In 1990, I was diagnosed with BOOP (Bronchiolitis Obliterans with Organizing Pneumonia). The medical profession has changed the name of the disease to Cryptogenic Organizing Pneumonia, or COP - which means they don't know what's causing it or why I have it. But I do. I also have a hiatal hernia, dysphagia, GERD, osteomalacia, osteoporosis, arthritis, and insomnia. I've been taking medications for these illnesses since October of 1990,

In April of 2005, I was run over by a truck. It took the doctors until August to diagnose a chronic broken vertebra (which meant it was healing, I was told) and two herniated disks. In March of 2009, I finally received the laminectomy which, I was told, would in about 85% of the cases help with the pain. The pain was greatly alleviated, but is not gone. After the surgery, I was kept in the hospital for two weeks with ARDS and sent home, returned the next day and spent another week in the hospital with a lung embolism. Before I went into the hospital, I had been a 2 pack a day smoker for 50 years, but did not have emphysema or COPD. I have not smoked since I got out of the hospital, but I have since been diagnosed with both emphysema and COPD, along with my COP.

When I got out of the hospital, I noted an altered sensation in my toes and on the bottoms of my feet. I thought these strange sensations were due to the socks they made me wear in the hospital, with rubber decor on the bottoms, to keep me from slipping. But the sensation didn't stop, and the pain got worse. The sensation seemed to be spreading throughout my foot and up my legs. My primary care physician blew me off. I finally asked for a referral to a podiatrist, who said there was nothing that could be done about the sensations in my feet, and that they were caused by my surgery. So I went back to my neurosurgeon, who did a CT scan of my back, said the sensations were not caused by the surgery, and sent me to a neurologist for some tests. The tests came back indicating PN and hypothyroidism. The neurologist gave me a prescription for gabapentin and said my primary care physician would have to be the one to prescribe for the hypothyroidism. But again, he blew me off. He said I'm already taking too many pills. Is he right or should I get another PCP?

Here is a list of the prescribed medications I'm taking now:

Albuterol (Pro Air Inhaler)
cyclobenzaprine (flexeril)
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Ipratropium (nasal spray)
metoclopramide (Reglan)
metoprolol (Lopressor)
omeprazole (Prilosec)
pravastatin (Pravachol)
prednisone (Deltasone)
Premarin
ranitidine (Zantac)
zolpidem (Ambien)

And here's list of the OTC products I take:

doxylamine succinate (Kirkland Sleep Aid)
loperimide hydrochloride (Immodium)
diphenhydramine (Benedryl)
alpha-galactosidase enzyme (Beano)
Iron
Vitamin B Complex with B12
Vitamin C
Vitamin E
Calcium with Vitamin D
Multivitamin with zinc
Magnesium
Potassium
Omega 3-6-9

From the time I graduated from high school until 1990, when I was diagnosed with what is now called COP, I weighed 135 pounds. When I started taking prednisone, I started gaining weight, and now weigh 230. I can't seem to lose weight without starving myself, and I don't have the will power do to that for more than a few days at a time, during which I seem to lose 5-7 pounds of water-weight.

I've done about 3 acupuncture treatments to try to get rid of the pain in my back, and it helps a little, but not much. I'm at my wit's end, though. I'm only 68, and while I like to imagine I still have many good years in me, I am TIRED of hurting all the time. If I'm not asleep, I'm in pain. I also have Restless Leg Syndrome, which my PCP won't treat because he doesn't want to give me any more pills. I take the extra sleeping aids to let me sleep even longer than I otherwise might (6 hours of undisturbed sleep on zolpidem, up to 12 hours undisturbed sleep with a combination of zolpidem and the Kirkland sleep aids). I can't walk for more than a few steps because of the pain in my feet, legs, and back; I can't stand up for more than 5-10 minutes for the same reasons.

I hate to be so whiny about it all, but I don't know where to go from here or what to do about all this. My primary care physician is the only one in town whom I trust and who can speak English well enough for me to understand him. I have nothing against the other doctors, but I need to be able to communicate all this and have the ability to understand the doctor's diagnoses and instructions. It's an hour to the next town over that might have a PCP doctor

So what can I do now?

Thanks and blessings,

Terry S
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"Women are Angels. And when someone breaks our wings, we simply continue to fly ... on a broomstick ... We are flexible ..." - copied from a Facebook page because I love it!