OK, I've had it. This *&%$ sciatica has kept me from walking (other than a few blocks) for three weeks now, and it's not getting much better. I am sick of lying around with a bag of frozen Beans on my back! (It's about as comfortable, not to mention exciting, as it sounds.)

I had an L5-S1 laminotomy about eight years ago which was a total success, but in the last few years the L4-L5 disk has given me occasional grief. I don't want surgery again if I can help it, but I'm desperate. Chiropractic treatments have helped only a little. So, bandsters, have any of you with back & disc trouble tried VAX-D? Supposedly it places vacuum pressure on the disc -- a kind of traction -- to encourage the disc to go back where it belongs. Any reports, pro or con, welcome! Thanks.

Gimpily yours,

Z.

Zoe, I haven't, but I wanted to let you know that I was thinking about you and hope you soon get some relief. Wow, when your back hurts, your whole body does! I sympathize w/someone like Michelle's husband -who lives w/back pain 24/7. (((Hugs)))

Zoe, like Marie I haven't tried VAX-D for sciatica, so unfortunately I can be no help with that. I wanted to tell you two things, as both my sister and I have suffered from fairly debilitating sciatica at different times. Mine seemed terrible to me, although I am likely a big wimp. I took an anti-spasmotic medication that helped enormously--methocarbamol 500 mg, and you take one or two every 8 hours. For a while I had to take it every day, my back was so bad, but it never seemed to bother my stomach and it REALLY helped. (I did chew the tablets as I do all my pills and took it with hot tea). But the thing that really helped me on a long term basis was yoga (if you knew of my horror of exercise, you'd know how shocked I am to even be writing this). I took a gentle yoga class once a week and my back improved so so much! You have to be sort of careful with the positions and make sure to tell your teacher about your back, but I can't stress enough the difference this little thing made in my back life. Also, the yoga environment seems to me really condusive to larger people exercising comfortably---very little of that competitive energy one often encounters in the more traditional gyms.

My sister was more immobilized than I and she recently had an epidural on her back. She has disc degeneration. Apparently the procedure numbs some of the nerves and can be really helpful--it certainly was for my sister, thank God. She went from being in constant pain to being very occasionally uncomfortable.

Just some options to consider. I hope your back improves soon.

Sheila

Thanks, Sheila! I start a five-day course of steroids today. Like your sister, I had an epidural several years ago when I could barely move; it did help for a while. I like your yoga suggestion. I do need to increase my flexibility, so once I can move again, I think I'll check out a class at the nearby yoga center. I have two large friends who've found that yoga helped their arthritis.

Zoe, so sorry you are still in pain. Yuk. I've had sciatica, but never that bad. It's definitely hard to lose weight when you can't exercise. I guess the only thing you can do is to try to stay focused on eating healthy foods. Keep us posted on the back. I hope it improves quickly.

Nancy