Disk displacement

[Karen from Indiana]

I posted this over on spinal forum but thought I would see if I could get some insight here as well. Thursday morning I took a hard fall on my back deck. I could feel the muscles burning all the way down my back before I ever landed. I also heard and/or felt something pop and shoot pain across my back. I have never felt pain like that before, I was scared I had actually broken my back. I was laying there in my nightgown in the snow and no one home...

Anyway after finally getting to see dr and getting xrays he said I displaced L5 and to be on complete bedrest for at least 4 days. What exactly is displacing and how long is this going to keep hurting? The pain is on the right side of my back but I landed mostly on left butt cheek which is still swollen and painful to sit on. I dont understand how that didnt bruise. Anyway, has anyone ever displaced a disk and what was your experience with it?

[suede]

HI Karen,
I'm so sorry to hear about your fall and then in this terrible weather and the low temps, it's a wonder your not in the hospital from exposure!!
I may be wrong it sure wouldn't be the first time, but I thought that disc displacement was just another word they use like, herniated, ruptured, or slipped.
What type of Dr did you see and did they only do an x-ray and not an MRI?
I sure hope that you are feeling better real soon.
Linda

[Karen from Indiana]

I saw one of the drs in my internal med office. And he said if it wasnt better by yesterday to call and they would do mri...well its not right but it is better so I just decided to wait till follow up appt which is tomorrow. I honestly dont think I can lay on that narrow hard table and not move for 30 minutes to have an mri done. What info I found on displacement said the same thing...herniated...but my brother swears if that was the case I would not have been able to stand up. I dont know...but if it isnt herniated I pray I never ever experience that because the pain from this was the worst I have ever felt. It hurt so bad I couldnt even cry...I could barely breathe.

[ErinENj]

Karen: First off, OUCH!! I'm sorry you took a fall, especially a nasty one like that!! Second, I would wait for an MRI or even a CAT scan to be 100% sure about what exactly happened to the disk. An x-ray is just the bones, so I'm not sure how they could tell there was a problem with the disk. I'm not doubting your doc. There's a lot about radiology I don't know about, so I could be very wrong. I've heard of vertebrea being displaced, but I'm sure that disks can be too. I guess it's basically that something moved that shouldn't have. So bedrest, as much as it sucks, may be the best idea right now.

Also, heat might be good too. Try to get those muscles relaxed in your low back; I'm sure they're good and knotted! A heating pack will work, and even one of those Thermacare back thingies (I LOVE them. They're fantastic!) would work. I'd heat a few times a day, just to try and get things to relax. As much as it's hard to do, try not to stress. I know that may be next to impossible, but try.

Make sure that your bed is as comfortable as you can get it, with all the pillows you need. I have a pillow that goes under my knees, and also have a very thin pillow that goes under the rest of my head pillows (I sleep on 4 pillows, besides the thin one) that makes the transition from the head pillows to the bed a lot softer. I have a fantastic select comfort bed, so that pillow is probably pointless, but it's what I did when I had my old bed from the start of this, and I have a hard time with change. I'm scared that if I take it away, my pain will be worse.

I'd also have a conversation with the doc ordering the MRI about how uncomfortable you know it will be and see if there's any way they can do a CAT scan. It's a lot quicker, the bed is a lot more comfortable, and I think it may even be a better diagnostic tool. It's more expensive, which is why they don't use them as much, but in this kind of situation, where it will help with your pain level during the test, I think it's at least worth the conversation. It's worth a shot. You never know, they may even say okay!

Keep me posted on how you're doing. For right now, I'd definately recommend staying in bed like the doc said to and wait to see if they can do a CAT scan or if they have to do an MRI, if they can at least find a way to dope you up for it so that it's not as painful. Find someone to rent you a bunch of great movies, catch up on your soaps :p (I don't watch soaps, but if you do, here's some time set aside for you to catch up on them. Yeah, I try to find a positive spin on everything. It's scary. :D ) and try and relax until you know for 100% sure what's going on in your spine and what you need to do to take care of it. I've found that with my back, I try not to think the worst right off the bat. It's completely impossible, but I've found that the worst usually isn't totally what I get. It'll get close, but not quite totally there.

The last time I had a flare, a little less than a year ago actually (I just realized that), when my pain took a horrid spike, I couldn't stand up straight, I thought it was muscles, it wasn't since the major league doses of every relaxant out there weren't working and then the MRI showed that my worst nightmare was true: I had reherniated my 2 problem disks. L4/L5 and L5/S1. I didn't think it was possible. There isn't enough disk matter left to have a herniation and still have disk matter left in the disk space. So, the last of the disk matter is hanging out the side, right on my nerves, plus the pain from the pressure on the nerves in the disk area. I knew I'd never make it back to school. I saw my entire college career going down in flames as soon as I saw the MRI report, and as soon as I saw the MRI, I knew it was over. But, my docs worked hard with me to get the pain under some semblance of control, and I'm doing it. It's not as bad as I thought it was going to be. So I hope that it's not anywhere near as bad as both you and your docs think it is. Hopefully, it's something that will settle, very quickly, on it's own. You'll be in my prayers for it to be just that, and that alone.

Keep me posted, please and do what the docs say. I know it sucks in be in bed for days on end, as good as it sounds the first day, but do it. Try some heat to get those muscles relaxed, maybe even see if you can get some muscle relaxers if you need them, and try not to think the worst. And if you need anything that I can give from where I am (Sorry, kinda far away to run to the store for you), don't hesistate to ask! :D