**
What the hell do they mean by “discomfort” anyway? It’s pain! It might not be their idea of severe pain, but when they say you might experience “some discomfort” they’re about to hurt you. The least they could do is be honest about it…
Jarbaby, two years ago I had a shooting pain in my arm that I thought was associated with sitting too much at the computer, typing, bad chair, bad posture, yadda yadda. Within a few weeks, the arm was numb and before long I had excruciating pain to the point where I could no longer lift my head. It was diagnosed as a pulled muscle and treated with anti inflams and painkillers to no avail. X-rays revealed nothing and my doctors were an insult to my intelligence. To make a long story short, they basically treated me like a vicoden junkie and said it was all in my head. My life became a living HELL! When I couldn’t take the pain anymore, I got some great advice; to bypass orthopedics and see a neurologist. Within a week, I was looking at my neck on films with a fantastic neurosurgeon at Northwestern Memorial where he had discovered a shattered vertebra. There it was in three pieces crushing nerves all to hell… how could this have been missed and why had I suffered all this time? Anyhoo, I had the surgery and the fusion was successful. Luckily there was minimal nerve damage. The recovery was long. I won’t lie. The actual fusion takes time and six months in a neck brace isn’t fun (a sucky fashion statement to boot) BUT the pain was gone. Granted I have some limited motion but it’s rarely detectable. I still ski, play tennis, swim, have olympic sex (oh, did I say that?). Sure I have some aches and pains here and there but nothing compared to that hell. We hear a lot of horror stories about these surgeries and they, like any surgery, have risks. However, I was lucky enough to find a brilliant surgeon and have a successful outcome.
Oh and to those who find themselves saying, ‘don’t have surgery’ for this reason and that reason… in all due respect, no one WANTS to have surgery. The idea of having someone working on your spine is terrifying and any potential candidate for a procedure already has these fears haunting him or her. Your opinion is well respected and your concerns are gracious but chronic pain has a devastating effect on the quality of one’s life. It’s an animal … an evil, pernicious animal from HELL!
“Discomfort”. Ha! I told a doctor once- “Discomfort is when your underwear is too tight. Pain is when your balls get caught in your zipper. I am having pain. See the difference?”
Anyhoo, Jar- please don’t give up on physical therapy. I know you don’t believe it now (and I didn’t, either), but sometimes that treatment is exactly what you need to heal up. I honestly believe that a lot of my pain has been relieved by the stretching, exercise, and heat that was done by my physical therapists. I had LOADS of it before I noticed an effect, but eventually it paid off.
Also, regarding the meds. I have gone through every freaking pain med in the books. I did find relief with one in particular, called Relafen
http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/prescrpt/inflam04.htm
I’m not saying you should take this, but ask your doc if you can give it a shot. So far it’s the only thing that really helps me at all, and it made a signifigant difference. Although the anti-inflammatories all seem the same, they definately are not and you sometimes have to try quite a few before finding relief.
Please don’t give up. If your disc really did move back, it sounds like you’re healing, but still in pain. Backs take a very long time to heal, and the pain can be debilitating. Stick with the physical therapy and try not to let it get you down mentally. Chronic pain can lead directly to depression, and you do not want to start down that road.
Hang in there- I’m thinking of you and hoping you’re better soon.
Zette
PS- I love this thing and highly recommend it for back pain sufferers:
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/dynadirect/ha-mbts4.html
Oooh, jar, I feel for you. I grew up watching my dad, who has broken his back 3 times (yup, no kidding), suffer with back pain.
Hope it gets better for you soon! (((jar))) (just a gentle one so’s I don’t hurt!)
Zette, if you do not mind, I am going to use this one on my doctor next time he ignores me. (His partner is great, he’s a jerk.) It’s a serious keeper.
I apologize for asking a personal question, Zette,so don’t answer if you don’t want, but is this the result of scoliosis?
I ask because this sounds a lot like the hardware my gf has inside her. She, too, still has a lot of pain (hooks digging into her shoulders, etc.), although she’s evaded disability so far. To reiterate based on her experiences, surgery was definitely not the cure for the pain.
Jarbaby – I don’t want to say I understand, because no one does the way you do, but I empathize.
I have had 5 reconstructive knee surgeries which helped me just minimally, and then in about 1986 I began having pain in my feet. Pain and cramps, and sometimes numbness. Unable to stand for long periods of time, and unable to wear shoes that weren’t ‘right’. ‘Right’ was defined by my feet, and very few shoes feel that way.
I started at my family doctor. I was referred to an internist. He referred me to an orthopedic surgeon. He referred me to a rheumatologist. He referred me to an anesthesiologist. He referred me to a neurologist. I think I am leaving out someone. Maybe I’ve blocked it.
During this time of referrals I was X-rayed, prodded, probed, had electric shocks measured in the nerves of my legs, had needles stuck in my back, was advised to try orthopedic shoes, given several different drugs, etc.
I was never given a definite diagnosis. Everything looked fine in the X-rays. My nerves happily passed the electric shocks along. All the doctors couldn’t find a damn thing wrong.
When I had my 5th reconstructive surgery on my knee, that orthopedic surgeon said my tendons in my ankle were too tight, causing my problem. So during the surgery they cut them, pushed the foot back to be at a 90 degree angle with my leg, and put a cast on my foot and lower leg. After the cast came off there was a leather and metal brace on my foot and lower leg. That came off finally.
Hey, guess what? I still have the cramps and pain in both feet. And now one foot is at a different angle than the other.
Why am I posting all of this? I just want you to know that when I read your post I groaned with sympathy, empathy and sorrow for someone else with a debilatating pain that no one knows how to fix. I’ve been on the doctor’s table and seen the raised eyebrows when you tell them that you are in pain, but they can’t find any reason why you should be.
I am still taking medicines, and am trying my best. Sometimes. Sometimes I don’t try my best and am just a big old bitch.
I am sorry to hear about your pain, and am hesitant to make any suggestions because you’ve probably heard them all. But have you ever tried Zostrix? It is kind of a pain in the butt to get used to and to handle but it does offer some pain relief. It is a cream medication. Let me know if you haven’t tried it and want more info.
Bethany
( hurts right now, looking at the monitor ), and broken back- scoliosis exacerbated by harrington rods ( now out of me ), spndylolysis exacerbated fairly significantly by impact that broke my back- 3 crushed vertebrae.
got a fusion on the vertebrae- nothign ele they could do- harvested bone from hiip, made a paste, used it for glue- worked fine- hip was more painful and for a linger time than the break.
these days, although it can get to aching, the fusion is the best part of my back- the soliosis and spondylshit are both more painful than the fusion.
I conduct a pretty normal life though, except when the spondylolysis goes out- it’sin the lower back.
I stretch- hamstrings are most important.
I walk- do a walk wherein I am bent over- seems to really help.
do hip/rolls- they help lots- like I was a woman in the lower missionary postion and getting fucked- groin up, then back down and back flesed so it pulls groin back- curls the back, then back up- strengthens both lower back and stomach- situps, crunches- they only strengthen stomach from one way- this does it the other way and there is a little bit, and I think, important, difference. I do them all- not like I shoul dthough.
I hike and have a goal of mountain running.
All injuries/situations idiosyncratic to the individual, so not telling you what to do, just what I try to do- the bent over walk really helps. wlaking motion/impacts combines wit the slight stretch to the back due to being bent over helps to gently nudge things back closer to how they should be.
Flexoril or something for a couple of months to see if improved disk situation on film translates to your pain level? Worht a try before the last resort of surgery if you haven’t done it yet- the muscles- the pain gets so intense, they get chronically clnched and worsen the situation, the pain. If they can be relaxed, it helps, and helps the healing. Without the muscle relaxer, I cannot relax these muscles no matter how hard I try, when it is bad enough. It gets beyond voluntary control when it hurts enough.
by any hotsprings? hotsprings with a cold pool to alternate between for a while a few times a week helps, and some swimming-
Wish you the best- my mom had some back troubles too and it destroyed her life for a few yeares- she had surgery and it’s some better, but not all.
My life affected too. Don’t know your pain, but strongly sympathize.
stretches- must be held for at leaast 90 seconds or they are ineffective. I do more than one of each- do it, so somethign else, then do it again- just to the point of a little pain ( relative to my chronic pain )- I don’'t do it like I should anyway, but if I do it to where it really hurts, I do it even less…so now I try to improve, but without going into too much pain.
Get aggressive with doc- I do/did- they are not god, just some act like it, but they back down real fast when soemone pushes, in my experience.
surgery/no surgery, I don’t knmow- worked for me, not so well for others. Anyone wil do it though if it hurts bad enough long enough- otherwise one just wants to die.
I know that feeling well enough.
Someone mentioned taking someone who was familiar with yoru life/pain/days/limitations who would not be afraid to get aggressive wit hdoc- very good idea- your pain wears you very down, you get more passive, even if you don’t notice or think so- just want some blissful sleep, not confrontation. also, very sneaky, depression sets in, you start with the symptoms- you are not right, the doctor is, blah blah blah- even if you know you are right and hey aren’t- it’s very subtle, but can easily undermine your efforts, make them not as strong as if you wern’t in chronic pain- so please take someone with to fight your battles until you are pain-free enough to do so yourself. on your own, just worsens the depression, the weariness,the hopelessness.
this doc just doesn’t know what is going on- a different one or a different one or a different one will- do not let up, and use the one who will shoulder this particular burden- save your resources, you dearly need them.
apologize for running on like this.