Hello everyone,

I ll start with the prognosis and hopefully I can gain some clarity about a couple of issues I have with both pain relief and workers compensation.

I was involved in a car accident and first diagnosed with whiplash injury, but pain got worse and MRI was completed.

c3/c4 minimal left nerual foraminal narrowing secondary to degenerative changes at the unconvertable joint,

c5/c6 muld bulging of the disc seen
t5-t6 small right paracentral disc herniation
t6-7 small posterior central disc herniation
t7-8 small posterio cenral disc herniation
t8-t9 small left paracentral disc herniation

the last for are followed by with no significant affect which I understand as no nerve damage, but wonder if others have a different take.

a lot of my pain was between my shoulder blades and in my shoulders, and some into my neck which would progress into my eyeballs when worse. after a course of physio therapy, 3 month at a back institute, nothing relieved the pain, and it became about managing.

I have done so with a course of muscle relaxers, and pain meds such as percocet and oxycontin. My problem now is I am getting a lot more pain in my neck, including headaches, but I don't want to up my med dosage because Ive seen the effects of that, and I feel the withdrawl symptoms already when I try not to take what I am diagnosed. I was told that surgery couldn't repair the damage to me, and that I shouldn't be experienceing the pain that I do with my injury.

Is this true, is my injury not one of signifacance that should cause pain, is there something else that I should consider. Ive noticed on my medical form that the specialist wrote chronic pain disorder at one point, and all of them say degenerative disc disease, and a chronic cervicothoracic strain, with underlying degenerative change.

Amongst all of that, I have been re-training with workers comp, but in recent conversations Ive had with them, they say that im with them because of my neck injury, not back injury, can a whiplash include the back? also because my doctor ordered a new round of MRI and bloodwork to see if they missed anything in the original prognosis, workers comp is right on the ball sending me forms, to make sure they get the results immediately..

Finally my questions are, can I not take these tests until my re train is done in case they find something they can use, or do I have a case with my back pain as well, to fight if they cut me off. Something is fishy, they seem way to eager for me to get these tests. Please help, anyone with experience and advise on workers comp, and about pain management with injury. Is there a drug as effective as oxycontin that isn't a higher dose of 20mg of oxycontin. is oxy comparable to vicoden. sorry for all the questions, I'm new here and have lost my way.

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Happy to see you have come to be with us. Just let us know if we can be of any help.

There are great number and caring fellow members here, you will see we are supportive and relaxing place. Our shoulders are here for support in many ways. Check into the following forum, there are a good number of fellow members to help you:

Spinal Disorders & Back Pain:
http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum22.html

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

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

Darlene

Hi, I am in a similar situation. I have disc bulges and herniations in c5-6 c6-7 and in my lower back. i take oxycodone for the pain and soma for muscle. I take alot of it, I need to take alot of it. I was in accident in oct, and yes what is wrong with you would cause alot of pain. would get a second opinion b/c surgery can help you, and they can alos try steroid injections. Are you having any weakness anywhere? That is when they would do surgery. But no one can tell you how much pain you are in or how much pain you should be in, everyone is different and everyones pain tollerence is different as well. Good luck and I would try to find a new dr.

Welcome to NT!

I'm so sorry about your accident. I can imagine how awful this must be for you. You've found a great place for support and understanding. Everyone is very helpful and down to earth, so make yourself at home and feel comfortable here.

You aren't alone in this....

Caring,
Rae

thanks alot, I will inquire into the steriod injections, and something interesting came up. I dont know where you live, but if you live in Ontario Canada, they are removing all oxycontin from the market, and are replacing it with neooxy, which I am unaware of what it is, or how it helps. I reccomend looking into it if you are dependant on for daily function, because things are changing. I believe they are just making a form of pain relief where the time release cannot be manipulated (snorted, cooked etc) and if thats the case than good, because I hate the stigma attached to being a narcotic user, when people like us need it to function, not to support a habit