I have a first appt with spine dr on thursday -
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i have slept about 6 hrs in the last 72 --
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probably wont sleep now until my grandaughter goes home tonight -
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i see little about herniated l2-3 on this site -- so does anyone know what the treatment is ?
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or where all the back - hip -and leg- foot pain is ?
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or if it can be treated without surgery --
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i went to the stickys about injections - could not make a clear readable connection --
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i am very upset - we turned our lives upside down moving to florida from ohio to care for our grandaughter -
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her parents are older and working - we wanted to be her influence in her tiny yrs -
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now i can not even pick her up -
i am afraid of being incapacitated - i am afraid this was a huge mistake -
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wow - welcome to my pity party !
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spent hours today getting all the medical reports -- from my multiple sclerosis and hydrocephalis and picking up the films from all my mris and injuries --
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just last month i finally got back into shoes from breaking my foot -
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sorry -- i am so wired - overtired -
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any help would be appreciated --
stay safe - be well ... Dvora

Hi Dvora ~ I'm sorry you're in such pain. I know what it's like. I've had 2 open surgeries for herniated discs, and it's no picnic.

There are different treatments for herniations. You should do the LEAST invasive treatment -- stay conservative!!! Physical therapy CAN help alot with herniations. They teach you gentle exercises, plus show you how to strengthen your back so you won't herniate any other discs. Some doctors recommend steroid injections, but many times these don't work. If your doc wants you to have some, one word of warning --- if the FIRST one doesn't work, the second or third one won't either. So don't let the doc do any more if you don't get relief from the first one. You might want to see a Neurosurgeon for an OPINION only!! Don't let him push you into surgery.

Surgery should be avoided UNLESS your spinal cord is being impinged or there is danger of having permanent nerve damage. Surgery only corrects mechanical problems -- it doesn't correct the pain most of the time. Usually you're left with the same pain or worse after surgery.

If you have sciatica (pain into the hip/leg/foot) the exercises will be beneficial for that too. Pool therapy is especially good. Some people have had accupuncture for pain relief too.

You can also go to a pain management doctor who will try many things to ease your pain. Usually they want to do injections first. Best of luck & keep us posted on how you're doing. God bless. Hugs, Lee

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hi lee -
thanks so much for all your info -
you have been through so much -
i am sorry --
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when i wrote this i was soo tired and the pain was frightening --
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than the baby holds her arms up to me and -- i have to let her cry until dh comes to lift her --
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i lose proper perspective -- you are right --
unless the sky really is falling - my panic is unwarrented --
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i will keep you posted ---
the clinic is several towns away - the appt is in the afternoon - and i was told it will be a long one --
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i appreciate your advice -- wish for your sake you were not such an expert !
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take good care of you -- dvora

Bless your heart ~ I certainly hope you've gotten some sleep! Since I also suffer from insomnia (probably pain related) I can understand how lack of sleep can affect you!

Do you babysit for your granddaughter? This might be just too much for you. Lifting a baby can be very painful -- and sometimes you just HAVE to lift them!! I babysat with my daughter's best friends' baby recently, and couldn't believe how much pressure picking up a little baby can put on the spine!!! It was miserable!!! Thank goodness she was a good baby.

If other arrangements can be made for a babysitter, you'd be smart to give up sitting for her yourself !!! Not only is it painful, but stressful too! And since you don't get proper rest, it makes it that much worse.

Please take care of YOU first. You deserve it. God bless & keep me posted. Hugs, Lee

How old is the baby? can she crawl or walk yet? Perhaps you/we can come up with some way to help you be able to comfort her without lifting? (Foam doggy steps so you can help her crawl up onto the couch next to you?) Or is she teeny-tiny? I've got the same disc problem as you, as well as knee and arm and shoulder and other problems, and sometimes there are weird but creative ways to work around a problem. (You should see how I get down to floor level, and then back up, when absolutely necessary! And I growl as I go up or downstairs, one-legged and sideways, relieves the p*ssed-offness and adds humor.)

Hi - quick update - left for appt i30 pm thursday - went to spine clinic --
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finally - after talking with and being examined by 3 people --
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was told that my tests were all not good -- not a good candidate for surgery - osteopenia - cardiac stuff ?- ms has progressed --
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would need to be seen by --cardiologist before shots or pt --
neuro - and have nerve conduction testing --
all on tues and wed of next week !
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i am exhausted today and spasming like crazy which is why i am not answering you individually -- sorry
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tomorrow the baby is coming and i need to rest --
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my little monkey is 18 months old - she weighs 30 lbs -- her activity level is an energizer rabbit --
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her parents run a business -- tatoo and piercing -- when she was born she went to work every day --
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we were agast at the thought of a tiny girl growing up in a tatoo and piercing shop --
in florida this is quite common --
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so we sold our house - in 5 weeks -- in such a bad market we thought that meant g-d really wanted us to care for this child --
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we love it but it is not physically easy -- she is a loving sweet little girl - just going into her no - no- no - stage --- how quickly we forget --
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ok -no more typing now -- hands cramping too much --
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thank you for your advice - your concern and for being here my invisible friends --
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shalom from dvora

I was babysitting my grandson when he was about that age. I spent most of the time on the floor with him when he wasn't sleeping. He was a good baby and easy to please. If he wanted to be held, he crawled then toddled over to me. I kept his toy box next to me so he wouldn't wander off. He crawled faster than I did.

As ususal, Lee gave you good advice. Since you are having a nerve conduction study next week, do not babysit that day. As a matter of fact, don't do it the next day. You may be a bit sore if the test is extensive and it sounds like it might be. Get some rest.

Try a nice strong cup of catnip tea at bedtime. Use two bags per cup of tea and let it steep at least 15 minutes. I found it to be a good mucscle relaxer and sleep aid. Catnip is in the mint family and is rather tasty. I also flavor it sometimes by breaking open a cranberry capsule and dumping in the contents. Sweeten with honey or whatever you like. That makes a tasty drink. Hang in there.

Ok - new update -
went today for 3 dr appts - and a nerve conduction test --
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cardio -- not great ecg -- will not clear me for spinal injections with anesthetic --
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so on the 29th august i will have them with A local and lots of valium -
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i must gather mris from other hospital for neuro --
and than i will go to her again --
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nerve tests were uncomfortable but i did them --
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i had this really wierd feeling after that the needles were still in ?
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i cannot remember 3rd dr -- too much in one long day - plus info overload ---
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OH - AND YES - I AM WEARING MY BACKBRACE -- PADDING THE POKING PLACES WITH WASH CLOTHS -
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I CANNOT PUT IT ON BY MYSELF --
just thought you would want to know how it went --
hope you are all ok --
take care of you --- dvora

Sorry not to answer sooner. Things happened.

For your little darling--
18 months is young to work with, but not impossible.

Don't respond to tantrums, in any way, and they generally stop most of them. Just sit and calmly wait them out. We used to actually step over my son kicking and screaming on the floor and say "Oh look, Alex is having a tantrum" then sit down and read the newspaper or something. The full tantrum stage lasted a week, then he pretty much gave up. My daughter would get up and move herself to be directly in our line of sight again, then restart the tantrum, she was tougher but eventually resigned herself to the fact that they weren't going to work, also.

Set everything up to be workable without you having to pick her up. Get a sturdy little plastic kid table and chairs. Get a vinyl or plastic drop cloth to sit underneath it (if you don't have a fabric store that sells vinyl cloth by the yard, a giant tablecloth or heavy plastic shower curtain works). She can eat at this table. She can color, play blocks, duplos, dolls, whatever at the table. Place it so you can sit on the couch or a comfy chair and reach it and her. Since she is a "Big Girl", she can be so proud of sitting at a real table and eating nicely instead of in a high chair. Let her help you wipe up afterwards, little kids love to copy and help.

Get a long-handled dustpan and broom for cleaning up the floor afterwards so you don't have to bend over. Get a lightweight cordless stick-vac (like a dustbuster on a handle) for cleanups, avoids the heavy vacuum, does a good enough job until your husband or someone else can do the heavy cleaning later.

Set up all the stuff you need to take care of her in easy, accessible ways. Those drawer-carts on wheels, open plastic buckets/tubs, put a strap on the handle so you, or she, can drag it to where you need it, or roll it over, instead of carrying. Set up little caddies of crayons and gluesticks and stuff you cannot let her have free access to, so you can keep them up higher but get them quckly and easily when wanted, and take them away as well. Don't make them too big or heavy.

Get a "grabber", to pick up things from the floor, instead of bending over. Get yourself a good quality one, with rubber end (not plastic, they don't hold on well at all), and get her a toy one with a fun animal head (we've had lions and dogs and dinosaurs over the years) and she will help you pick things up also. Make it a game--"who's faster? Mr. Grabber, or your hands? Let's count..."

Create a special snuggle spot on your sofa or comfy chair. Pretty pillows, animal pillows, snuggly blankie, whatever will appeal to both of you. Teach her that this is where she and grandma have cuddle time--when feeling cuddly, when tired, when upset, when hurt--the two of you will snuggle in here. Make sure she can climb herself up, get some of those foam doggy steps if necessary, so if she slips while climbing, she won't get hurt, and she won't see a step stool that she might get the idea will give her access to other places she shouldn't go. Teach her to come with you and climb up to snuggle in and set pillows and blankie any way she likes. She will learn that even if she is crying, or goes boom and gets a bump, she and grandma can go to the snuggle place and she can climb into/next to your lap and you will hold her. She doesn't need to be carried there, she can do it herself. She can even take you by the hand and lead you there when she needs a cuddle.

If she naps in a crib or playyard, and you can't lift her in or out, time for a new nap arrangement. Get a toddler bed (with rails) or a sleeping mat or pillow. Get a little kid tent (some are more of a lean-to, one side open so you can easily see in) and sleeping bag. Make it pretty, make it fun. You can put a baby-gate across a doorway to keep her in the room if need be, or if she'll be sleeping in a room that isn't baby-proofable, get one of those large play-yard fences to surround it, decorate the fence with flowers and pretty things, and she naps in "the garden". You can also use this to keep her safe if need be, if you need to leave the room for a few, and can't take her with you. Get a baby monitor so you can hear the minute she gets up, before she can get herself into trouble. My son escaped his crib the day he turned 18 months, climbed out, landed on his feet running, we never put him back in because we knew there was no way to keep him from climbing out again, and next time he might land on his head. Put a mattress on the floor for him to sleep on, then gradually worked it up to a little bed, a low bed, a real bed, as he grew. Gated the room to keep him from getting out into the rest of the house unsupervised.

Get her bottles, sippy cups, little snack containers, lunch plate, whatever, all ready ahead of time, either when you're feeling good, or have your husband help you/do it. Then it's all ready for you to simply take out of the fridge or off the counter and hand to her in case you're not feeling good when she needs something. Hubby used to even leave me my lunch all ready to eat or pop in the microwave, so I didn't have to stand and make it on bad days.

If I think of anything else I've done in the past I'll write it, or you have any other things you can think of to ask for alternate ways to do, just ask. Been adapting life and childcare for a while now. More than willing to share ideas, wish I'd had someone helping me figure some of these out much sooner than I managed to.

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i too wish you had the support and advice you have been giving me -
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i wrote longer post yesterday but it never appeared - sorry -
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too tired and hurting to try again -
my legs are totally bruised from needles from nerve conduction test -
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had the baby overnight - getting her to sleep was a challenge -- am going to ask her other grandma for help when we have her for a week starting 24 th --
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hope all is well -- dvora