therapy. This month, several item in my life have interfered with doing this, but I am clearing the deck and will start next month. If your Doctor has recommended physical therapy, I recommend that you do so.

With this kind of pain, there does not seem to be a fixed set of rules for treatment. Each case is unique, but similar. There is treatment for dulling the pain, but that is not attacking the cause. If you are overweight, loosing a few pounds may help. Another help is getting a good night's rest and I find that difficult when the pain keeps me awake. Toss, turn, and twist until you find a position in which you can fall asleep. for part of the night, you may have to resort to a recliner chair. Whatever you find, you should use a postilion that allows your spine to straighten and lengthen. Getting 6 or more hours of sleep is an aid to recovery. You may not be getting enough REM sleep. That's when muscle and body repair happens.

Oh gosh, chisue, it makes me cringe to imagine having to lay on your painful hip. It was the same for me with both the CT scan and a biopsy. In fact I couldn't help some tears despite the techs doing their best to make me comfortable.

In another thread you asked about the pain drugs. I was on oxycontin 5mg. When that was of no use i was switched to oxycodone 10 mg. I think what really turned the corner for me is the Fentanyl patch. I do still have some breakthrough pain but i can tolerate those short periods.

I hope you do get to go to Mauii. That in its self is therapeutic.

Not good...I'm so sorry your going through this Chisue. My husband has sciatic pain. He takes aspirin and waits for another day. He says it's gotton better as hes aged.

I have gone to a pain management doctor and gotten a series of three shots in my spine, one a week. Pain stays gone for years. I wish you luck.

This is unbelievable to me!!! Aren't they afraid you'll sue them? That first episode was a lulu and I'm surprised they haven't given you the royal treatment after that badly managed episode. As I remember, I believe you're in or near Chicago at a good-sized hospital, right? I've missed reading your posts lately, Chisue, and hoped you were doing ok. I'm so sorry for all the pain you're having now and hope you have plenty of help at home. There are definitely many activities and movements that aggravate back pain so be very careful, but take little walks if you can. I'm going to say something stupid here but considering the track record you're having.....I'd look your pt in the eye to make sure he/she is listening and explain your condition exactly, and what happened when they gave you the mri. I hope they wouldn't think you're a run-of-the-mill person who happens to have a little sciatica and push you beyond what they should. I hope your pain subsides very soon.

Thanks for the kind words and suggestions for help! I hesitate to whine when I see others on the KT with much more serious troubles. However, your experiences have taught me a lot, and maybe mine will prove useful to some of you one day. I'm not in pain while on the steroids, but fear its return.

Thanks for the pain med information, Moonie. I've taken two tylenol #3 at bedtime for two years for back pain, and I've been using the OTC 4% lidocaine patches. That routine was no help during this episode. My oncologist prescribed tylenol with 5 mg hydrocodone, and that did nothing. (Sounds like it has to be 10 mg according to Moonie. I will look up Fentanyl patches.)

I became aspirin-sensitive when I developed sinus and non-allergic asthma forty years ago (some known 'triad' of ailments), so no NSAID medications for me. Aspirin is FAR superior to tylenol, IMO.

I got relief in the ER. They gave me a morphine pill, two plain tylenol, and a lidocaine patch. I have a few of the pills at home now. The label says "Morphine Sulf IR 15 mg tabs". I haven't had to take any yet.

I can only sympathize with all who have any sciatica. I had it once long ago, but Nothing Like This! I could not lie down, let alone *flat* on my back. I could only walk around the house all night. Maybe it was the *combination* of sciatic pain and the 'hip chip'. I hope the PT will help you, Jem, and me too. (I'm actually trying to gain weight; am 106 lbs.)

Why on earth didn't I just GO to the ER? Duh. Because DH was sleeping? Because the plumber was coming to fix a dripping tab the next morning? You can probably see that Sue has yet to *realize* she is an old lady with rotten bones and MM and sciatica...and that her life is not going to be 'the same' as it was before. I'm kidding about the hospital trying to hurt me. It's going to be my responsibility to tell medical personnel that I am too fragile to continue to do tests the 'usual' way. I've had at least ten x-rays, an MRI's, and a PET before this diagnosis of MM, but 'things change', and I need to be more assertive.

I have yet to hear from my primary care MD. She has to prescribe the PT and provide a reference for an orthopedic MD who could give spinal injections. I'm sure I will have to 'be seen' before needing the shots.

Kathyg -- Do you see an ortho for your shots, or does another discipline provide them? I have no idea how you can function with sciatica on both sides. Those 'zaps' are right out of a black ops interrogation.

Outside Playing -- Thanks. I saw some exercises, but I'd like a PT to start me off so I don't make this even worse. I'm just stretching a little now before moving around -- and 'm getting off the chair at this computer!

So sorry for all you are going thru. Sending you a (((hug)))

I'm right behind Glenda.... ((hug))

So sorry Chisue! If you are going to PT, that will be a good thing for your pains. Hope you can get in soon.

I hope you get relief soon.

Sue, I'm very sorry to read of what youve been through. I hope that your pain eases and that you are soon feeling better. I also hope that the medical people start paying better attention during any future procedures you have done.

Talk about adding insult to injury! Hope they can get your PT started ASAP. If they determine injection(s) is needed: depending on location and how deep the injections have to get to be effective will determine what kind of anesthesia is best prior to injections. It should be done under fluoroscopy to guide doctor in reaching correct place for needle insertion & med distribution. Please plan to have someone drive you home and take it very easy for 24 hours after procedure.

After hearing about prior experiences with MM and now this fall/injury the people treating you need to be spoken to before they get anywhere near you as already mentioned.

Good luck...let people do for you if you can.

My DH has been on Fentynal patches for a few years now. From what I understand, they are considered the top tier for pain. While they work very well in the beginning, they are highly addictive and as your body adapts, their effect wains over time. Sure there are things that physicians can to do help prolong that from happening, but eventually they will become ineffective and our concern is then what? Before he started using the patch, he was on Norco. It worked well for him for a long time and it may be an alternative for you as well.

Thanks Chisue, it’s those darn lesions. He has one in his back that is fractured. That’s how the MM was discovered to begin with. That fracture is permanent but it’s also riddled with severe athritus. He’s still in remission, working and do well. His strength and tenacity never cease to amaze me. I know the regiment, constant appointments, poking and proding is not fun, but it will get better, just hang in there, you know all of your KT buddies are rooting for you!.

Wow, what they've put you through :^( I am so sorry.

I've also dealt with sciatic nerve pain, mine probably caused by a spinal injury/inflammation of some type. Thankfully mine hasn't reared its head for a couple of months now. Losing a little bit of weight after my dad died seemed to help quite a bit, but I don't think that applies to you. I also got relief by lying flat on my back and practicing some meditative relaxation and breathing. If you can't lie on your back, any position that you can get comfortable in would probably work.

Here's an important point: Don't do anything that aggravates it. You'd think this one is obvious, but I aggravated mine time and time again because I felt like certain things around the house needed to be done. They don't need to be done that badly.

Someone mentioned exercise programs that you can find online. I did one of those and it also helped. Eventually I found that a couple of the exercises seemed to be the key to relieving the pain/pressure point, so just started doing the ones that eased the pain.

Not sure what kind of medication options you can use, but recently I've learned about using 2 regular ibuprofen and 2 regular tylenol together for pain. It may have been on this forum. There is something about the combo that works even better than RX painkillers in some instances. It's worth a try if you can take those and are desperately looking for relief. It's become my go-to when I have severe pain.

I'm another one who is pulling for you! Hope you get some relief soon and get that darn hospital to start treating you better.

Chisue - Over the past 20 years I've had several injections for neck and back pain. While most people probably see an orthopedic specialist for those shots I go to a neurosurgeon. He sent me for cervical, thoracic and lumbar xRays and MRIs. My problems were caused by spinal stenosis, advanced arthritis, bulging discs and mild scoliosis. The first time I had the cortisone injections in my lower sine I received a series of 3 spaced a week apart with local anesthesia and guided by a fluoroscope. . I could have opted for anesthesia but I had no problems with the lidocaine - I knew it would be somewhat painful for less than 10 seconds but I'd still be able to drive myself home. A month later I had another series in my neck. I was fairly pain free for many, many years after my initial treatment.

Since then I've returned at various time for more treatments for my neck and/or my back - usually done at different intervals. My neurosurgeon only does one injection now and I still only have local anesthesia except for my last visit last year. DH finally retired and he was available to drive so I opted for anesthesia. There was no difference in the outcome and I'm happy that the cortisone is working wonders for me.

Hope you find relief......

Maire

I've had chronic sciatica since early adulthood. And a couple of acute flair-ups that landed me in the ER. Except for the ER trips (both of which involved morphine injections and a week of bedrest with muscle relaxers), mild yoga and the occasional massage and chiropractic manipulation did the trick. And a new, very firm mattress!!

But I blew up my ankle a few years ago and recently, within the last 6 months, morning sciatic pain when I get up has been severe. I attribute it to a change in gait favoring the injured ankle but irritating the sciatic nerve. It is bad enough that I can't walk easily. Ibuprofen helps immensely and if I take them immediately when I get up, 30 minutes later the pain is manageable and then dissipates completely after about an hour or so. Makes any early morning activity problematic tho :-))

IME, chronic sciatica can be successfully managed by just some mild exercise to loosen things up and relieve pressure and Ibuprofen as necessary. If that doesn't work, then additional medical intervention may be necessary to determine any disc deterioration or spinal stenosis.

quasifish and gardengal -- Thanks, but I have aspirin sensitivity, so no Ibuprofen or any other NSAID's. Wish I could! I guess the lidocaine patch is all I can do right at the location. It relieves pain, but it's not an anti-inflammatory like aspirin. I have to go to steroids for that. Blech.

Maire -- Thank you. You've really 'had it'! I'm very encouraged to know there is help out there if I have to go to injections. (How is your niece?)

I have an appointment this afternoon with an ortho who 'does spine stuff'. We'll see. I'm still coasting on the dex I took yesterday morning; may last to dinnertime. My oncologists says to take the morphine pill if I must.

Maybe the ortho will have some ideas. I'm bringing him all the workup tests that diagnosed my MM in May/June. One little CD has $50K worth of tests on it. (Knocked down to virtually nothing by Medicare.)

I have reached my $2460 BCBS deductible, so my Plan F Has started picking up the patient portion. The hospital charge for my weekly shot is $4800 for just the vial of Velcade, all of which Medicare funds. (Crazy, crazy. Drives me wild. As Elmer says, the only way to get a little even is to buy stock in Big Pharma.)

luckkiirish -- Oh, good! I had thought you'd said your DH had lost the MM remission. My error. It is such a tangle, trying to figure out what problem is caused by what condition, then only a guess whether anything can be done for it.

MissMyGardens -- Yes, since the day the bone marrow extraction went
south, I've realized I don't want anyone near me with a long needle
without radiology 'assistance'. You would laugh to see DH and me
watching episodes of "House" where I'm critiquing at how they are doing
procedures. (It's a 'hospital' TV series from 2006. I know, weird choice
of entertainment, eh?)

Chisue...I wouldn't dream of laughing! I've seen ER & House (in repeats now) all the way through multiple times and have picked up so much information, which I find fascinating, it's ridiculous. My aunt had similar experience left alone in treatment room and ending up with broken hip. Anything that compromises your bones should be right up there in professional's concerns with you.

I saw enough health care shortcomings with both my parents to know someone has to advocate for patient. Some specialists (and their office staff) see so many serious cases I imagine it gets tough for them & they're so hyper focused on their piece but patients are whole people.

I'm steamed! What a waste of time and money to see this ortho this afternoon. Inappropriate referral from my internist. THIS guy referred me to two other guys in his Bone & Joint practice. HE does *surgery*. HE doesn't do shots to treat pain, but they DO.

Back to the telephone tomorrow to make an appointment to see one of these. I'm told I'd need to 'be seen' in advance of actually needing pain relief from a shot. Hard to believe anyone at this point.

No pain yet. The dex usually stops helping by bedtime Tuesday. Maybe tonight will be *different*. Hold that thought!

Chisue - I've been following this thread wondering whether or not to post but your most recent post sent me dashing to my computer. I am so sorry you are going through this pain and frustration with our medical system. The reason I hesitate to make a comment is that I am not clear as to what is causing your sciatica. Well, if it is sciatica we can pretty much narrow it down to some issue in your L-1 through L-5 joints or possibly your s-1 or s-2 joints. But I am not clear what is causing the pain. Is it a herniated disc, spinal stenosis, tumor or ?? Did you get a diagnosis via MRI? Was is caused by the bone chip on your hip? Please ask these questions and get an MRI if you haven't already done so.

After a fall, I had sciatica pain from my buttocks to my little toe. The first thing they did was an MRI to determine the actual cause of the problem (it was herniated disc). Then I was referred to an orthopedic you-guessed-it surgeon. My preference was PT, not surgery. After doing a LOT of research, and because mine was a herniated disc, I found a PT who was trained in the Mckenzie Technique. The exercises were almost impossible for me to perform because I was in such bad condition. After my insurance PT was over, with not much progress, I had no choice but to continue the exercises on my own since I still wasn't healed and was being considered for surgery.

My next stop was a Physiatrist. Lots of heat, cold, electrical stimulation. Nothing helped. Then they suggested an epidural steroid injection and surgery was not off the table. This is not just a regular shot. The total injection time is about 20-30 minutes. They inject the steroid into the sacroiliac joint until you feel pressure. Then they stop and let the steroid dissipate before they push in more steroid. This goes on for 3 or 4 "pushes", maybe more. You are hooked up to an IV and they use fluoroscopy to assist with real time images.

After the shot I went home and laid on my right side (the side with the injury) and hardly moved throughout the day. Docs won't tell you to do this, I read it on Dr. Internet. I am so grateful that one shot got me to the point to where I was able to continue physical therapy exercises on my own and push through to pretty good health. I occasionally get "back issues" and will get down on the floor and do the exercises. I can go years without an issue although I do have to be careful to support my lower back with a pillow, particularly if I sit in a chair that is too deep. And a strong core is key.

So please: 1. get a diagnosis as to the specific cause of your sciatica: 2. Look up McKenzie technique and find a trained therapist in this method: (I have no investment in this therapy). 3. look into seeing a Physiatrist for your an epidural steroid shot.

Depending on your diagnosis, my experience may or may not help you.

One last thing I will say. During my recovery I had a business flight to Maui and sat next to the head Orthopedist for Shriner's Children's Hospital. She told me I had to break the cycle of pain. I was only taking ibuprofen at night in low doses. No. She told me I needed to take therapeutic doses throughout the day. I know you can't take this med but I want to pass this info along. She said once you have inflammation, the nerves send a pain message to your brain and then, when you brain senses pain, it sends inflammatory messages to the area of pain. So it becomes a vicious circle. Cycle. The important thing is to break the cycle of pain.

I hope I haven't provided any medical misinformation. I know there are GWers who have medical knowledge so please correct me if I misspoke medially in this post. Also, this whole event was many many years ago and I am going from memory. Although my memory of the events is still vivid, I just may have a few medical details off.

Sorry for this long post. Best of luck to you, Chisue.

The person I know who's had hip, spine and thumb injections for variety of disc, nerve, RA and immobility/pain issues and the back and hip injections were always done by an orthopedic surgeon. It was the ortho surgeon who did her spinal surgery so that relationship was already there.

I was surprised they told you an straight orthopedist was going to do it but figured it may not be uniform in all practices with so many doctors having their own procedure suites along with their offices.

In spite of them playing "Who's on first..." with you I hope you get a good night's rest.

I'm sorry you are having so much pain, Sue. I remember your story of your fall after your procedure. That was an egregious error on the part of that facility, and one that is tracked by the federal government. Fall prevention is one of the key determinants of safety and are tracked as such. I personally would want to know that this was written as a critical incident that could or did cause injury and that processes were put in place to avoid this happening to another patient. You could have been critically injured if you had fallen and hit your head or had a broken hip, which oftentimes can cause the eventual demise of a patient. I would make waves, and follow up on this. I'm also having a hard time believing that the xray you recently had could not be done in some other fashion, either prone or supine. And who is to say that the slight fracture that was discovered did not occur when you fell to your knees? I would suggest to you that now is not the time to be a "good patient" and to advocate for yourself. Speak up when something hurts or does not feel right. Many hospitals have patient advocates, perhaps you should speak to one. And I would strongly suggest a no to a fentanyl patch at this point. Highly addictive, as are all narcotics.

Aloha, Honu3421 -- Thank you for good detail about what's worked for you. I will look into the McKenzie method and the epidural. Iwas taught to 'get ahead of pain' when I had my first hip replacement in 2006. I have had complete workups to diagnose the multiple myeloma -- MRI's, PET, full skeletal...and the left hip during my ER visit last week. There isn't *one* clear cause here.

My bones are riddled with lesions from the MM. I'm an old, white female. I have bursitis and arthritis. My spinal deterioration, though, is only Grade 1. My guess about the sciatic pain is that I changed my gait when I got that little fracture in my femur/hip on the x-ray table. The sciatic pain has stayed away after steroids last week. I'm now trying to get backup in place for if/when it returns.

I am also trying to find an oncologist on Maui who will oversee my case/chemo this winter. Very Slow Going, but yesterday I had a response from Maui Memorial that sounds promising. (Both my oncologist here and I have tried emails and phone calls numerous times to get that started, beginning early September.) Do you live Maui?

MissMyGardens -- Despite your good wishes, there was no good night's rest for me last night. The "wrong" ortho's manipulations while examining me resulted in pretty strong pain in my right hip, starting at 7 p.m. I took the morphine pills four times during the night -- little help. Ice and heat helped more. At least I could lie down with this pain, not have to walk the house as I did with the sciatica. Small blessings.

My oncologist has already responded to my email asking what I should take if this pain spikes again. She OK'd two Norco 5 mg or two morphine 15 mg. I would only take *anything* if the pain gets much worse than it is right now.

Sleeperblues -- I could make a sign to hang around my neck when I go to any medical facility. It could say, "FRAGILE! LAWYERS IN FAMILY!" No, I just have to learn to say, "Stop!" I'm not used to *being* fragile yet.

One of 'the guys who do shots' is an anesthesiologist, and that's the discipline my oncologist favors. (She knows neither of the two being recommended.) The other is a physiatrist. I haven't had a reply from my internist on the choice yet.

DH is off to the library to fetch me a novel and will bring home some groceries. My Hero!

Yes on the anesthesiologist or physiatrist for the epidural shot. You are getting good guidance there. Have you looked at Bobby Baker's clinic: Pacific Cancer Institute? He used to be in Kahului but I think he is in Wailuku now. Also, I don't know the protocol for your (edited: MM added) MM treatment, but some people are able to fly to Oahu to see a specialist - insurance pays airfare, car and hotel, if needed. So maybe you can look into that. If you decide to go the Oahu route, send me a PM and I can help you locate a doc. So no, I don't live on Maui. I used to travel outer island for business quite a bit.

Now for the down and dirty:

My guess about the sciatic pain is that I changed my gait when I got that little fracture in my femur/hip on the x-ray table.

Ok, please forgive me if I sound harsh, but I want to be as clear as possible.

This is no time for guessing. (but you knew that). Sciatica is a symptom, not a diagnosis. You need a diagnosis to determine what is causing the sciatica. If you had a full skeletal MRI, did they look specifically at the lumbar and sacrum spinal structure to determine if there is a herniated disc or new stenosis? Sciatica pain doesn't just happen. Something is pressing on your sciatica nerve and that is what needs to be addressed. Your whole treatment depends on this. Your epidural shot will then be directed to the specific spinal joint where the injury or problem is located. The doc who is administering the shot needs this info and probably won't give you the shot without it. And any PT needs to also have a diagnosis so he can provide the right exercises. Please press your Ortho on this one.

I know this is just one of the many medical issues you are facing. From reading your posts on other forums I would have never guessed the difficulties you are facing. I hope you are able to get some relief.