Just my imagination – “you’ve pulled a muscle”!

Pain & Pulled Muscles

Don’t get me wrong, I love our NHS! Although I have watched it slide from one of the best health systems in the world to one where there is a constant shortage of staff, beds and funding, made all the worse by purposeful neglect and Brexit – but that’s another post! The UK is still extremely lucky to have the NHS and we would all be severely worse off with out it. Unfortunately, all these things have left us with Drs only wanting to refer to specialist in the most dire of circumstances and guidelines of when to refer for scans and investigations and when not to.

In 2013, after suffering with moderate back, knee and hip problems for around 8 years, I suffered with a slipped disc at L5/S1 which affected all my right side. I can honestly say that is was the worst pain I have ever suffered – even after having two children! The right side was my problem side anyway and after spending 24 hours in A&E and being told Id ‘pulled a muscle’,and then discharged home with nothing, I thankfully crossed paths with a spinal surgeon on my way out who took me into his office and after hearing my tale, arranged an urgent scan. The scan showed I did indeed have a prolapsed disc and several other bulging discs too. At 33 I was ‘too young’ to be considering spinal surgery and it would hopefully self correct with anti-inflammatories and some pain relief. Being a nursing student at the time, I couldn’t afford months off and neither could I afford a bad back this early in my career. After 4 weeks I returned to my placement on light duties and painkillers to manage the back pain. This was the start of an agonising 6 years.