INSOMNIACS place to talk in the wee hours

sas-schatzi

Loverly, I didn't say sciatica, I said priformis is an appropriate rule out. Give the post another read. It's important to know how sciatica and priformis differ in order to assure a correct dx. Loverly, slow down, can't skim my writings, too technical.

Susan, damn lost that brain. I was reading to many studies and it just decided to disappear

Patty, so sorry that the backs messing with you. Does moist  heat help? You would need a long heating pad. Moist (well rung out) warm towel. Moist heat allows for deep muscle warming. When done along with pain meds can be helpful. Goes back to the polio days

Jazzy nice YAY advancing.

sas-schatzi

Patty, Fentanyl is great.  super pain relief. 25 mcg to start  I'll link a thread I worked on. It's an inactive thread now. I use it to store drug info. 

https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/102/topic/826526?page=1

Loverly, I threw in some more Piriformis words to keep you on track.

queenmomcat

(ears perk up at piriformis) Not cancer-related, though something I'm interested in. Just one of the words I had to learn how to both spell and pronounce over the course of figuring out what was wrong with my own personal spinal parts.

sas-schatzi

Queenie it's a real pain it the butt

sas-schatzi

Chevy our birthdays are on Thursday and Friday Do we have a plan?

Loveroflife

Yes, piriformis is a real pain in the butt.

Jazzy, try to rest (easier said than done).

Susan, hope doc can help you with the cervix non surgically if there is such a thing. Maybe he can guide it back in where it belongs.

Patty, consider Fentanyl if you have not already tried it. The other option is Lidocaine patches. You can still be on your MS Contin. When you take MS Contin, try not to take it with high fat meal as it may delay absorption of morphine from the sustain release preparation. Hey, I talk like I know what I am talking about heh.

Ms. Spookie, oh so sorry about your heart....that darn red devil!

Ms.Sas, I know you didn't say sciatica....I was just stating what I thought . You told me to ask for piriformis exam to rule out the cause of pain. I might have a mild form of ADD, but I do pay attention sometimes haha. I wish I had paid more attention yesterday when I tried to make appt with PCP. I went to the clinic today about 5 minutes late because I had forgotten where my PCP office was (this was as a result of having too many appts and because all my docs' offices are at the same huge facility). All their offices are located at different corners of the hospital. Why can't they keep them all together for people like me? Anyway, I came up to the receptionist's desk to check in, huffing and puffing because I was speed walking frantically looking for PCP's office. While waiting for her to punch in my information, I apologized profusely for being late. Receptionist, "I am sorry you don't have an appointment today". Me," Monday, 9:50 am with Dr. A-----". Receptionist( frowning and then looking sympathetically at me), "Wednesday, 9:50 am with Dr. A-----". I had never gotten my appt dates mixed up before. Felt like a fool. It was not my memory this time that betrayed me.... it was my ADD! I just had to laugh at myself....what else could I have done but paid more attention when I made the appt last night? Ineed a brain transplant!!

Edit to add: Did you intentionally misspell piriformis twice to see if I was paying attention?

Jazzygirl

Sassy and Chevy- PAR- Tay. This birthday photo seems appropriate for this particular group!

sas-schatzi

Falling uterus's: I was a brand new nursing assistant. Green as a granny apple. I went to take this woman's rectal temp. There was this bag. Hmm this was a girl?? I look up. She looked like a girl. I go find the nurse. Tell her what I saw. She comes back with me and checks. Not there. "Honest I saw this bag". Seriously, it looked like a scrotum. She looked at me like I was nuts.  But she decided to check with the doc close by. Her uterus prolapsed and he pushed it backup.

Loverly, I'm confused now. but we are all loosing our minds. With piriformis. You could try the stretch--gently. If it's piriformis you will know it right away. It will feel like a good stretch right in the lower butt.

sas-schatzi

Can't believe it This is THE stretch. A picture is worth a thousand words

Stretches for the piriformis

This is exactly what is accomplished in the stretches recommended by Douglas Keskula and Michael Tamburello in a 1992 article on treatments for piriformis syndrome.

[img width="480" height="250" class="wp-image-7723 alignleft" alt="crossover_stretch" src="http://runnersconnect.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/crossover_stretch.jpg" data-jpibfi-indexer="6" data-jpibfi-description="">
Supine piriformis stretch with a crossover (moving knee towards right shoulder)

[img width="480" height="242" class="wp-image-7724 alignleft" alt="supine_stretch_not_crossed_over" src="http://runnersconnect.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/supine_stretch_not_crossed_over.jpg" data-jpibfi-indexer="7" data-jpibfi-description="">,
Supine piriformis stretch without a crossover (moving towards right shoulder)

[img width="457" height="270" class="size-full wp-image-7725 alignleft" alt="opposite_assisted_stretch" src="http://runnersconnect.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/opposite_assisted_stretch.jpg" data-jpibfi-indexer="8" data-jpibfi-description="">
Supine piriformis stretch assisted by opposite leg (moving knee towards right shoulder)

Keskula and Tamburello recommend starting with three sets of five to ten repetitions of each stretch two or three times per day.

Though Keskula and Tamburello only vaguely describe how long each stretch should be held (progressing “as tolerated” by the athlete), another paper by Pamela Barton at the University of Western Ontario in Canada recommends beginning with holding stretches for five seconds and gradually progressing over time to 60 seconds.

Now:

You should be gentle with the stretches, not overly aggressive—this may put too much stress on the already-irritated piriformis.

Smaarty

sassy, pics didn't work. Try again.

Susan, how does a cervix pop out? Hopefully not painful. Glad I don't have any of that stuff anymore. I'm I still a girl? No girl parts, upper or lower! 😱

Rose, you lurking, have we made you laugh today. Hope you are comfortable. ((Gentle hugs))

So wHat are the birthday girls going to do, certainly not get into trouble?!

Have to go find an appropriate cake

queenmomcat

Isn't it just, now! (Doctors thought I might have it...until I asked, five years later, why my foot was numb.)

MarlanaB

Sas--when my piriformis issues get aggravated, I start leaning forward in my chair which stresses my lower back more plus my hips get out of place (right will sit about 2 inches higher than the left). It rollercoasters from there to my L5/S1 which then causes the my sciatica issues in my foot. Once I get my piriformis back on track, my lumbar issues subside. And it is a pain in the butt--usually right in the middle of my left cheek. I went to physical therapy for 3 weeks without any relief before one of my therapist's co-workers figured out it wasn't only my lumbar but my piriformis as well. Once we started working on that issue, it was only a few weeks before the pain went away completely.

Chevy--no wonder you injured you hip. STAY OFF THE POLE! Or you will need to grow WEED in parkway for the medicinal values.

Loverly--beautiful photos. This place is on my bucket list: http://www.treehousepoint.com/

And I can do that pose...hanging upside down over the sawhorse in my garage.

Loveroflife

Ms. Sas, you are confused??? Haha I guess we are even now. Read my post sloooowly. Not technical, but maybe full of grammatical errors. Soory.....

Ok I'm serious now. Thanks for the attempt to post the pics or maybe videos.

Queenie, what you talkin' about

Marlana, oooohh Tree House Point in Seattle...very nice.

sas-schatzi

They're is allot on the internet. Didn't see the rectal exam. Did see some other ways to diagnose. Lot's more exercises than what I suggest. Different strokes, different folks. Yeah, that spot on the butt is nasty when it's the right spot. When the internal spot was pushed almost everyone would come off the table. Possibly the cases I saw with the pain docs were the more unusual ones. I only had to use the cross leg stretch.

queenmomcat

(taking notes on how to deal with cockeyed backs) Lover: progressive nerve compression that at one point presented as piriformis issues. Though by the end, the doctors thought I was a real piriformis in the butt, I"m sure.

Spookiesmom

You're welcome.

Loveroflife

"almost everyone would come off the table."?....oh dear,I better not ask for the exam then or I might pull the doc down on the floor with me. I really appreciate your willingness to always want to help and your generosity with your time.

Loveroflife

Lol got it Queenie!

Hey Marlana, stupid question: do you get up often when you are at work? I find that driving or sitting for a long time irritates my right cheek. Your left side is affected right? Did you break any bone on the same side? I broke my foot in February 2013. I had a cast and was on the scooter for about 6 weeks. Orthopedic boots for another week and a half. I always wonder if that has anything to do with intermittent back/butt pain

susan3

how does the cervix pop out....ha ha..funny question. Prolapse....don't know why. I thought it was cause my lower stomach muscle is in my boobs...doc said no. No clue why it happened. She said I had a beautiful cervix..lol I knew that cause I CAN SEE IT TOO. Ha ha....but it is in good shape. Doesn't like being outside so I guess it can get messed up. But I sometimes have my brain engaged. I have been aquaphoring since I saw it so its been wellness taken care of . There is a ring they put inside and it can work well. So we did that today. Forgot the name. Starts with a p. But whatever, so far it's inside again. So hopefully we are good to go.

Patty, sorry about pain, hope you get some relief .

Prayers to everyone else too, hope all is well

MarlanaB

Loverly--we have desks that raise up and down. I try to stand 15 minutes every hour but it tends to be more like every 2 hours. I've had 3 surgeries on my right knee for chronic traumatic patellar subluxation and I have a bad habit of using my left leg for everything. When I stand, I put my weight on my left leg, drop my right hip and rest my right foot on the my left calf which is what the therapist said is part of my problem because it contributes to my hip tilting. If I do get all out of whack, then sitting makes it worse which is why I lean forward and then that messes with my lumbar area. As long as I keep it stretched out and remember to stand even footed, I'm okay. They also said that I have an issue with my stride by short stepping on my bad side so I have to remember to stretch out my stride.

Sassy--when my (very good looking and young) male therapist said that if we couldn't get my piriformis issue fixed thru normal therapy, he was going to do an "internal release". So I asked if that meant what I thought it did and he said yes....awwwwkward...

Patty--feel better.

Roses--hope you are having a pain free day.

susan3

Marla, guess I was lucky when mine seemed to freeze up. Could stand or lay down, nothing inbetween. But I stand for my job and layer on a combo of ice and heat and got deep massages. Took about a couple of months but finally got better. Mine occurred with a bad fall down the steps. Hope yours goes bette

Kjones13

patty--I have back pain also. I know there are so many levels of pain. Mine starts at about T10 and goes down to L5. I've had a ton of mri's to try to figure things out. I've done meds, PT (more like massage), another PT that focused on fascia (not sure if I'm spelling that right)--that about sent me over the edge! No amount of stretching or muscle relaxation gives me any release. It could be nerve damage? Bone pain from degenerative discs? I take gabapentin for nerve damage and it helps with hot flashes! Two for one deal. Ha! I also take 20mg OxyContin extended release every twelve hrs plus 10mg oxycodone for breakthrough pain every 4-6 hrs as needed. But the real kicker--the less movement I do, the less pain. The more movement, lots of pain. This winter when I was super depressed and didn't get off the couch, my back was great! I've been painting my room the last two days (couldn't stand sea foam green any longer!) I'm dying here. I think acupuncture is a great suggestion. Please ask for more drugs!! You don't need to be in pain!

MarlanaB

Thanks, Susan. It's just a matter of staying on top of it and not letting it get bad. This my cool desk that goes up and down:

Jazzygirl

Marlanab- TOO MANY SCREENS!

Loveroflife

Dang girl....I have a hard time working with one computer and you have eight going at one time? I favor my left leg more too, I need to remind myself to walk normally and to get up every few hour to stretch,

Susan, I hope the ring will help with the prolapse and praying for no surgery for the turtle

Spookiesmom

OMD!!!!!!

Wren44

DH's hip and leg pain was traced to sitting on a very thick billfold. Now if he's driving for a while, he takes it out.

Jazzygirl

Wren- thick billfold filled with cash? If yes, ask him to have you hang on to it for him!

susan3

what do you do with all those computers. Oh my gosh..I had to take a Valium...lol

MarlanaB

hahaha. Sometimes, I wish I could take a Valium, too. Luckily, it's only 3 computers powering the 8 screens.