So about two months ago I was diagnosed with a bulging disc between L5 and S1 {ultimately forcing me to drop out of school because I couldn't sit and listen to lectures} Things were going great, I was having pt once a week and had actually regained signifigant function.

Fast forward two months- I over-strained after a couple of days catching up with friends but things were getting better. Then at the begining of the week {I think it was Monday but it might have been Tuesday} I went to the store to buy fresh food for my iguanas, and I slipped in the parking lot. I didn't fall and managed to catch myself... hurt like a bitch, but felt like there was only muscle strain.

At the time I didn't think it was anything, but now I'm starting to wonder if I didn't really fuck something up back there. I can't sleep more than about four hours without being awakened by pain- after being dosed with pain killers and steroids- for three or four days- I'm not entirely sure, I've lost sense of what day it is without a regular sleep cycle. I can't sit. I can't bathe {or perhaps more specifically I'm afraid of getting in the water/being unable to stay long enough to wash/triggering inflammation} I can't stand without pretty severe pain long enough to wait for my toast to toast. My pain baseline is at a 6 if I'm lucky but trends more towards a 7 with spikes if I move wrong- which is pretty much if I move at all- up to and including breathing deeply. The pain is making me nauseous. I've spent the past few days rotating between being on the floor with ice on my butt and being in bed.

Despite various health problems I'm in relatively good shape. I worked out 20-40 minutes generally 6, usually 7 days a week {sometimes twice a day} and have been doing so for the past four months. Before then I was getting 10-20 minutes of excercise pretty regularly. I've been losing weight, I've cut down on my dairy intake and eating better in general... my family just has a really bad history of back problems :/

I'm only 21, and the idea of having surgery/going to the hospital scares the shit out of me, same with being limited to a 20lb lifting limit for the rest of my life. I've had issues with doctors/hospitals/needles since I was a kid and my pediatrician esentialy molested me... but I'm at a loss on what else to do. I can't deal with this kind of pain, and it seems to only be getting worse. I can't even take care of my lizards. Even the steroid injections directly into my spine are sounding better than this, and I've got a needle phobia.

to the doctor with you! I know the idea of being constantly ill for the rest of your life is scary, but everyone has some kind of limitation be it mental of physical they best thing you can do is keep your weight as low as you can to reduce the strain and keep the muscles around it healthy. hospitals scare the crap out of me as well for different reasons. I'm missing a vertabre in my back (it fused with another one because I have crap genetics on my mom's side) so I have reduced flexibility and lower back pain. Sometimes we have to accept our limitations and get help when it is needed.

Step one: Open Google. Step two: Type "walk-in clinic" Step three: MapQuest directions Step four: GET TO THE DOCTOR NOW.

I am a survivor of multiple rare diseases, many of which I never bothered to learn how to spell, but most notably Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome. Basically, my heart likes to beat waaay to fast, my blood pressure enjoys bungee jumping from hypo to hypertension, and some days I just plain can't stand up. So trust me, I know rock-bottom, oh s***, what now, I really do need to go this time. Modern medicine works wonders hun. Phobias are scary, and explain this to your doctor and they may let you be cared for primarily by a nurse, who tend to be kinder. Your lizards need you! :)

I saw the doc I was seeing about the back problems before I slipped... and... well... now I have a surgical consult set up for Tuesday :/

Pain's under better control now though! {Hooray, improvement!}

I also found out I have reduced sensation in my foot O_o

this seems like somethiing you should be seen immediately for, so I would suggest going to an Urgent Care Center or the like. Especially if you're losing sensation and are in that much constant pain. With a spinal injury, it's best to get it addressed asap. If anything, an emergency clinic or er can rule out an immediate concern and get your pain managed until your consult on Tuesday :)

Oh goodness. Dear you should get yourself thoroughly checked out now. This could be a serious issue, if you're losing sensation you could have early stages of paralysis. My grandmother is a nurse and trust me it is WAY better to be safe than sorry. :)

Yeah, you better get your ass to the doctor. You might be scared but putting things off will only make it worse. Keep us updated!

I would say you need to call the doctor like two months ago, dude. Something is broken back there.

Have you gone yet? x.X

Yeah, I saw the doc I was going to before I slipped and now I have a surgical consult set up for Tuesday.

Good. Keep us updated! I am having my own back problems now -.-

Well, I had my appointment with the spinal surgeon and we're trying the cortisone injections next- which I have on Tuesday. With any luck I'll regain function back...

does your doc have a good rep with patients? I ask only because today one of my friends went to a new chiropractor for her back and they discovered things her current one had missed. Like oh say a BROKEN vertebrae and the fact her neck doesn't have a full natural curve anymore. She was in a bike VS car accident a year and like 8 months ago, she was on her bike had stopped at a part where cars come out from the shops and waited to cross until the driver acknowledged her. She proceeded to cross and the driver hit the gas and threw her 4 lanes of traffic off her bike. The chiropractor she had been seeing was seeing her 2 times a week, sending her to PT once a week and started massage therapy as well. Then her mom got the one she went to today to do a consult because after over a year of these treatments NOTHING was changing. And they found the break right away. HOW the hell the first one missed it is beyond me, maybe they didn't do good x-rays or something, idk.

So do find out how happy people are with the doc you see, sometimes a second consult can make a big difference.