[rhonda41]

Hi everyone!

I have yet another question: Is lower back pain common with Lupus? I have been having a lot of lower back pain for the last month and I've tried various medicines to ease the pain and nothing has worked. I've tried Tylenol, Advil, and Skelaxin (muscle relaxer) and none of them has made it any better. The pain can be pretty intense sometimes. I also can't lay in bed for too long after waking in the morning or my lower back starts hurting terribly. I have to get up to relieve the pain.

Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!

Rhonda

 

[applesauce]

I've had back pain for a couple years now, it's a little higher up although we were so confused about transferred pain and stuff, so we still haven't figured out what it is...We got distracted by finding an enormous cyst on my MRI hahaha and kind of forgot about the whole back thing

I find that a firmer mattress helps, I'm currently in france and sleeping on the couch because we're one bed short and it's perfectly lovely, I'm a little sore but soooo much better than my bed is. Have you asked about stronger pain meds? They're definitely not something to take lightly but I was on so much Ibuprofin for so long that it barely affects me any more so I have to at least take aleve and I've had tramadol prescribed more than once.

Hope that helps!
Apple

 

[rhonda41]

Thanks Apple. I did ask my GP to prescribe something stronger for me and she did. I just haven't taken it yet. It's called Vicoprofin. I know it will make me really drowsy, so that's why I haven't taken it yet. I am trying to go for as long as I can before relying on narcotics to ease the pain. But if it continues or gets worse, I'll have to. :worried:

I have a growth on my right kidney, and I wonder if it is the cause of the back pain? I've had it for 11 years now and until recently it did not cause any pain at all. I have had consistant, on-and-off pain in my upper right side over the past year, but the lower back pain started about a month ago. That's why I'm wondering if it has nothing at all to do with the growth and maybe it could be due to Lupus. Who knows?!! :shrug: I am trusting God to take care of me, so I'm really trying not to dwell on it too much. It's a struggle though.

Thanks for your reply to my thread. I hope your back feels better too and I hope the cyst is nothing to worry about.

Take care.
Rhonda

 

[annada]

Hi Rhonda,

I've been having alot of back pain, lower,mid and upper shoulder and neck. I do take pain med and have tried the skelactin (which didn't help much) the heating pad for 10-15 minuets helps aliviate it for just a little while, takes the edge off.

Hope you can get some relief soon, I know how this is to live with, always aware of how much it hurts!!!!!!!!

annada

 

[applesauce]

We thought the cyst might've been causing tranferred pain, but in fact it was a dermoid cyst on my ovary. My grandma had one, and so did my mom. Not at all related to lupus!! Who know? but it might be the kidney thing causing problems, it's so hard to tell

 

[rhonda41]

Hi Annada & Applesauce

Thanks Annada and Apple for your encouraging words.

I have so many wierd things going on with my health these past couple of months (actually, for a little more than a year now) and I'm trying to make sense of as much of it as I can before seeing the rheumatologist next month. This is most likely a futile attempt, I know, but I am trying anyway. :sigh: I know the growth on my kidney is totally not related to Lupus in any way, but the back pain is baffling and troublesome to me. Earlier this summer my back was hurting pretty badly in the mornings when I woke up, but now the pain is present all day long. Getting up and walking around in the mornings helps lessen the severity of it, but it never goes away completely. I've been in a lot of pain today, which prompted my post here.

:sigh: I have so many questions for my rheumatologist. Until then I'm just going about my business and trying to ignore the pain as much as possible and live my life. Every now and then I start feeling anxious about my health and it is comforting to talk to other people who have similar problems.

Thanks again for your advice and I hope you both are feeling better soon

Rhonda

 

[chilli]

I too get terrible back pain, i have also slipped my disc a coupla times but mercifully that was over 5 years ago.

i get lower back pain and im sure it is indicated in a lot of the lupus pain but as i also have fibroids, i can never tell. i do know that just before menstruation my back gets real tender and sore...apparently bec. the change in hormones softens the ligaments in that area.

i had a locum once who prescribed votarol suppositories (bare with me!!); her reasoning was taking an oral pain med would not really touch it but if you went in the other way (ahem!!) it would hit the spot quicker............and do you know what.....it sure did. perhaps it was the power of suggestion but i found it to be extremely helpful (last thing at night).

also bec. of the abdominal pain i get i also take buscopan which works great for me, more often than not. cat stretches help too, or perhaps you can see an osteopath. i had incredible back pain once and when i went into work and saw one of the osteo's i had a misaligned pelvis and she popped it back in!!!!! go figure.