Hi, I'm Heather

I was wondering if you've had a recent MRI? I can understand you not wanting to go through PT-I did all kinds of PT that they prescribed, and every one made the pain worse. I do think you should consult an ortho or neuro surgeon regarding the bulge and the hip pain though. It may be something that is only one disc and could be easily fixed. My first surgery they took out part of one disc and all my pain was gone. Unfortunately, I went back to work in the ER and the housekeeper was "spot-mopping" the ER floor with no WET FLOOR signs up, and 3 months after surgery I slipped and fell, totally screwing up my surgery. The longer you put off having something done, the worse things will get. If you're having hip pain, you're probably walking off-balance, which will make your spine worse. If you had one bulge, it puts pressure on the disc above it, which may cause a second disc to bulge. You will probably start having numbness/tingling in your feet/legs (if you haven't already), which means that you have nerves that are being affected. If you don't get it fixed, you could get permanent nerve damage. I'm not trying to scare you, just give you the benefit of my 12 years of experience. Just think of it this way-it could be as easy as having a disc removed to get rid of the pain and you may be able to go back to living a normal life. If I hadn't fallen after my surgery, I may still be able to work. I know you want to have a "normal life" with your daughter, and you won't know until you get a professional evaluation to see if it's something they can fix. Good luck and I'll keep you in my prayers.

I agree with Lori. I know that sometimes you have to go through PT just to safisfy the insurance paper pushers who aren't dealing with the pain, but you really need to move forward with your treatment options or you could get worse and it could happen fast. Think of it as a small leak in the dam. If you fix it early and right, no problem. If you wait or don't do it right, you have a flood and a lifetime of challenges.

I can relate with you … my daughter is almost 3 now and my son will be 2 in April. It is bad enough to hurt physically but then hurting because you can't do the things you want to do with your kids makes it even harder. Try to keep yourself possitive. Like Lori said about seeing the PM (pain management). I couldn't get the shot in my back because of fibromyalgia issues and a lot of the drugs they use for chronic pain make me loopy (that doesn't mix well with kids) but we are all different in how drugs work for us. Don't be afraid to try things your doc suggests if you are comfortable with your doctor. I know there are some who just write off scrips and send you home but not all are like that. I will repeat over and over what my doctor told me, "if a med you take makes you feel worse than you felt before you were taking it…stop taking it" (or wean yourself off it)…look for the possitive and enjoy every moment, your daughter will see your possitiveness and learn to be a stronger person like her mama. I hope you get to feeling better soon! Hugs :) ~Missey

Soi what are the doctors telling you about the buldge? Can they do surgery, have they had you go the physical therapy or any other types of treatment? Sorry to hear you are in so much pain, but welcome to the discussion.

They haven't said anything about surgery and as for the physical therapy, I will not do It. I've heard from people who have the same problem as me and It only made It worse. I have a 2 year old to care for so I have to be cautious about what I do. Thank you very much. I like It here. It's nice to have people to talk too about this.

I totally understand what you are saying about physical therapy. Don't even get me started on chiropractors. The thing is, good physical therapy will try different things and will not go forward if you are even slightly worse. I know the one I saw tried lots of different things before I opted for surgery. You might try using ice and heat. If you go to the article section of the site, there is an article on the alternating use of ice and heat. I also have to agree with Lori about seeing a pain management doctor. You may just need to have some treatment in the form of medication or injections for a short while that will allow your back to heal.

If they haven't said anything about fixing the bulge, you need to get a referral to see a pain management doctor. He can try the epidural steroid injections to reduce the swelling (sometimes they help and sometimes they don't). He can also prescribe something to help with the pain. My back was so bad before my second surgery that I was in a wheelchair or the bed, and my pain management doctor was able to find the right combination of meds that I was actually able to go back to work for another 5 years. Hope this helps.