I have some disc damage in my lower back and I have been struggling with it for about 6 months. My Dr. did an x-ray and said there is compression and narrowing in the vertebrae, so last week I finally had my MRI to see what is actually wrong. I have a dr. appt tomorrow, but right now I'm in agony! I don't know what I've done to make it so much worse, but the painkillers aren't touching it and I can't do anything!! Even just lying down hurts so bad I want to cry. I keep moving around and doing different things to try to take my mind off of it. I feel like a total wimp since I only have one more day to get through this, but it's pinching a nerve and my back, hip and leg are all in extreme pain. Has anyone been through this and do you have any suggestions for anything I can do to ease the pain? I'm on Vicodin now and it's not helping much at all. (sorry to say I had a drink with my vicodin last night and all I got out of it was a nap with some VERY strange dreams) 
Have you tried seeing a chiropractor? I go to one twice a month. I first started going becuase I had non-stop migraines and my regular doctor only wanted me to take drugs to mask the issue and not find what was actually causing the migraines and of course none of the drugs were working. After seemg the chiropractor, the migraines went away and now when I feel one coming on, if I get to him soon enough, I can avoid it completely. I go 2 times a month for maintenance and it is amazing how in-tune you become with your muscles and joints. I recently fell down my stairs and landed smack on my butt. I actually did not not hurt my tailbone, but did compress everything in my lower back. I was in a ton of pain, but after seeing my chiropractor a few times, after a week I was pretty much fine--just my bruised butt to deal with. 
Now many primary docs think chiropracty is a "nutty" field, so if you talk to your doc about it, don't be suprised if he/she is put off by the suggestion. My doc actually laughed in my face, but when I went back after 3 months of going to the chiropractor I told her I was fine and the migraines were gone. She says, "So the new drugs worked?" with a big smile on her face. I told her that I had no clue because I never filled the script and went to my "nutty" chiropractor and feel 100% better. She was not too happy! 
It is an option to look into, especially if the drugs are not helping with the pain.
I'm a little afraid of the chiropractor in case I actually have a ruptured disc or something. Hopefully once we see the MRI we can come up with a long term solution. My dad had some problems a while back and it turned out he actually had a piece of the ruptured disc in lodged in his spinal column...ouch!
Try soaking in a hot bath. I've thrown my back out numerous times and I've found that soaking in the tub or even taking a hot shower helps a little bit. Plus I have some 800 mg Ibuprofen that helps a lot with my back pain. You can take it right along with other pain medication as long as it doesn't have ibuprofen in it. I was told by my dr to only take the ibuprofen once every 8 hours. (the 800 mg strength) It helped a lot since the other pain medication I was on would wear off every 3-4 hours. Maybe you should call your dr's office. I know it's probably closed, but most places have someone on call for emergencies. You could just tell them that you are in too much pain and ask if they can call you in a different prescription. I hope you get to feeling better.
You should get an ice pack. If you don't have an ice pack get a frozen pack of veggies or something in your freezer that can conform to your back. Lie down on either the floor or a firm surface, put the ice pack where the pain is. The pack will numb your back almost immediately. Oh, put a thin cloth between the ice pack and you. You can go to a Physical Therapist and they will do an ultraheat/wave/deeptissue thing and then put these electrodes that give a small shock to the area. None of this hurts. In fact you won't want them to stop. I have had this done for my back and my neck. Great results on both. I have also seen a Chiropracter and she has also helped, but for a different problem, pinched nerve from an accident and whiplash. I have a buldging disk in my neck and spurs in my lower back, so I have run the gammet of test and medicines. I personally did not want to get hooked on painkillers so I chose other methods. The strongest painkiller I take now is Adivil (4). Hope you get relief soon.
Thanks for the advice, everyone! I made it through the day (mostly by sheer force of will) and am looking forward to the dr. appt tomorrow. I'm not leaving her office until she comes up with a better solution than painkillers...which don't work that well anyway and I, too, have some concerns about addiction. Every couple of days I'll skip several doses just to make sure I'm not getting dependent on them. So many horror stories out there! Thanks again for the support!
Thanks to all of your for your concern. I just got back from the doctor and got great news... I have a bulging disc that is displacing a nerve root. Painful, but all they have to do is get the inflammation down and I should be fine. The dr. gave me some steroids and I am going to see a neurosurgeon, who she said would probably do an epidural. I was SO worried that I would need surgery, I'm on top of the world!! Knowing the end is in sight somehow helps me deal with the pain. She also said the steriods should make things a little better and she gave me a better painkiller to get me through.
here in kansas city we have a place called the headache and pain center and my neighbor went there and got help with his back. when he was a teenager he was working on a car and it fell off the jacks onto him. so they put him in a full body cast. well apparently that was the wrong thing to do. so when he went there they did the epideral, and it helped him a ton. its suppose to help the area heal by relaxing it or something. good luck. i also go to a chiropractor and they are wonderful. i usually go when i start getting tired all the time, thats when i know my back is out. i am usually a hyper person. prayers that this works for you.
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