Hi,

I'm new to all of this... I need some help navigating around the site, can someone help me? I don't know how to make a new post.

I have been in four major car accidents and one coma.

In 1994, when I was 17, I had my first accident after that I was diagnosed with RSD in my right arm and with what would be the first of a long history of back pain. This was also the first time I lost conscienceness.

In 2000, I rolled my car, I didn't really get injured.
3 weeks later, I was going on vacation and the driver fell asleep behind the wheel, I ended up with a broken heel, TMJ, another concussion, whip lash, and more back pain.

In 2004, I was driving too fast and lost control of my car. I ended up going over a 300 foot cliff. I broke my back in two places (a compression fracture and fractured several trans vertebrae process), I broke my clavicle, broke 9 ribs, broke my leg, fractured my arm, and lost conscienceless for over 3 hours. I was ejected out of my car from the rear window... the reason why I know that is when I woke up, I had to find my car and then climb back into it and call 911 for help.
The pain meds I was on for my back put me in a coma. Since I woke from the coma I have never been the same. I used to socialize all the time, now I'm like a hermit. I get headaches. My communication skills are awkward. I don't know what happened to the person I used to know. I remember the old me, and then there is the person that I see in the mirror. I went back to school 3 months ago, before when I was in school things used to be easy for me I would get A’s and B’s now it is difficult for me to even concentrate or remember what I just read. I have problems getting my point across, it is very frustrating, especially when I was so smart and used to be able to communicate with every type of person, it didn’t matter where you were from I would think of something to talk about with you.

I was wondering if anyone could help me because I think this site would be useful to me.

I also was wondering if anyone had complaints about the new Duragesic patch.

I've been using the patch since I got out of the hospital for my coma, now that they switched it to the matrix version it doesn't work for me. I have to go back to taking pain pills which I hate b/c of the way they make me feel. I would rather stay home in bed then take the pills. I hate them. It makes me feel foggy in the head. Does anyone know of a generic brand that still uses the gel delivery system?


Thanks,
Shay (super newbie, super frustrated)