It's good news that they approved your back and hopefully when you get the MRI you will know more. I am so sorry to hear what you are dealing with but hang in there. You are still early on in this thing and have a good chance at getting relief and possibly remission.

Sorry the lidoderm patches didn't work...everyone's different in terms of what helps. Another option might be to use a lidocaine cream or voltaren gel (which is an anti-inflammatory) and that might help. I also find that those stick on heating patches help sometimes too...but not everyone gets the same relief from heat. It's a lot of trial and error unfortunately but I hope you find something soon that helps.