Need good medical websites, lots of back and neck pain, advice?

[StriderF1]

darn, its been a while since I've been around here. too long.

anyway, does anyone have links to good medical sites? I tried searching google, and couldn't really find anything satisfactory, and I know theres good sites out there.

for any of you who are medically knowledgable or have had similar issues, maybe you could give me a bit of advice. For a long time I've had a bad back and neck (I'm 17, so long time would be about 2 or 3 years), my muscles would get tight and sore, often knot up, and my joints are always 'popping'. This is an everyday thing. today I woke up and my neck pain was horrible, still is. it feels like the muscles in the left side have become a wall with spikes on it, and when I turn my head to the left, it feels like spikes pushing into my neck, the more I turn my head, the more pain. I've tried stretching and rubbing my muscels, and its helped, but its not anywhere near gone. this is unually painful for me, and I really hate. Ideally I'd like to go see a chiropractor, but my mom is so against all modern medecine and stuff she refuses to let go even once Basically any suggestions on how to get the pain to go away would be greatly apreciated.

[minir]

Hi StriderF1

Here are a few, hope they are of help

http://www.healthscout.com/

http://www.webmd.com./

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WS ... 8/408.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/Script/Main/hp.asp

http://consumer.pdr.net/index.html

http://health.yahoo.com/

Hope you feel better soon.


regards

minir

[StriderF1]

Originally posted by minir
Hi StriderF1

Here are a few, hope they are of help

http://www.healthscout.com/

http://www.webmd.com./

http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WS ... 8/408.html

http://www.medicinenet.com/Script/Main/hp.asp

http://consumer.pdr.net/index.html

http://health.yahoo.com/

Hope you feel better soon.


regards

minir

minir, your the best, as you always were thanks for the links, I found webmd not too long ago but they were a little lacking in specifics on my topic, but I'm sure I'll find some stuff in all those sites.

[JawZ]

I really don't want to get involved in the personal issues that you have with your mother but I think you need to go see the school nurse and hopefully that will help your mother make the right decision.

In the interim...I would sleep on my side, either side which makes you more comfortable.

I would also flip your mattress and make sure the foot end becomes the head end. You may also need something more firm.

so flip the mattress over and then turn it 180 degress.

Take some OTC pain relievers like advil (motrin) or acetominophen (Tylenol)...DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN as you are under 20.

If you can get to the point where the pain subsides, I would look into exercising the neck and back muscles with light resistence training.

I sure hope your pain is not associated with an untreated injury.

Like I said before...GO SEE THE SCHOOL NURSE.

[StriderF1]

Originally posted by UOD
I really don't want to get involved in the personal issues that you have with your mother but I think you need to go see the school nurse and hopefully that will help your mother make the right decision.

In the interim...I would sleep on my side, either side which makes you more comfortable.

I would also flip your mattress and make sure the foot end becomes the head end. You may also need something more firm.

so flip the mattress over and then turn it 180 degress.

Take some OTC pain relievers like advil (motrin) or acetominophen (Tylenol)...DO NOT TAKE ASPIRIN as you are under 20.

If you can get to the point where the pain subsides, I would look into exercising the neck and back muscles with light resistence training.

I sure hope your pain is not associated with an untreated injury.

Like I said before...GO SEE THE SCHOOL NURSE.

your probably right, I'll see the nurse on tuesday. I took 5 advil about an hour ago, and it didn't do much. the neck muscles are still basically the same, but it now doesn't bother me unless I actually move my neck in the direction on the pain on purpose. maybe I'll take a couple tylenol in a little bit and see how that works out.

[StriderF1]

I just took 2 more advil, 7 total now, and that has helped noticably. its not totaly better, but I'm glad its reasonable and livable.

[JawZ]

Originally posted by StriderF1
I just took 2 more Advil, 7 total now, and that has helped noticeably. its not totally better, but I'm glad its reasonable and livable.

You shouldn't have to take that much Advil. Plus, you can OD on Advil as well as any other meds. Stick to the dosages and get some rest. See the Nurse at school man.

I wish I could help more but you have personal issues with your Mother and her responsibilities as a parent to provide a reasonable level of healthcare to a minor.

I believe in every parents right to raise their own kids as they see fit but healthcare should not be a faith based decision process....especially when it's not THEIR health!

[Deus ex Machina]

Do you exercise? If not, you may wish to start. Include stretching and aerobics. If you spend a quite a bit of time in front of the monitor, stop and become more active.

Have you been checked for Lyme's diease?

You may wish to look into mineral supplements if you are an active person.

UOD..
Reye's syndrome is more of a danger for those under 12.

[TonyT]

Don't go see the school nurse. That could turn into a real chaotic matter for your mother. Once you tell the nurse that your mom won't let you go to a regular doctor, the nurse will open the door to child services and their bogus interventions. Your mom could actually be criminally charged with neglect if the school and social services wanted to pursue the matter to the fullest.

Talk openly and honestly with your mom. You may discover that she does not have the money or insurance to pay for medical treatments. Or mayube she had bad experiences with doctors herself or with another friend or family member.

Don't "bypass" mom. Hear her out and try to convince her to at least get a medical exam by a competant doctor or qualified chiropractor. Tell mom that she can make a decision AFTER a diagnosis.

[StriderF1]

Originally posted by TonyT
Don't go see the school nurse. That could turn into a real chaotic matter for your mother. Once you tell the nurse that your mom won't let you go to a regular doctor, the nurse will open the door to child services and their bogus interventions. Your mom could actually be criminally charged with neglect if the school and social services wanted to pursue the matter to the fullest.

Talk openly and honestly with your mom. You may discover that she does not have the money or insurance to pay for medical treatments. Or mayube she had bad experiences with doctors herself or with another friend or family member.

Don't "bypass" mom. Hear her out and try to convince her to at least get a medical exam by a competant doctor or qualified chiropractor. Tell mom that she can make a decision AFTER a diagnosis.

we have 2 insurances actually, thats not the issue at all. and I talked to her 3 or 4 times about this for a while, and she just doesn't believe in all this "modern medice" stuff. whether or not she had bad experiences with doctors or not, I do not know, and it just doesn't matter either way.

UOD- the lymes might be a start. about 2 years ago, I went to the doc and he said I might have lymes, so he put me on medication and had some tests done. he said to take the medication for a few days while the tests came back just to be sure. well, the tests came back and I have NO FRIGGIN CLUE what it was, all I know is that my mom mumbled something and said "your not taking medication anymore". now I doubt she would yank my medication if the test came back positive, but maybe not? I would hope to hell that she didn't do that...

I do excercise and lift wieghts, I also play golf several times a week. I also stretch my neck and back a lot.
what kind of mineral supplaments are you talking about?

ohh, and the advil isn't a problem at all. when I lived in houston, a couple of my really good friends fathers were big time doctors, and they explained how the medicine companies came up with the 'suggested doses' for advil, tylenol, etc. basically, for a male that wieghs 160 and is 6' 2", I will have no problem what-so-ever taking 'large' amounts of advil or tylenol at 1 time (large amounts meaning like 8-10 at a time). the whole "take 1, 2 if neccessary" came out a long process that basically says, if your a small short women that doesn't wiegh much , you can safely take 4 times the amount recomended and still be safe and not OD. these companies basically take a 'safe' dosage for a small women, and then divide that # by 4 so they don't tell you take too much and get their arses sued off in court. any sizable person would be fine taking lots of over the counter medicine. heck, casey martin takes around 20-30 extra strength advil every single day of his life, and the doctors said that was OK. all the doctors that I know take 4x the 'recomended' amount on the label. ohh, and DO NOT do this or take my advice, because I don't want to be held liable for damages

tony, I won't say anything to the school nurse. its only a year and half till I go to college, and since I've suffered this many years, whats another year and half? I'll just ask the college doctor about it if it comes to that.

[TonyT]

In truth, you don't need permission to see a doctor (if emergency), though you would need permission for the billing to insurance.

You could also seek out an older doc, in his 60's or seventies, and tell mom that he does not subscribe to the newer methodologies.

What exactly does she mean by 'modern medicine stuff". Drugging? Treatments? Technology? Does she dig any type of medical treatments? Holistic maybe? Many chiro's practice with treatments developed in the late 1800's.

[StriderF1]

Originally posted by TonyT
In truth, you don't need permission to see a doctor (if emergency), though you would need permission for the billing to insurance.

You could also seek out an older doc, in his 60's or seventies, and tell mom that he does not subscribe to the newer methodologies.

What exactly does she mean by 'modern medicine stuff". Drugging? Treatments? Technology? Does she dig any type of medical treatments? Holistic maybe? Many chiro's practice with treatments developed in the late 1800's.

she abhors ANY soft of treatment for physical ailments (or mental for that matter). she broke her toe (or came close to it, it was bad), and was like "i'll walk it off", she was walking in pain for a long time but refused to see a doctor about it. she also did something really bad to her finger, but again wouldn't see a doctor about it. some people just don't get it, doctors = good. she MUST have had a bad experience, there's no reason to her illogical actions (or lack of actions).

[TonyT]

Talk to her man. Find out when was the last time she saw a doctor for something. Then find out by questioning her what her worst ever experience with a doctor was. Get het to tell you about it and then find out what she wanted to accomplish by seeing the doctor and did not get accomplished, ie what small goal or purpose she had that had been thwarted. Then get her to tell you what she had never bothered to tell the doctor, like "you're a quack" or screw you and the horse you rode in on etc." There is some incomplete communications and she witheld what she had wanted to say to him. She will probably laugh when she tells you this and maybe even feel some relief, then change her mind about treatment for you.

[Sid]

Don't know if you tried this yet but it helps me. I broke my back in 3 places many years ago and have terible pain in my lower back and legs. Get yourself some real big ice bags, put them on and let the area become numb, do your stretchs, then reice again. 1st of all it will help the pain and 2nd it will reduce the swelling. One other thing I have done recently was get some arch supports from the "good feet store". These are not cheap but it will help to bring your posture back.

[JawZ]

I think I need to clarify a few things.

First of all, I'm a Nationally registered First Responder. I have a duty and legal obligation to act within the limits of my training and only within the limits of my training.

First, you should only take the recommended dosage of any medication. Exceeding the dosage is bad. You should only need the smallest dosage to treat the symptoms. If you exceed them, that is a sign that pain management needs to be elevated to a higher level under the guidance of a doctor. Secondly, and I have seen this many times, you could become allergic to the medicine itself. I have treated patients for anaphylactic shock for this exact scenario. the patient took 10 advil and was in shock because of it. Now I'm not saying that this would happen to you or even the majority of people out there but I can't legally advocate it.

Secondly, by going to the school nurse, all you should be after is a possible diagnosis or at least a helping hand in getting in touch with a doctor. I would never rat my own mother out either but I would just ask the nurse what she thought it was and if you should go see a doctor for it. Having a note in your hand from the nurse might be all the ammunition you need to prove to your mother that you really need to see a doctor right away.

Lastly, I need to impress upon you the possibility that things may get worse if untreated and what may happen.

Let's say that in a week, the pain gets so bad that you can't get out of bed. You call 911 or your Mom does. Now that the Rescue Squad is there, they have to legally ask for consent from your parents to treat you. If they refuse, they can't treat you. What then happens is the senior officer of the squad usually calls for the police to take you into custody so that they can treat you. Now the sh!t has really hit the fan. I can guarantee you that you would be taken into custody for such a problem because in their eyes, calling 911 means that there is an emergency.

One way or the other, this problem needs to be rectified before matters get worse for YOU.

I only want the best for you Strider and I'm sorry that you are in this situation...but this is like a festering pimple...it will only get so big before it pops.

Hearing more of your situation makes me feel like this is a sports related injury that is only being aggravated by your continued activities. Yes, I have responded several times to the local golf course to treat people with C-Spine injuries like yours. it is not that uncommon.

Good luck dude, and may the Force be with you...

[StriderF1]

thanks guys, uod sid and tonyt, good advice. sid- I think my pain/complications are different than yours, sory about your back injuries and pain, although I will still try the ice pack thing you recomended. tonyt- I'll ask the nurses opinion, I"m not going ot get her to write a note or anything because that wouldn't matter 1 bit to my mom, but I'd still like her opinion. uod- if it was so bad that I called an ambulance or even 911 my mom wouldn't deny consent, she's not that ignorant. this injury has been around long before golf, it occured while I was playing basketball, although b-ball had nothing to do with it. I just woke up one morning and I had this incredible pain in my neck, I couldn't even move my neck more than a couple inches, the pain was so bad I basically screamed in agony whenever I moved at all. it was like that way for 2 days until it got *moderately* better, but the pain was there for months until my mom finally agreed to take me to a sports doctor (she just WOULDN'T agree to a chiropracter ). that guy said it might be a pinched nerve, and had me schedualed for an MRI, which I got an reveleaded it was not a pinched nerve. but in the meantime, I got some AWSOME muscle relaxers that helped my neck incredibly better, and at that same time I was in the doc's rather large pysical therapy center, where I did 2 things- neck excercises and get neck/back/muscle massages. the excercises did nothing at all, but the massagers were awsome, they made my neck feel tons better, she was like 'ohh my, you have a lot of knots in your neck and shoulder muscles' and she worked out a ton of the knots, which made a huge difference. then the mri came back negative and the doc was like "so much for that" and he said I couldn't continue the treatment because my insurance did not clear it after the negative mri.

so its probably been a year or 2 since that whole mri thing, and my neck is no better, and I still want those darn muscle relaxers (not only are they good for my neck, they make all my muscles feel like jelly )

ya, I definitely need to see a chiropracter.

[ms_pammy]

I dont know if someone already posted this one but here it is
http://www.healthboards.com/cgi/Ultimate.cgi

[StriderF1]

Originally posted by ms_pammy
I dont know if someone already posted this one but here it is
http://www.healthboards.com/cgi/Ultimate.cgi

thanks, didn't know about that