It is very hard for most of us to improve on Mrs. D's advice. She is a wealth of accurate, not anecdotal, information. It is also hard and not particularly helpful in the short run, but may be very important to come to terms with in the long run: many patients with PN never get a firm diagnosis, there is often no treatment, and palliative care is about it for pain and disability.

That doesn't mean that you are in this camp. Many things you mentioned could point to possible causes that are treatable. It takes a bit of detective work to tease out the information that applies to you.

I hurt my back badly when we adopted an infant who didn't sleep though the night for five years. He was tiny, but carrying him, swaying, rocking, and walking the floor with him resulted in two ruptured discs and surgery. While that kind of back problem and surgery can cause PN, mine is hereditary, so you can also have two things going on at once, or more than two.

Your suffering sounds intense. Good pain management is a must, and there are combinations which are better than others. I hope that you get an actual diagnosis soon and are able to recover. I still have three kids at home. I cannot imagine having this, raising children, and working.