Hi Mary Ann - I copied your post to it's own thread so you could be properly welcomed to Neurotalk!

Hi right back at you! My name is Mary Ann and I am now 53 yrs old. I got hurt at work in 1988 when I was checking the production on a machine in the plant, 2 other people had already been hurt on this machine; however, they neglected to tell me about it. The arm of this machine released and picked me up off the floor, dislocated my L. shoulder, and whiplashed my neck. I hit the concrete and when I came to @ 1 hour later I went to a company doc. He said I sprained a muscle in my neck, gave me 2 Darvocet, and sent me back to work. I had to call my husband and he took me to the e.r. They had to put my shoulder back in place. I have been dealing with this for 20 yrs. and I will pray for you. I waited for 10 yrs. to have surgery and by that time I could not feel my arms or legs at times, migraines almost every day, could not turn my head from L to R , or back and forward, had therapy for the past 20 yrs off and on the neck has gotten better but the lower back is only @ 30-40 % better. 2 days after they fused my neck they put a steel rod in my lower back cause I couldn't lean over and tie my shoes, take a shower by myself, shave my legs, or even take care of personal issues. I have also gained 100 pounds. Please do all you can not to give up and the less cutting the better in my opinion. Now they say I have 3 more ruptured discs, 1 above and 1 below where I had my neck done and 1 below the steel rod in my lower back. My doc says that all it is going to do is to keep putting more pressure on the rest or the discs and after a while, I will be straight as an arrow. If I had it to do all over again, I would have probably not had the lower back done at all. I would have taken all the therapy I could get, and especially Aqua therapy it's the best!!!! Hope I didn't bore you but felt like I could share cause I've been there and I am still here!!!