Learning to cope with the stress and the pain are big steps...or at least they were for me. Little by little I was able to get the function back with physical therapy and with the improved function I was in an even better mood and found the stress and pain easier to cope with. It's still there...always...but the more I can do and the more things I can focus on besides just the pain the better the quality of life.

MRIs are just awful for me too. The vibrations and sounds always send me into a flare...but you have to do what you have to do, right? Take care and I hope that things continue to move in the right direction for you.