Jeannie
My husband and I both have had years of back problems. My husband had surgery for spinal stenosis (L4-L5). His symptoms were: pain down his leg and in his butt, numbness in his foot, inability to walk for over 3-4 minutes without pain. His symptoms were relieved before surgery by sitting down, bending forward, or laying down. I'm assuming that you know that spinal stenosis is caused by a narrowing of the canal of the spine because of arthritis, etc. This narrowing puts pressure on the nerves in the spine causing pain down the leg, in the butt, etc. When you stand or walk, the spine is more compressed, causing more pain. It sounds to me like you may have a bulging disc. which I have had several times. When you lay down, esp. certain positions on your side, you put pressure on the disc which presses on nerves causing more pain. What happens when you lay on your back with a support under your knees? (Wedge shaped pillows under your shoulders and knees are very helpful.) Is the pain relieved? If it is a disc problem, sometimes with time and rest and perhaps physical therapy, the problem will go away on its own. Your back muscles are probably weak because of all the surgeries, and this makes you more prone to other injuries of the back such as bulging discs. Have you been on a program to strengthen your back muscles? MRI's, etc. can show problems which are not necessarily the cause of the pain. It sounds to me like you need another opinion, some medication to help you sleep (Elavil?) so that your muscles have a chance to rest, some stronger pain medication, and a med. to relieve muscle spasms. It is hard sometimes to accurately diagnose the cause of back pain, because many times the problem is in one area and it refers the pain to a different area. I know that back problems can be extremely frustrating, besides excruciatingly painful. This can lead to depression which makes everything worse. I really feel for you and hope that you find some relief soon.