cause doctors?

On the bright side, I think I hurt her feelings when I told her she'd have more success dealing with cranky patients if she condensed her speech to have more meat and less technobabble filler.

they seem to forget it is their job and they are supposed to help people.

Is it water on the knee?
Opiate Nation!
A whole bucket, see?
Opiate Nation!

I had to say that out loud to get it, hurrr.

I hate opiates because they don't work. I've been down this road before and it sucks.

Honestly, I don't know why icy hot can't help, or just making sure to have proper back support while you're sitting or sleeping doesn't fix the trick.
That being said, to throw your back out doing NOTHING is really counter-intuitive to a diagnosis like that.

When people throw out their back it's usually a pretty bad muscle spasm. Something that could help deal with that is alternating heat and cold.

Try putting some heat on there for 5-10 minutes then let it rest for 2-3 then put on some local cold for as long. doesn't have to be freezing cold but something to help lower the temp there a few degrees for another 10 min or so. Leave it to rest until it's about normal skin temp again (Let it warm up naturally, don't help it along, especially if you numbed it) then put the heat on again for another 5 min or so then let it rest.

Usually when a muscle goes into a pretty bad spasm it tightens up so bad that it reduces blood flow into it. Doing that should help get some more blood flow into it and help it loosen up some.

Try it out if you want but don't over do it or use an amount of heat that would burn yourself

I was at the emergency room because we already tried all of this. Hot, cold, moving, not moving, Tylenol, Aspirin, Robax, I even drank out of the vodka bottle in frustration. But thanks anyway!

I feel your pain, somewhat literally XD I got hospitalized in two separate ER trips back in May for a migraine that brought vision loss in my left eye. The first thing the docs did was inject me with a painkiller rather than explore why I was, you know, blind in one eye. XD And pretty much every doc I've seen since then has written me a prescription for ungodly strong painkillers (pretty much every common opiate ever). It kind of scares me. I haven't taken any of them >_>

I know doctors pretty much work on the "cover your ass/hospital's ass" principle, but it's still depressing. She probably was plenty smart enough, but has been instructed to be careful and noncommittal. Definitely not justifying her actions, though - the healthcare in this country drives me frothing mad.

Though I'm surprised that she only gave you an OTC - every doc I've seen seems to be WAY too free and loose with the prescription pad.

Anyway, I'm sorry you had to go through this ;___; Your best bet might be to see a specialist or even your GP; they'll be WAY more understanding and are more likely to prescribe you the appropriate medication!

I totally dig the cover your ass-- except that's why I went to the place that has my records so they know I don't have a history of invisible pain or asking for free controlled substances so hmm maybe this is for real. And that's the frustrating thing about emergencies... it hurts now and it's 3am and I still can't sleep, waiting to see someone specific is just not gonna happen D: The hospital did give me a script for something not OTC though. I know already I can't process codeine (it's somewhat common) so that's out, but they gave me hydromorphone instead. It's really not doing anything, other than preventing me from drinking (and that does work, sort of).

I'm still sticking to dumb doctor, though-- not only does it make me feel slightly better to take cheap shots at her, she kept trying to get me to do a back Xray (...what) and wouldn't stop dicking around (like suggesting that my GoPro must have caused back strain). Even the specialist she called in was like "okay... no. Just give her the damn painkillers already". Except politer.

How's your eye now? Hope it's better <3

last time i threw out my back i was just picking something up >.> was so weird
i just went to the chiropractor, snapped my back a few times and with-in a few hours i was right as rain. Minus a bit of tenderness from all the back snapping for a few days but was SO much better than before.

but hmm =/ i guess at lease the sewing machine doc. works wonders. Now its just your doc. that needs fixing hehe
sorry tho bout all that

Glad to hear your sewing machine is fixed - sucks that your back is still giving you grief. D:

Hope it sorts itself out sooner rather than later.

I know how much back problems suck, so I feel for you. Did he recommend that you get a brace? Although if you weren't lifting anything, it might not help anyway. You probably just need some muscle relaxers and some rest.

Negative on the brace. They did prescribe me muscle relaxers and Tylenol except lol stupid doctor, I already have those. I think it's pretty shite for someone to go write the generic name for a medication while implying that it's completely totes different and better than the stuff you already tried.

I second the brace. I have a nylon weight lifting belt I got at the sporting goods store for about $20. It helps a lot when my back starts spasming out. It kind of temporarily takes the place of the muscle groups around my abdomen, which allows all those muscles to relax and recover.

Oh man that sucks. Know any good ostheopath or chiropractor? I know they're not recognized as medicine in Canada but if you find a good one they could help (or make you worse if they suck, blegh)

I don't know anyone I can see on short notice, save for whatever walk-in place I go to. I figure if it gets really bad I'll call my clinic and whine at them :/

I empathize. The "loopy meds" some of my friends have mentioned enjoyable emotions during, I don't get. I apparently Sound ecstatic but I feel as even keeled as ever, and the pain is still there. Thankfully I have been blessed to not have been in severe pain or injured very frequently to need it. My best bet is almost always to just sleep off what I can while taking a muscle relaxant to undo the trouble.

I don't know about all opiates, but some people lack the enzyme (or something like that) necessary to get the effects of codeine. I know I can't do codeine but hm, I wonder if we're both like that for the other kinds?

Thankfully I don't hurt myself a lot either but as I'm used to painkillers being fancy sugar pills, I am really not looking forward to being in labor later when we have kids D: