Constant Pain

[angel1170]

I am 42yrs young. I have started experiencing back pain since 2007 when I was t-boned from a another driver texting on her cell ph. I put it off and continued working till one morning a yr and a half later I woke up and could barely walk let alone took every effort to swallow the pain just to get out of bed. My pcp referred me to pain management. I went through several test and steroid injections. I wasn't getting any better. They finally decided to do a test where they tested the pressure between my disc in my lower back and injected dye and found besides having severe determination I also had 2 fractured disc and bulging and a tear in my spine. I had a perktaneous discectomy done in Nov 2012. Three days ago I fall down my steps first landed directly on my tail bone tried to het up and ended falling down 13 steps backwards. I am currently on strong pain medication. My question is even before my fall I experience severe lower back pain at night it wakes me up throughout the night at times I can't even move my legs I start to cry. I try to explain this to my dr and he just looks at me like I'm crazy and making no sense. I am starting to regret even having anything done to my back. I have even hard some nerves cartorized. I can't stand in one sport for more the 3-5 mins and even short distant walks brings me to my knees and i feel a clicking in my lower back then burning under my butt cheek clear to the bottom on my L foot. What can possibly be wrong, or any suggestions to help my Dr understand. I tell every visit the exact same thing I am explaining on here. I can't be going crazy. I'm diffently am not making it up o live it every day and night. There's got to be others that is living this nightmare besides myself. Thank You for reading and I pray someone can help me.

[zaza216]

Had a building fall on me in 1986 I was 21 yrs old. Broke my spine in two place along with back.Every disc & vertebrate was crushed. The only thing was that my spinal cord was still intact some how.I also suffered eight broken ribs multiple head fractures....the works. After being fused from top of spine to bottom I was opened up several more times to implant more hardware for sciatica then 3 disc removed from neck & replaced with someone else's bone. two shoulder surgeries, and two hand surgeries. Ive been cut across my stomach back everywhere! Ill be fifty next month and my pain levels are through the roof sometime(like today) I go to pain management but don't really take the meds cause they will destroy me so I use them maybe two or three times a month. The only thing I can do is chug along and be happy I am here with my kids & family. But I always say there is some poor soul that has it a lot worse than I. So I try not to complain.

[wantmylife]

I had cervical spine surgery in 2008, they replaced discs c5-6&7  with fusion and plate.because I was having facial spasms w forced eye closure . I wasnt having any pain though. Well, Every since the surgery I'm having horrible pain. Pain that makes my neck so stiff in the morning that I cry until the pain pills take effect .Also the pain radiates down both of my shoulders and arms. It's a very stiff, and i havepain that also burns and aches and throbs. After about 6 mos after the surgery, my lower back started hurting and the pain got worse n worse every day. The pain got so bad that I couldn't walk or function without pain meds. Doctor kept telling me it was fibromialgia. ... i knew he was wrong. I did tons of research on fibro, and knew that couldn't be the problem. My Dr was so convinced though he kept telling me to go to a support group for fibro paitents. Serioysly!!!! How in the world was that gonna help my pain? I then started seeking other doctors, pain specialists and chiropractors. Finally I found a pain specialists who gave me exray and saw scoliosis and some tears on my spine. I had trigger point injections and spinal steroid shots.They didn't help at all.then , I had some diagnostic. Shots to see what lumbar nerve was causing all the pain.now I'm at the point now,of being offered  my lumbar nerve being Cartorized.has anyone had this done? PLEASE SHARE. GOD BLESS G/D2FD2F

[wantmylife]

I had cervical spine surgery in 2008, they replaced discs c5-6&7  with fusion and plate.because I was having facial spasms w forced eye closure . I wasnt having any pain though. Well, Every since the surgery I'm having horrible pain. Pain that makes my neck so stiff in the morning that I cry until the pain pills take effect .Also the pain radiates down both of my shoulders and arms. It's a very stiff, and i havepain that also burns and aches and throbs. After about 6 mos after the surgery, my lower back started hurting and the pain got worse n worse every day. The pain got so bad that I couldn't walk or function without pain meds. Doctor kept telling me it was fibromialgia. ... i knew he was wrong. I did tons of research on fibro, and knew that couldn't be the problem. My Dr was so convinced though he kept telling me to go to a support group for fibro paitents. Serioysly!!!! How in the world was that gonna help my pain? I then started seeking other doctors, pain specialists and chiropractors. Finally I found a pain specialists who gave me exray and saw scoliosis and some tears on my spine. I had trigger point injections and spinal steroid shots.They didn't help at all.then , I had some diagnostic. Shots to see what lumbar nerve was causing all the pain.now I'm at the point now,of being offered  my lumbar nerve being Cartorized.has anyone had this done? PLEASE SHARE. GOD BLESS G/D2FD2F

[bigsissie]

New doctors are hard to find. I got passed around like a hot potato when mine first happened. And no the dr does not understand. After my first surgery I herniated two of the original disc within the first 18 months because I was trying to live a normal life. The one thing that has helped me sleep at night is a memory foam topper. I could not live without mine. If you consider getting one go for one that is at least 3 inches and is high density.
  I was also prescribed Neurontin but I was one of the ones it made suicidal. That was a fun trip. I eventually ended up on Gabitril and it worked wonders. I also have severe nerve damage from mine though. Valium helps when my legs get the shakes and the pain is coming from the nerves, you will eventually be able to tell the difference between muscle and nerve pain. I also am no longer on the Gabitril. I don't know if it is just because it has been so many years or if I am just used to it by now but I haven't had it for a few years.
Also you may want to try Black cherry juice or montgomery tart cherry juice for inflammation It comes in capsules too if you can't stand the taste. I know sounds crazy but it has helped me more than anything they tried to prescribe. As for the average time I see my GP every month and the specialist when any new problems pop up. I am lucky and my doctors office can do all the testing I could ever need. I just go to the neuro when something new comes along and I want to see if it will help me. I am not sure if I added you as a friend or not but if I haven't feel free and if you have any more questions just send me a message. I try to check in here every day or so. Good luck ,Sissie

[angel1170]

Thank You for responding back so soon, I was surprised to hear a response already. I am having another MRI on the 19th. My last one was in Oct last yr. I am already on neurontin. Which helps some better than nothing. I try to discribe the best I can to my Dr and others the kind of pain I'm having and the intensity of it. Bigsissie I dread going to bed at night and waking up in the mornings. Even before the fall just turning from my side to my back at times brings tears ti my eyes then my nights sleep is over. I understand the domino effect on the spine. I am coming to the understanding that duscribing the situation to someone even a Dr, unless the been there or feel the pain exactly themselves they truely don't understand. I am co.sidering finding another Dr but don't know how to go about it. I am in a string pain med which in a way I greatly regret but honestly I have tried to go w/out and I can barely walk and the pain actually makes me nausuated i have no life outsude that window. I'm on a anti flamitory along w/ the neurontin. When it comes time for my appts I dread it cause some apptsy Dr understands and others he looks at me like I'm crazy or something. It's humiliating and irritating to me. Dr's are human and has bad days too I find I tell myself. I have another question what's an average time period one goes through such back disorders and has to see these back Dr's? Again Thank You so much for responding back to me. God Bless

[bigsissie]

Once you have problems with a disc you are at risk for more disc problems. My dr explained it like this your spine is like a line of stacked dominos mess with one and eventually the rest will follow. They don't tell you that before surgery though. I would suggest if it has been more than two years getting a mri of your spine. It sounds as if you have herniated, bulged, or may have a deteriorating disc/vertebra. There is picture of a nerve conduction chart on my profile that is very helpful please go look at it. I know this wasn't very informative but it may help a little. The pain you are describing sounds like nerve pain to me and it is possible you have broken something when you fell. Also you are unfortunately not alone. Try to see if the dr will give you something for nerve problems like Valium, Xanax, Gabitril, ect to see if they help the pain. Best wishes, Sissie