haven't been to any doctor except my pain management doctor for years. Cant afford to, but I tried to get into a mean based clinic the last couple month and each time I call them all of them in St. Louis area tell me they are not accepting new patients right now.

I see my pain management doctor once every 3 months for script refill, her mandatory drug test for all pain med patients, and a check up. Told her about my symptoms and even though she is a great doctor, she said I really need to see a doctor.

besides vitamins, I can only afford to take generic zoloft for depression and methadone for the pain. I am actually able to cope on just one 10mg methadone pill a day if I keep activities to a minimum and supplement with aspirin or another over the counter pain medication.

as for the nerves, there is some compression, I'm sure of that. My pain doctor did xrays last year in an annual check up and verified that. But also during my first back surgery after I had 3000 pounds of steel fall on me in a work accident, they accidental cut some of the nerves. I dont think they ever grew back properly and are constantly perceiving pain. At least that is what I was told by one of the back surgeons.

I'm 50 years old, and unless I have my daughters with me, I try to keep the activity levels low so I can keep the pain levels low. I take care of myself, clean, laundry, some days with the help of a little extra methadone I can mow the yard ( very small and flat, takes around 10 minutes from start to finish)
I try to ride my exercise bike a few times a week , around 20 to 3o minutes each time is about all I can do without to much pain the following days. When my daughters are with me and we go someplace, I will walk as much as I can to be with them, and during the summer we do go swimming a lot. I can not swim like I use to, and its slow and methodical swimming now, and limited at that. Thats about all the activity I have in my life.


I didnt mention my knee because I didnt think it had anything to do with my current problems, but in 88 I was in an auto accident with a total hyper extension of my left knee, and a few failed surgeries and a long bought with a Staff infection and 6 months with a pik line and daily doses of Vancomycin. Finally the knee was fixed with some gortex ligaments and was doing well until the last 5 or so years. Now it hurts all the time, sometimes I need a cane to walk due to the pain in it.