I'm sorry, G.....Gental hugs..

If you can locate some of the trigger points, push in on them to help release. Cecelia has been showing me how to hit them and if you can even release some of them, you'll be better off. How about rolling the area while laying on a tennis ball? That might help?

That being said, when mine gets really bad around the sciatic nerve (and it was really bad after 11 hours in a car and then walking all the next day) valium can be a big help for temporary relief.

Mine is in the area of my left upper glute radiating up into my lower back. I find that when I stretch my hamstrings, it's a major help. Lay on your back with one knee bent and straighten the other leg and pull it towards you. Really helps the lower back for some reason.

GRETA!!!! Hi! MISS YOU!!!!

When's the last time you had that back MRId? Talk to the doc about it and see what you come up with. I'd want to know if there's disc trouble or things have changed. Then I'd bring those MRIs to a good pain clinic, where they have several options for you in addition to your massage.

I do the steroid shots as needed and I'll tell you, if not for those I would have thrown myself off a cliff.



They also give me muscle relaxers and tramadol, and they offer massage, PT and all kinds of stuff.


Asking for help with pain doesn't mean one is weak. Pain is the body's only way of screaming *FIRE!!!* It's telling you something's wrong, and hoping you'll fix it.

When the behind the shoulder blade spasm hit suddenly yesterday morning it made me gasp and the first thing I did was head for the corner of the doorframe. I swear after my accident in '94 I spent more time attached to doorframes.... sometimes that helps a bit and more often the muscle is so badly spasaming that it doesn't. I'll try tennis balls today. Maybe I need to drive to see Cecelia! She was awesome. I never felt so good as I did after seeing her. You are SOOOOooooo gonna miss her. (maybe you can fly SA to appts?)

I know you were hurting. Two of us were playing brave face! Sorry.

I just had the cervical and T-spine done not too long ago, but I've never had the lumbar spine done--ever. Might be worth it.

If this keeps up, I'd consider going to a pain clinic.

Know the syring isn't a walk in the park painwise for you. Glad something's helping you with that.


Last night it was really bad. I dug around in my closet looking for anything that would help (didn't think I had anything at all other than Ibuprofen or Baclofen) and found some skelaxin. About fell to the floor worshiping the Skelaxin package! Thank goodness I had some left over from last year when I got whiplash again in a car accident that totaled my favorite car. Took 20 mg of Baclofen, 800 mg. of Skelaxin, 400 mg of Ibuprofen, 1 box of velveeta mac & cheese, and 1 glass of milk, 1 warm bath with epsom salts, and went to bed.

Woke up every time I moved--in pain. Sometime near the morning it stopped hurting so badly and I could actually get up this morning without thinking that I'd slept on a bed of nails and my headache was gone. Lower back and behind the shoulder blade still hurt, but the level's gone down a bit to just really uncomfortable instead of "get the house off my foot" pain level. Last night I would rather have been giving birth without the aid of a pain killer--at least I would have had something to show for it!

Massage is at 10:45 today.

I was so ready to go to the ER last night it was that bad. If this doesn't let up by Monday, I'll see my doc. Have a few more Skelaxin, so can use them--and will. And I'll try the stretching and tennis balls too. Thanks for the suggestions and support!

Massage therapist was ok. She dug in, often with her elbow, and only made me tell her to back off a little once when she hit a really tender spot over my hip joint.

She said my muscles wouldn't release easily at all. Once she got them to release, she said they'd go back into knots again and she'd have to go right back to them. Guess she found me a little challenging.

She totally agreed that it was possible that there were other things going on with my body and that if things continued I should see a doc. But she suggested a physiatrist given all the trauma my body's been through with a couple car accidents, the shoulder surgery, and the MS. She might have a point--a rehab doc would look at the whole body.

I feel a bit better, but everything's starting to hurt again. Think I'm NOT going to take the dogs for a walk as I had planned (sorry pups) and get more meds in me and maybe another bath with Epsom salts. therapist agreed those are awesome!

She also pointed me to a trigger point device that she said I might like (and no, she wasn't selling them). Says they're awesome, so I thought I'd share:

http://www.massagewarehouse.com/itemdetail~cat~103206302~MENU~103206302~item~230+0 050.asp

WOW Gazzy~ I feel for ya. I have such a miserable back and spine, that daily pain is a reg for me. But, when it's a 9 or a 10, then I have to take the pain pills. I have seen a spine spec and due to my Osteo, I can no longer see the chiro.

I really think that your pain needs to be addressed by a Dr and treated. When your back hurts like that, it's just plain miserable. Keep us posted and get thyself to a Dr.

take care Gazzy~


GRET!!!!! Welcome back and yes, I know what your'e talking about. My massage therapist rolls the little trigger bumps and I can actually feel them breaking down. It feels like a grape in my back. I have them under my shoulder blades, too. She claims they are toxins.

how's Italy???

Good for you, my little ungulate, massage can be a real miracle. I have also tried a couple of the pressure point contraptions but found that using it requires use of the very muscles I want to relax. It's so frustrating on top of painful.

Last week, I took a ride just to be free for a bit and the back spazzes really took the fun out of it for me. Hope it calms down before you fly, that could make or break your fun.

Oh I hope you feel beter ASAP!! I know how miserable back pain is, I've had my share. Take care G!!

glad the massage helped...

now, you've got to rest up for your trip, and get all better.

we'll be praying for you.