Lol. Okay. Yeah. It was a psychiatrist that finally nailed down what worked for me. As for the list above...I am aware, agree and I hope nothing was offensive to anyone.

 

Cool.

 

They have helped minimally... The medication had me feeling ever so slightly off balance... In a home setting, it's a non-issue, but I still have to work until I see the surgeon and/or get fixed(or crippled if things go south)... I discontinued use of the medication for the sake of safety... It's still a case of good days and bad days...

 

I wish you more good than bad. Hope you get better my friend. Sounds good that you're weighing the pros vs the cons. Smart method for a better quality of life.

 

Tonight I discovered something odd... I had a chair(not anymore) that I sat in while playing video games that seemed really comfortable... I just noticed that the pain was consistently horrible when I was exiting the chair... Not just once, but nearly every time I got out of the blasted thing... Needless to say, I'm gonna have to get a new gaming chair... Might use an old car seat and fabricate mounts for a steering wheel and pedal setup...

 

Maybe you could get a lower dosage of the medication to allow you to receive some small measure of relief.

Pull out a Recaro for gaming -- they're comfortable, no?

 

Go old school and get a sweet bench seat from something vintage. Nice and squishy, plus it'll look cool. Try tiger balm as well. A good topical pain reliever.

 

A comment and hopefully worth reading.
I agree, get a proper diagnosis and I think everyone is saying that.
A Chiropractor? Different opinions, I have a back problem diagnosed and real and I won't go near one. My Valerie on the other hand believes in using one.
Opiate pain killers? Of course they are potentially addictive. It is the abuse of using them that is a problem, not the use of them as dictated by your doctor with a prescription.
I am in favor of them, they work when used as directed. I have been using them for almost 15 years now and follow the rules as requested (a pain in the butt! A new location.) I am not afraid of using them and not having pain gives me a life I can enjoy. Over the counter things stopped working a long time ago.
There are some topical creams which have been effective. They have to be prescribed but they have given me some relief as needed.
But like all meds, individual reactions to them will very all over the map. Many people are made deathly sick by opiate pain killers. I happen to be one that is not.
Rubby mentioned Gabapentin as an example that gave him a hard time, I use it with ou a problem and it has helped shooting point problems. Valerie was directed to use it and they did nothing at all for her and in huge prescribed doses.
She recently has been directed to use gabapentin as a cough suppressant, something that may be related to her lung transplant. Again, an example of different uses for the same medicine and different reactions by different people. You pretty much have to determine where you fit in the scale of things.
The best to you in your attempt to gain relief.

 

I am also wanting a full diagnosis... A herniated disc tells me little more, other than its pretty serious, which the pain has long ago told me... I'm just waiting to hear from the spine specialist(maybe a surgeon, I'm not quite sure) to set up an appointment...

As far as opiate painkillers, I'm not willing to have them, for two distinct reasons:
1. They're potentially addictive, and the last thing I need is another vice(boost being my first)
2. I live in a semi-lawless region, and there are lots of junkies that live near me that would either try and buy my medication, or steal it from me... I wanna avoid all that if possible...

I haven't taken any OTC pain medication in months... The pain serves as a reminder to keep pressing for information, and get the problem resolved...

The gabapentin was actually the most recent medication the neurologist had me to try in an effort to cut the pain down(I already told him no opiates)...my pharmacist told me to start slow, and gradually progress up to the full prescribed dosage... I also remember my grandmother having an adverse reaction(mentally) to the stuff, and having to stop... Four days in, I started to feel off balance... It wasn't really bad, but I work around dangerously hot surfaces, dangerously heavy objects(and machinery), and lethal amounts of electricity, and decided to not take any unnecessary risks... My wife said it could be psychosomatic, but I like to err on the side of caution anyway... Besides, it wasn't doing anything...

It seems to also be getting worse, or at least the bad days are more predominant... I also find I'm having issues with my right leg(not sure if it's related to my spine or I pulled the muscle while working with a limp), but that is just pain with some slight muscle tightness... My left leg still has the tingling, excruciating pain, and now, slight glitches in motor control!(Yay! A new symptom!)

 

I think you have as full a diagnosis as you can get without invasive testing or scoping.

Your herniated disc is intermittently pressing on the nerves leading to your left leg, causing the numbness and tingling and pain. Nerve impulses tell the muscles when and how to contract, so I would guess the disc is pressing on that nerve in a slightly different way.

As to the right leg issues, dunno, but could be related to disc pressing on those nerves too, but my bet is it is from overcompensating due to your limp which has recently gotten worse.

TAKE THE IBUPROFEN.

You need to reduce the inflammation of the nerves that are in contact w that disc until you have surgery. PERIOD.

The last thing you need right now is PERMANENT nerve damage caused by the disc in contact with the inflamed nerve.

Pain is one of the ways your body tells you something is wrong. That doesn't mean you are obliged to suffer extreme pain.

The reduction in inflammation by taking ibuprofen should in turn drop the pain level down.
_______
You have other options for pain management since I know you are trying to hold off as long as possible on the surgery:

"borrowed from elsewhere on the net"

Epidural injections or "blocks" may be recommended if you have severe leg pain. These are injections of corticosteroid into the epidural space (the area around the spinal nerves), performed by a doctor with special training in this technique. The initial injection may be followed by one or two more injections at a later date, and should be done as part of a comprehensive rehabilitation and treatment program.

Your first shot may not have been directly targeted on the nerves near the disc but rather the general area to reduce inflammation in a more generalized area.

I would start taking Ibuprofen again immediately. see where that leaves you on the pain scale, and inquire w your neurologist about an epidural block if it comes to that.