# IBS/GERD/LOWER BACK PAIN



## jayandlinn82800 (May 18, 2003)

I have just recently been diagnosed with ibs. I have suffered from GERD and a hital hernia since 96. The pain is outrageous!! A new thing that has just stated is lower back pain. I take tylenol and rub ben gay. I also use a heating pad. I'm only 34 and have 3 active kids. I eat right... well for the most part unless the acid is acting up. I walk and work out daily. The pain is getting so bad that i'm starting to panic when I am out walking. I need some relief!! Does anyone have any suggestions??? I've done everything the Doctors have told me. I've about had it with the docs anyway. They seem to take it lightly. I realize it's not life threating. But my entire family is suffering right along with me.


----------



## Isis5244 (May 4, 2003)

Hi,Low back pain is my most persistent symptom. I was diagnosed with IBS-C last year and GERD the year before that. The back pain started years earlier, like a warning I didn't know how to read. It woke me up nearly every morning for a good year or two, but back then it got better after a trip to the bathroom. Now it comes only during a flare up and lasts for several days. I can barely tie my own shoes when this is going on. The only thing that helps a little is to wear a ThermaWrap all day. Not as hot as a heating pad but I can wear it under my clothes all day and no one knows. I try to do everything I can to keep my system calm too, which would prevent the backache along with everything else, but it's a challenge. Too many variables to know all the time what's causing what. Everything I do seems to stop working after a while too, which complicates things even further. Right now I'm trying to learn as much as I can about alternatives, so I'll have a game plan the next time I need to switch to something else.Sorry I couldn't be more help with the back pain, I'm still looking into it myself. I'm thinking about accupuncture, if I can get my insurance company to pay for it....


----------



## flavour (May 14, 2003)

Hello, i am new to the board. I started having lower back problems in the beginning of 2001. It disappeared for a couple of months and returned again. I still have it a little bit. I also suffer from gas and bloating. It's so terrible. I have been getting injections in my back. And the pain has become a little less, but it's still there. This friday i will get my second injection. Your neurologist can give you them. I get injected with Triamcinoline Acetonide. It's for all kind of deseases such as hernia, collagen , dermatologic and Gastrointestinal deseases. (hope i wrote everything good). I don't walk (exercise)that makes the pain worse. I swim alot and i want to try Joya. You can defenitely try accupuncture. I will also try it later on, the chinese massages are very good. I think will need some three more injections and they do hurt but if it helps we have to take the pain.Hope i helpedBye


----------



## OppOnn (Jun 30, 2002)

I've had lower back pains for years. First, it was a herniated disc now it is an unstable 5th vertabrae. Not sure mine was connected with my Crohn's or heartburn because I had the back pain years before the stomach probs.But I am an expert on lower back pain, having been to all the doctors, tried all their suggestions.Including I went to the very best specialists.Here's what finally helped me (but I don't know if it is the same kind of back pain you are getting)...first, I had an x-ray to try to determine the exact problem, which not all x-rays can show but it is a precaution.Then, I went to a chiropractor. Believe me, a good chiropractor is the answer. He put me on anelectric muscle stimulating machine for 20 minutes(wonderfully relaxing) then when muscles relaxed,he gave me an adjustment (which is why you need the x-ray)... I usually felt betterthe moment I got out of his office. I then lay down for 24 hours with my knees under a cushion in bed. Just to make sure. Then, and here's the key, you must try not to sit down after the adjustment, because sitting is bad.Best to try and find a chiro near you, or be prepared to walk a long distance, which is better than sitting down. But if you must sit, it would still be better than not have the adjustment.Also, the first 24 hours you have the pain, as soon as it arrives, it is best to ice your back.Takes the swelling down, also the pain away.I got one of those blue ice packs, the longer the better because it is not always easy to know where the pain actually is. I got 3 ice packs in fact, one big one, two smaller ones, made for bad backs, not expensive.Also, wearing a lightweight corset thing helpswhen up. And, if you have to sit when your back is painful, put an ice pack inside the corset as you sit. Best not to have meds - they make you dopey, have side fx long term, and only act as a band aid.Some people give exercises...to strengthen yourmuscles. Also, never carry heavy things. And split the load between both hands, of equal weight.O


----------



## OppOnn (Jun 30, 2002)

More...and careful what heels you wear. The lower the better, flat when the back is bad.If you must wear high heels, work your up to the desired height,slowly, don't go from flat to highimmediately.Also, when you sleep on your side in bed, put the cushion between your legs.Sit on a straight back chair. If you don't have one, put a little cushion between your back and the chair. Same in a car. Don't sleep on a mattress too soft. O


----------

