Hello All,

I am new to this board and I'm looking for input, advice, etc. regarding my current situation.

I went to see a neurologist after years of suffering with neck and back pain. A little background information about me:

Active in gymnastics as a teenager
High school cheerleader, ran track and played soccer
I injured myself at a high school football game when I was about 17 years old. I fell while tumbling and felt a warm sensation run down my neck and after a few seconds I got up and walked off the field.

Here I am today at 34 years old and I finally decide to see a doctor. I have a high threshold for pain and just really let myself suffer for years living with the off and on neck and back pain.

My neuro doctor order an MRI and told me I had a pinched nerve in my lower C7. He asked me why I had waited so long to see a doctor. I immediately started to cry and explain the grief I had experienced dealing with the pain. I told him I thought the injury was from the fall in high school because I couldn't think of any major accident that would have caused the pinched nerve. Anyway, he tells me that pain can cause depression and that he has a medication that will treat my nerve condition and my depression (I had no idea that I was depressed, but what he stated made sense). He prescribed me Cymbalta 60mg and I started the medication in June 2009.

At almost a year later I decided 12 days ago to discontinue this medication because it was starting to have very negative side effects for me. I was becoming very angry and I slept all the time. So I began researching weaning off the drug and to my surprise it terrified me of even attempting to get off the drug. I called my doctor and left messages, no call back. I then decided to take 60mg every three days for 2 weeks and then completely stop.

Day 6 of horrifying withdrawal symptons (headache, dizziness, night sweats, nightmares, emotional melt downs, angry fits..etc) and completely being off the Cymbalta I started feeling a severe pain in my lower back.

While at work I notice my lower back became more and more painful throughtout the day. By the end of the day I could barely walk, bend or turn sideways. I was able to drive home and get into bed. The next morning it was worse and I immediately went to the emergency room with server lower back pain. The doctors gave me x-rays and sent me home with a diagnosis of strain lumbar.

I have read about strain lumbar and I don't believe this is the reason for my pain (I didn't do anything to onset strain lumbar). I have pain meds, muscle relaxers and inflammatory pills. However, it is 6 days after my emergency room visit and I still feel terrible and I am in severe pain. I called my neuro doctor before heading to the ER room and he STILL has not returned my calls.

I'm so stressed and worried. Did I hurt myself by completely stopping the Cymbalta, is it really a strain lumbar, are the nerves in my back going haywire?

I do not want to see multiple doctors, more MRI, more meds and not get the help I need. I see a pain management doctor tomorrow and I have no idea what to expect.

Can anyone offer any insight?

Thanks!