I know this is a board for MS, but you are all my friends and I know some of you suffer from back pain too. I'm so sick of being in pain I could puke. I won't write a book about it all once again, but I need some advise if there is anyone who has had a DISCOGRAM or Surgery.

My current doctor is not real agressive. He is a good pain manager however, which keeps me 'in line'. He seems to have no other plans for me. This to me means I must suffer the rest of my life in pain. I don't want to. Just makes you want to check out sometimes.

I'm now on Vicodin, Zanaflex, Celebrex and Lidocaine patches. It is one spot that causes me the most pain (L-4) and I just want it fixed. Thats all. Is it too much to ask for?

I vaccumed today...and it requires extra pills and rest. I want to go outside and work on my flower bed and rake the yard. I could, but I'll be in so much pain later that I'll be in tears. It's also ruining my sex life. I'm always so tired, drugged or in pain that I'm not in a good mood, I don't feel pretty, I feel angry and many other things.

I know it may be too much to hope for, but maybe someone here has some words that would make me feel better or recommend a new step I've not tried yet.

I did get a second opinion and he said my current doc is doing all the right things (though not agressive in his opinion). He said he would do a different kind of injection in two of my discs and then do a Discogram. I think this may be a procedure that is done prior to surgery and metal being put in my back. I'm scared. If I go with this new doctor, the old doctor will drop me and I won't get any more pain meds as the new doctor is not a pain manager and refuses to give medications (????!!!!)

So I go with the new guy and suffer until he fixes me, IF EVER, or stay with the old doctor and my medications that at least help to some degree.

My pain manager doc told me to get off my butt and exercise (I'm only 160 lbs) but could use some exercise, so I ordered some exercise videos that I'm going to start.....but I KNOW it won't fix me. I know because I tried it before. In fact I'm afraid I'll hurt myself more...after watching them, lots of twisting, leaning forword, punching, etc....

I've had a steroid shot, 7 weeks of PT, meds....if the pain was going to leave on it's own, it would have done so by now. 4 years is a long time for something to heal........

Okay, there I did it...a book anyway. I'm probably talking to myself more than anything.....I know you all don't mind if I vent....

Have you fully researched these procedures, GJ? That is what I would do first, and make a decision on your options. If you decide to do the procedure(s), then switch to the new guy.

I know how difficult back problems can be, but fortunately I have only suffered for periods of time (not years!) when things are really rough. Four years is too long to keep going living like this, I think.

Cherie

Have you checked out the Chronic Pain forum, GJ? There is a sticky at the top of the forum with Useful Links and information. Just a thought....

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum10.html

I totally understand your frustration, and feeling like enough is enough.

While our issues are different, constant chronic pain grinds away at you. It gets in the way of everything you do, and changes the nature of who you are, no matter how determined ytou are not to let that happen.

Don't ya just wanna slap people who come up to you and say how they don;t take pills cuz they are sooo tough, and they have such a high pain tolerance? LOL! I could tell them, there is a pain bigger than they are, and someday, they just might find it.



People just can't see what you feel.

One thing I can say, I thought I had tried everything and nothing was going to help. I know they can't fix me, but I was frustrated that I was not able to do much just because of pain. I think I could have dealt with being unable due to loss of limb, but to have my arms, and hurt to much to use them was unthinkable, if you know what I mean.

I read all over pain forums, spinal injury forums. I had no idea what could be done, and didn't have faith anyone would even try to help me.

But I knew I still had to keep trying. I couldn't just lay there miserable, I had to fight for it.

Finally found a better pain clinic, a better PCP.

And you know the rest. I still can't push a vacuum. (Which is so sad, cuz you know how I love sweeping - J/K! LOL)

But I am much better than I was. Keep fighting for it. And I'll keep you in my prayers. I really hope the right doc and treatments are right around the corner.

GJ I'm so sorry you're having such a hard time with your back pain. I know that constant pain just wears you down and tires you out....I wish there was something I could say or do to make things better for you. The only advice I have to offer is to just keep on looking and researching and maybe you'll find the right doctor, clinic or treatment that will work for you.

"People just can't see what you feel."

You can say that again.

Your comments are rather intolerant . . . since none of us can help how we are. That would be like me saying “don’t you just want to slap those wimps who cry over a broken bone or something insignificant like that?”.

There are definitely major disadvantages in being over-tolerant to pain as well.

For people who do not feel pain the same way as most, we can be nearly dead before we even realize there is something wrong. For instance, I was feeling brain-incoherent for several weeks as a teenager, which my doc blamed on stress. When I got to the point that I couldn’t hold a beat dancing (I was a competitive dancer) and I didn’t know whether “green” meant “stop” or “go” while driving, I steered the car directly to the hospital.

Turned out I had broken my nose at some point (didn’t feel it) and I had a sinus infection causing severe pressure on my brain . . . which is a very dangerous situation. The first thing they said was “don’t you feel any pain??”, which I did not. Within 30 min of giving me pain relief though, the confusion went away.

In fact, I have had several serious situations/complications because I don’t feel pain the same as others....

Trust me, we all become “wimps” when things get too rough for us . . . no matter what our tolerance level. It’s not as if people with a high tolerance don’t feel pain at all, it just gets or almost gets out of control by the time they do. When this happens, it takes twice as many meds, for twice as long, in order to get it under control again.

Like when we have surgery, and the nurses keep us pain killers every 4 hrs (and we don’t think we need them). The reason they do this is it is much easier to keep pain in control, than try to deal with pain that is out of control. People with a high tolerance (or messed up communication channels in this regard), often don’t hear those messages until things are really bad. The recovery can be much, much worse too.

So, I hope you have a little more understanding the next time someone “brags” that they have a high tolerance.

Cherie

I have posted there in the past and there are not many members. I hate posting and getting no responses....but I'll check the links of info...I think I missed that. Thanks

Thanks Cherie. I've done alot of research, but until today it didn't click about the discogram. I've spent the past few hours reading about it and I think I really need to do this. Apparently, this test is painful but will identify my pain so the doctor can SEE it and then will know what to do. This was offered by the second guy...but I went to my first guys web page and they have the procedure available. I'm going to call him and ask for it...point blank. I guess tears in the disc are not always seen on the MRI and the only way to see it is with the Discogram. I think if doc number one says no, I'll go to doc number two and I'll just have to give up the meds. HE BETTER FIX IT if thats the case

Thanks Brain,
You are so right. What happens is I go in to see doctors and everything I was thinking goes out the window, I freeze and sit there and smile and nod my head. Since back pain is not something that can be seen I have a hard time convincing doctors. It's really a shame. I've been doing alot of research today and think I'm prepared to go in and (nicely) demand that we move to the next level. I have 100% coverage on insurance now so I want to use it up before I get laid off in October. Worse case scenario I get surgery in October too after I get laid off but before the insurance gets cut off.

Thats my plan and I'm sticking to it LOL!!

I feel for you GJ. Cherie is quite right when she said.......


Severe pain is extremely difficult and sometimes impossible to treat. Regular pain relief "whether you need it or not" is the only way to prevent those highs and troughs in pain management. If pain is left to get to a stage where it's almost unbearable, it can take hours and double or more the analgesia to ease it. If this makes sense at all, you may understand why it's important to keep popping those pills, even though you might hate them

I'm sure you must be scared stiff about the prospect of surgery, especially with everything else happening medically wise recently. I have to agree that researching your options is very important at this stage, as you need to make a truely informed decision about this.

If you haven't already done so, you could possibly ask questions in the spinal forum. Maybe some-one over there has been through what you're considering. Just a thought.

Please let us know how it's going GJ, and I do hope you get some relief soon.

Give me your hand.

If you are alive, you are in some form of pain. Could be you stubbed your toe or you're still nursing a broken heart.
That is not a valid reason to stop living.

I need you to fight back Jeanie. Giving up let's it win. IT is any obstacle in our way at any moment.

You have not exhausted all your options yet.
And there are always options.

Find a doc willing to listen. Go "Doc shopping", if you will. There are many positive things out there to ease suffering. I turned to liquor after the MS diagnosis.

I busted my L-4 too.
And my hip.
And my pelvis.
And shattered my ankle.
And my tibia and fibia.
Broke four of my ribs.
Had a concussion.
Coma for 6 days.

And until I lose 50 pounds... I can't get my hip fixed. (Never healed right. Ossification and now avascular necrosis. Laymans terms: Body produced too much bone at the break. Now that bone is dead and dying).
The irony of losing the weight? If my hip was OK, I wouldn't weigh this much.

All this happened in a car wreck 3 weeks after my wife left me. (Good riddance, bee-yotch!)

Please understand beautiful. I'm not trying to compare scars here or even dumb it down with "everybody hurts", or downplay what you are saying. I only tell you my story so you know I'm not blowing smoke up your [pick an orrifice].

FIGHT BACK.

Get mad. Get mad enough to say, "I am not going to live this way". And then realize you must take action against your oppressor. In this case, pain.

You are not alone.
You are one of us.
And we are here to help.