2003 to 2009. 6 Years of lower back pain.

I really am not sure when I when to the osteopath first. It must have been around 2003/2004 . But I do know it was due to the pain in SIJ’s and a generally stiff lower back. I can remember her saying my pelvis was twisted. I had some manipulations and massage sessions from her but it didn’t really make a difference and I ended up stopping going.

Over the next 6 years I just tried to get on with my bad back. After all, my GP told me 50% of the adult population have lower back pain at some point in their lives. I must be now be in that percentage.  I would go several months not doing anything about it and occasionally I would go the GP to complain about it. I can remember having two sessions of useless NHS Physiotherapy. I went to another osteopath.  She obviously did not make much of an impression on me as I cant even remember where or when it was! In 2006 I think it was, I eventually got a  referral to the local Musculoskeletal Clinic in Malvern. I saw a doctor there who actually listened to me and agreed my pain was not acceptable. He showed me some exercises that actually helped me feel a bit better.  I had an x-ray and an MRI scan. I cant remember the exact details. But basically the sum up was that there was some degeneration of my lumbar discs but that the bulges seemed to be on the opposite side to where I was complaining of pain.

I should mention here that over the years my pain has switched sides so many times, I cannot keep track of it. Sometimes its was left SIJ, sometimes Right SIJ, sometimes both at the same time. So they were a bit confused by my case even back then. The doctor at the MSK clinic referred me to the pain clinic.

The pain clinic decided  that steroid injections into my lumbar facet joints  and one of my SI joints - I cant remember which one - would be a good place to start. The Injections were scary, I had to lie on my front on a table and they used an xray machine to guide the needles. I was sedated and had to be topped up during the procedure as it was so unbearably  painful that it made me cry. It was like a hot knife being forced into my joints. 5 times.  I got no relief from this procedure at all. I still had SIJ pain. The pain clinic doctor was rather surprised.  I felt like perhaps he did not believe me. I left pain clinic with the instructions to do Pilates, take diclofenfac, and try a TENS machine.

I had begun work as a trainee vet nurse in 2004. I struggled with my back there. Vet nursing involves a lot of heavy lifting  of sedated animals, holding on to struggling strong dogs,  a lot of walking about and a lot of standing still in one position whilst monitoring anaesthetics or assisting with procedures. I found my back was starting to  lock up and spasm. Particularly  when standing still for long periods. I had one terrible flair up there one day. I can remember being bent double across a consult table, crying in pain as my  back had gone into spasm. My friend Mari came and drove me to A&E and I was given diazepam and off work for 2 weeks.

I moved to a new vet practice in 2007. I can remember trying my best to hide my bad back during interview and trial period. In the two and a half years I was there I had a terrible time with my back. It hurt so much every day, aching, burning, occasionally grabbing me with severe pinching pains in my lower back. I was very miserable there. I would often drive to work in tears. I began to start taking a tablet called Citalopram due to anxiety. I was beginning to realise vet nursing might not be for me.

I think it was in 2007 that I went to a 3 day training clinic with my horse. My back was horrendous. It felt like it was in permanent spasm. I can remember lying on my bed there, sobbing. With heat packs stuck to my back, a cumbersome back support that I had off ebay to try and get me through the clinic and loads of over the counter pain killers. I was miserable. But I pushed through with the horse riding, I don’t really know why. Probably because I didn’t want to give in to the pain. I can remember one lesson having pain in my right SIJ, my horse bucked and the pain SWITCHED to the left SIJ! What the hell?! I thought I was going mad. This can’t be right.