Just to be clear - this is not an attempt to gather doctor-shopping info. I just want some info on how the health system works in cases like mine - my GP isn't being very helpful/clear on the subject.
For the last 5 months, I've had increasing discomfort/weakness eventually leading to moderately severe pain/increasing weakness in my left leg. Starting in the hip, echoing in the knee (hollowed out feeling), going all the way down into my foot. Not horrendous pain, but it interferes with my work - I have a desk job so sitting for long periods at a time aggravates it. I also study in my spare time - more sitting at a desk. And freelance work - more sitting! Damn you, desk!
Stretching/walking around helps for only 5-10 minutes, once I'm back at the desk, it starts all over again. It also interferes with my sleep - I can't get comfortable and I've developed a terrible case of RSL. This morning I woke up with weakness in both my lower legs.
I can't sleep on my back anymore, which is my preferred sleeping method. I actually have a theory that this problem may stem from a car accident I was in almost 10 years ago. The impact was on my side (ie - passenger side) but I literally walked away with nothing but a scratch on my knee. Maybe the hospital people didn't really scan me properly or missed something because I looked fine, apart from the shock. I'm not sure. Anyway, since that accident, I couldn't sleep on my back anymore but didn't really think much of it.
So I've been going to my GP with complaints of weakness/pain in my left side for the last few months. Finally, he referred me to get a CT scan, which showed a herniated disk in my lower spine. He says it's not serious enough to need surgery. Yet I'm in pain and serious discomfort most days. I do a lot of yoga and stretches, but that helps only for a short while.
At first, my GP was prescribing Panadeine Forte - the recommended dose (4-6 every 4 hours or something?) wasn't helping, so I learnt the CWE extraction method. I told him that PF wasn't doing much and he prescribed Oxycontin 10mg. 3 of those did a very good job, and I slept on my back for the first time in almost 10 years. Was comfortable, got lots of desk work done - yay! Finally! I went back to get a repeat and he said he couldn't give me one without an authority.
I questioned him about this authority business. Apparently, my options are: go see a private orthopaedic or spinal surgeon and pay retarded amounts of money for the consults. Even though I have private health cover, it doesn't cover those particular specialists. The money question aside, when I rang up the specialists to find out about fees, appointments, procedures, etc - all the receptionists (so far I've spoken with 3) start talking surgery and epidurals. My GP did warn me that they will try to advocate surgery instead of authorising painkillers.
My other option (according to GP) is to go on a waiting list to see a specialist in the public health system. I'm going to fill out the forms for that next week. Even so, he has warned me that I may not get an appointment until February next year or thereabouts. I'm not sure what the outcome of that visit would be. Hopefully not surgery recommendations. But that's a long time to wait...
My GP is willing to prescribe me plenty of Tramadol. But, in order to alleviate my pain, I need to eat crazy amounts of it (way over the 400mg seizure threshold limit in 24 hours) and top it off with a benzo because of the seizure danger. Needless to say, due to the SNRI properties of Tramadol, it sends me slightly loopy/happy and I get quite depressed and loopy/unhappy when I stop taking it.
In summary, my sciatica is not bad enough for surgery. I don't want to pay $150 to have a so-called specialist try to force surgery on me. It's perfectly manageable with painkillers, oxy did a fine job but I only have a few left and soon I'll be stuck with just CWEs or Tramadol (DO NOT WANT!). The problem with CWEs is they're time consuming and you can't really get one going at work. And I can't afford things like Lyrica.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there another sort of specialist I can see? Can anyone suggest any other options apart from trying to source painkillers from a private individual - which I don't want to do, but if the health system won't help me, I'll probably have to end up doing that??
I just want an authority for painkillers that help me function in my daily life. I don't want unnecessary surgery. When the sciatica gets bad enough that I'm losing control of my bladder, I might consider men poking steel instruments into my spinal column. In the meantime, I have to work, study and sleep. And my condition is interfering with all of these things.
If anyone can provide any information on the workings of the medical system, or even info on alternative painkillers, it would be most appreciated.
Thanking all of you in advance, any bit of knowledge helps because I feel stuck and frustrated and in pain.
PS - Dear Moderator, I wasn't sure where to post this. I decided on Australian Drug Discussion because it's the aussie health system that I'm dealing with.
For the last 5 months, I've had increasing discomfort/weakness eventually leading to moderately severe pain/increasing weakness in my left leg. Starting in the hip, echoing in the knee (hollowed out feeling), going all the way down into my foot. Not horrendous pain, but it interferes with my work - I have a desk job so sitting for long periods at a time aggravates it. I also study in my spare time - more sitting at a desk. And freelance work - more sitting! Damn you, desk!
Stretching/walking around helps for only 5-10 minutes, once I'm back at the desk, it starts all over again. It also interferes with my sleep - I can't get comfortable and I've developed a terrible case of RSL. This morning I woke up with weakness in both my lower legs.
I can't sleep on my back anymore, which is my preferred sleeping method. I actually have a theory that this problem may stem from a car accident I was in almost 10 years ago. The impact was on my side (ie - passenger side) but I literally walked away with nothing but a scratch on my knee. Maybe the hospital people didn't really scan me properly or missed something because I looked fine, apart from the shock. I'm not sure. Anyway, since that accident, I couldn't sleep on my back anymore but didn't really think much of it.
So I've been going to my GP with complaints of weakness/pain in my left side for the last few months. Finally, he referred me to get a CT scan, which showed a herniated disk in my lower spine. He says it's not serious enough to need surgery. Yet I'm in pain and serious discomfort most days. I do a lot of yoga and stretches, but that helps only for a short while.
At first, my GP was prescribing Panadeine Forte - the recommended dose (4-6 every 4 hours or something?) wasn't helping, so I learnt the CWE extraction method. I told him that PF wasn't doing much and he prescribed Oxycontin 10mg. 3 of those did a very good job, and I slept on my back for the first time in almost 10 years. Was comfortable, got lots of desk work done - yay! Finally! I went back to get a repeat and he said he couldn't give me one without an authority.
I questioned him about this authority business. Apparently, my options are: go see a private orthopaedic or spinal surgeon and pay retarded amounts of money for the consults. Even though I have private health cover, it doesn't cover those particular specialists. The money question aside, when I rang up the specialists to find out about fees, appointments, procedures, etc - all the receptionists (so far I've spoken with 3) start talking surgery and epidurals. My GP did warn me that they will try to advocate surgery instead of authorising painkillers.
My other option (according to GP) is to go on a waiting list to see a specialist in the public health system. I'm going to fill out the forms for that next week. Even so, he has warned me that I may not get an appointment until February next year or thereabouts. I'm not sure what the outcome of that visit would be. Hopefully not surgery recommendations. But that's a long time to wait...
My GP is willing to prescribe me plenty of Tramadol. But, in order to alleviate my pain, I need to eat crazy amounts of it (way over the 400mg seizure threshold limit in 24 hours) and top it off with a benzo because of the seizure danger. Needless to say, due to the SNRI properties of Tramadol, it sends me slightly loopy/happy and I get quite depressed and loopy/unhappy when I stop taking it.
In summary, my sciatica is not bad enough for surgery. I don't want to pay $150 to have a so-called specialist try to force surgery on me. It's perfectly manageable with painkillers, oxy did a fine job but I only have a few left and soon I'll be stuck with just CWEs or Tramadol (DO NOT WANT!). The problem with CWEs is they're time consuming and you can't really get one going at work. And I can't afford things like Lyrica.
Has anyone been in a similar situation? Is there another sort of specialist I can see? Can anyone suggest any other options apart from trying to source painkillers from a private individual - which I don't want to do, but if the health system won't help me, I'll probably have to end up doing that??
I just want an authority for painkillers that help me function in my daily life. I don't want unnecessary surgery. When the sciatica gets bad enough that I'm losing control of my bladder, I might consider men poking steel instruments into my spinal column. In the meantime, I have to work, study and sleep. And my condition is interfering with all of these things.
If anyone can provide any information on the workings of the medical system, or even info on alternative painkillers, it would be most appreciated.
Thanking all of you in advance, any bit of knowledge helps because I feel stuck and frustrated and in pain.
PS - Dear Moderator, I wasn't sure where to post this. I decided on Australian Drug Discussion because it's the aussie health system that I'm dealing with.