Thanks everyone, I really appreciate the input.

To Finz, I'm not offended at all. I wasn't super descriptive about how I feel on here because I actually post frequently on another website for chronic pain, so I kind of get in the habit of assuming that people kind of know the back story. lol!

I sort of went light on the details because I hate feeling like I am whining to people on forums. (And in person to an extent, but I am realizing that I have to be my own advocate.) So I kind of hate to explain how I feel sometimes, because I feel guilty due to the fact that so many other people hurt and are in worse shape than I am.

Anyhow, my basic 'problem' is that I am in constant, chronic pain. I always had chronic pain, but it was very mild in comparison and due to my scoliosis. It was muscle pain and aching, something akin to arthritis at times. This pain is very different. It is like a drilling, digging, in my lower left back and hip. It radiates down my leg in a sharp way...but not 'stabbing'. It is more like my upper thigh is constantly throbbing with the 'digging' sensation. It generally doesn't go below my knee, but sometimes walking or going up stairs causes a sort of sharp jolt of pain through the entire leg. I sort of walk with a limp now, not because my leg is unable to move properly--but because it hurts to walk normally.

It is like waves of pain, like my entire left side is in a vice grip. It is worse than anything I have felt before, even when my 'old back pain' was as its absolute worse. I thought maybe I would get used to this, or it would ease off, but it hasn't. It's as bad now as it was in December. I have right sided lower back pain too, but it is generally not as severe.

It's just sort of maddening in a way, and takes a lot to stop from focusing on it. The pain increases the lower I sit or stand. When I sit I change positions constantly, and I typically recline when I am at home. Sitting up straight, for whatever reason, seems to aggravate the pain immediately and it is completely unbearable. Lying down helps to an extent, but I obviously can't lie in bed all day. Standing is the same as sitting. Walking is ok for short periods of time, although I have to walk sorta slow and 'funny'. I typically have to take breaks whenever I go places like a store, because I just can't stand the increase in pain from being up so long.

It also affects my sleep, because I think I must also aggravate the pain while sleeping by staying in one position too long. So I typically wake up in the middle of the night. I have other symptoms too, like stiffness and problems bending and twisting now. The main issues, however is just the pain itself.

Also, I had no idea--and the office never told me, due to my lack of knowledge, I guess--that I could have applied for SSDI based upon disability as a child. Thanks for the information, even if I am not eligible it is good to no when going in. I'll have to talk to my doctors, including my psychiatric doctor.

I have been to pain management, and received 3 epidural injections. None of them really helped. The doctor also put me on Vicodin, but I honestly felt little relief from it and the euphoric side effect really didn't do anything for enduring the pain. The pain doctor has me on Tramadol now, along with Naproxen. I was on Naproxen before, but I get awful indigestion from it, so my doctor prescribed me an anti-acid type medication. The Naproxen doesn't really seem to help, however, and I am sort of worried about its side effects and potential problems from it--so I may talk to my doctor about stopping it. The Tramadol does help a little, which is more than I can say than with the Vicodin. The Tramadol lasts longer and sort of takes a little of the edge off for a couple of hours. It's still obviously bad, but at this point I will take anything that helps at all!

I am living with my father, and I haven't ever lived alone. Due to my mental issues growing up I wasn't able to attend school regularly, and I skipped basically an entire year of school. I was sent to a diagnostic and treatment center that double as a partial hospitalization school. I went there for a couple of years. I was first diagnosed with bi-polar, but was later diagnosed with the Depression and Anxiety. Right now that is what I am being treated for. I sometimes have really bad anxiety when in a social situation, and I also sometimes have panic/anxiety attacks without any actual conscious reasoning. I take Xanax for those acute attacks.

My depression is, I guess obviously, rather bad right now. It was managed somewhat well for a few years when I was around 17 or so. Then I started to have a more major issue with it again after my mother died in 2007. Since then I have had some fits of self harming and suicidal thoughts, but those have now been controlled. I am on Prozac for the depression. The self harming issues have not occurred again, instead it is the depression itself that is the big issue. I just am always tired, never want to do anything, I feel like my brain is in a fog and I can't concentrate, and I have fits of self-hatred where I slip into dwelling on myself. With the Prozac those problems were more manageable, and I was able to work for almost 2 years without major mental problems. When this started with my pain, however, I am always stuck at home and I am alone at times. I deal with the depression constantly now, and the social anxiety is worse if only because I am not exposed to the situations as often anymore.

I take Restoril to sleep at night because I also have really bad insomnia issues. The Restoril was helping with that, but recently I haven't been able to sleep very much and it just adds to how tired I feel during the day.

Sorry for it being so long, but I felt it necessary since I needed to give more information.