Lower back pain from you know where!

[Toby 4 ever]

Originally Posted by LCrawford67

Yes I did, Toby. In fact, last April, that's what I went to the ER for. I had this shooting pain in my upper back/shoulder/rib area. They thought I may have been having a pulmonary embolism and took CT scans etc., then my heart rate and BP were all over the place, so they ended up keeping me for two days because of that....

Long story short, that pain is completely gone now. It plagued me for 2-3 months, before getting really bad. Then, just started to disappear.

It was around that time, my doc took an x-ray of my hip and three doctors (two at the hospital and my GP) all said they believed my back/shoulder pain to be muscular in nature. I've never had a CT or MRI on my back and don't feel it necessary at this point.

My doc did suggest massages and I get one once a month now. I posted, too, about my first one making me sick for a couple of days. But, now that I get them regularly, that's not the case. They do seem to help, especially when she does "trigger point" massage. It's not comfortable, but the benefits after are good.

I take one Advil, only when necessary (except around my period, then it's two) and every now and again, a Robaxin, which is a very mild muscle relaxer. I haven't taken one of those in a few months though. I do love me some Epsom Salts! I didn't start those till this started over the Spring.

None of my pain started till I was a year off of Paxil. Except for the hip, that started when I was 36.

Oh, and they did an ultra sound of my gall bladder, liver, and pancreas and all is well. Had a CT scan of my kidneys, lungs, heart, spleen. So, it's certainly muscle/joint.

Well thanks for the detailed reply LC....good to know it can resolve...but gez...go into the hospital for a bad shoulder and you get, gall bladder. kidney, heart , spleen tests..???? No wonder our system is bloated and broken....makes me sad and scared at the same time..it seems no one knows who is on 'first' anymore....docs are over doing it to protect themselves (I get that) but at the same time putting the patient thru unnecessary procedures which can escalate anxiety ....??? sigh....

I am staying with the mag at night and occasional tylenol with regular stretching and baths....

btw...did your BP and heart rate resolve (I would suspect the pain and trauma were the culprits there...)

thanks again,

[anjopom]

Guys,

I have suffered lower back pain ever since i started tapering off paxil, never had back injury, trauma, nothing , never even suffered back pain in my life before. The pain varies in intensity, sometimes hitting an 8/9, other days its what i call low level and tends to hang around at about a 4/5.

I have seen endless doctors, all diagnose mechanical back pain and nothing else, no investigation nothing.
Surely though, if this were anything else other than connected to paxil tapering, wouldnt the pain be getting worse, or other symptoms show up by now?

Im happy to think that for me at least, it doesnt stop me doing anything i want to do. Although i have looked into the possibility that from tapering the paxil this may be a form of peripheral neuropathy? anybody heard that this can show up in tapering off these poisons too?

Anjopom

[pboy]

Originally Posted by LCrawford67

Nice butt, by the way, Juan

That made me lol

I also had back pain years ago after cold-turkeying from SSRIs. It plagued me ever since. I shouldnt have been having back pain at age 18, should I?
It was in the same place you people mentioned, just above the butt at the area of the spine, right in the center.

[carolyn]

Since many of us seem to have pain in the same general region -- both docs and the PT that I've seen about my back have all stressed that "computer posture" really affects the low back.

I don't know about you guys, but I know that I slouch at the computer and don't always take a break to stand up and stretch/move around every hour like I'm supposed to. My posture sucks even after my employer spent the $$ to have an "ergonomic consultation" for my workspace, so I can't even fathom what it was like before.

Massages and good chiro can also really make a huge difference. Hubby and I see a chiro who's closer to a kinesiologist than a "back cracker" and she's awesome.

Not to say that the Paxil mightn't be exacerbating issues, but just reminding everyone that lower back pain is the #2 reason that the average American misses work (#1 is having a cold) and that there are a lot of possible reasons for it...many of which can be addressed pretty simply.

Anj: From what I can tell from my mom's experience (she has peripheral neuropathy), back pain isn't a symptom.

[LCrawford67]

Originally Posted by Toby 4 ever

Well thanks for the detailed reply LC....good to know it can resolve...but gez...go into the hospital for a bad shoulder and you get, gall bladder. kidney, heart , spleen tests..???? No wonder our system is bloated and broken....makes me sad and scared at the same time..it seems no one knows who is on 'first' anymore....docs are over doing it to protect themselves (I get that) but at the same time putting the patient thru unnecessary procedures which can escalate anxiety ....??? sigh....

I am staying with the mag at night and occasional tylenol with regular stretching and baths....

btw...did your BP and heart rate resolve (I would suspect the pain and trauma were the culprits there...)

thanks again,

Actually, I WANTED the gallbladder tests. Gallbladder problems present with shooting pain in the shoulder area and that's what I thought I had going on. It turned into a heart/lung thing, which I wasn't expecting at all!

They kept me to monitor my heart, for two days, but that's not why I went in there. However, because my BP was 150/90 and my EKG was all wonky, they really had no choice. Add to it the shooting pain, they did the right thing.

I made sure they checked my gallbladder before I left, because that's what I originally thought may be the problem. They automatically check the other organs, as they're all in close proximity to each other.

Oh yeah, everything resolved itself.

[Toby 4 ever]

I suppose better safe than sorry, eh? I am sure the whole experience was pretty stressful - glad it all worked out.....

I think I read somewhere that muscles 'have memory", ie, the body can get used to a 'clenching' behavior which can take time and persistence to work through....constant tension can do this to us...and what can create more tension than w/d?

[jule1]

Okay just a couple of more questions for you guys.

How long does it take for this pain to go away??

Also, It feels like actual electric shocks in my lower back area at times. Did you guys have this as well. If you move into a different position and get the shock feeling or stabbing feeeling?? It comes and goes and is better on some days than others but.....it really hurts to bend or twist.

[anjopom]

Caroline,

Thanks hun, but if you google peripheral neuropathy, back pain can be a classic symptom, low back pain too!!!!!

Any one had back pain for at least a couple of years or longer?
Anjopom

[LCrawford67]

I just want to be clear about back pain vs. neuropathy. My mother suffers from neuropathy and has to get nerve block shots, in her spine, every six months and takes Neurontin. Neuropathy pain is NOTHING like "regular" back pain.

Obviously, none of us are each other, so we don't know what the other one is feeling. But, having back pain and having neuropathy (nerve pain) are two very different things.

A lot of "shooting" type pain and numbness down one or both legs/feet are neuropathy symptoms.

[anjopom]

Thanks Lc, for clearing up that issue, its clear that aeroman and myself do not have those issues, so we do NOT have peripheral neuropathy.

Anjopom

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by jule1

Okay just a couple of more questions for you guys.

How long does it take for this pain to go away??

Also, It feels like actual electric shocks in my lower back area at times. Did you guys have this as well. If you move into a different position and get the shock feeling or stabbing feeeling?? It comes and goes and is better on some days than others but.....it really hurts to bend or twist.

Oh, I would like to know too how long this would last. I have heard folks recover from 2-3 years, something like that. It just goes away and resolves on its own.

A month ago, I would get electrical shocks behind my right leg, just between the calf muscle and ankle. It was the weirdest thing! It didnt hurt, it was just annoying. I would tell some folks it felt like putting your tongue on a 9V battery but that feeling would be behind the lower leg.

I usually dont get pain if i move. Mine creeps up after sitting/standing/walking for a period of time. Its like mine is more time dependent versus making certain moves. However, I almost always hurt when if I place one knee down on the ground and work on something low. Its the low back, middle of the spine and muscle area.

Oh yeah, I need to lose about 90 lbs and I am sure that would help! But I am glad many of you ladies like my tight ripped butt

[LCrawford67]

Originally Posted by anjopom

Thanks Lc, for clearing up that issue, its clear that aeroman and myself do not have those issues, so we do NOT have peripheral neuropathy.

Anjopom

,

Any kind of back pain sucks, especially when you're the one going through it.

[Aeroman]

Originally Posted by LCrawford67

,

Any kind of back pain sucks, especially when you're the one going through it.

Well put! Pain and aches in w/d seems to be so common. I figure anything related to the brain, like the nerves, could be affected.

[Songbird]

I've had a dodgy disk since after my first pregnancy, according to my chiropractor it is at L5-S1. I didn't have any back problem during the pregnancy, but had an emergency caesarean (and later on a second one), which damages the lower abdominal muscles that support the lower back. What helps me with this is exercises for the abdominal muscles, I guess because if these muscles are stronger the spine is better supported and that must take some of the pressure off the disk.