Hello Joe,

Both Catra and Littlepaw have given great information, great story by the way Catra. I truly enjoyed it. Beyond what they gave, I, like Mac, mostly wanted to say hello and welcome.

Beyond what Catra and Littlepaw mentioned, don't give up, don't lose hope. Try as hard as you can to keep your foot moving. That is the best route to recovery.

Don't be afraid of looking for financial help. Try contacting your local DHS to apply for assistance if you feel you need to. Apply for Social Security Disability Insurance. This may be a long recovery, hopefully it won't be, but better safe than sorry. SSDI can take a very long time so don't wait. You can apply online, but if you can, I recommend scheduling an appointment at your local SS office. They can help you through some of the questions and make sure you fill out everything correctly so there are no delays in the process. Do not get frustrated with the process if it takes a long time or you get a denial. Just file an appeal and keep at it. I am going on 16 months since I originally applied and am still waiting for my day in front of an administrative law judge. Do not let that scare you. I live in Metro Detroit and there are a lot of applicants here. Hopefully, your local office may be faster.

It sounds like you might have a good doctor. If you don't think they are helping you, let them know that something needs to change in your pain management routine. If they do not want to work with you, do not feel like you need to stick with them. There are many PMs out there that are willing to work with you. It took me 4 PMs to find one that is willing to work with me.

I hope you find relief soon. I can say you have found a wonderful group of people to give you support until you do. There will be many bumps along the way, but we are here to help you over those bumps.