how long is two long , with back pain

[al1955]

HOW LONG DO YOU PUT UP WITH BACK PAIN. IVE HAD PAIN IN MY BACK FOR 16 YEARS. AT FIRST I WAS TOLD IT WAS FROM A TORN NERVE IN MY BUTTUCK. BEEN TAKING MEDS EVER SENSE. IN 2004 I WAS GIVEN AN MRI , THEN SCHEDULED FOR BACK SURGERY , WHERE THEY SCRAPED THE DISC FOR THE NERVES TO MOVE FREELY. AFTER ONE FALL ON A BUS STEP LANDING ON MY REAREND , IVE HAD TOTALLY SEVERE PAIN, 5 MRI,S LEADING TO PINCHED NERVE AT L4/L5 ONE DR SAID S1. WAS TOLD SOME DAY I WOULD NEED A FUSION  BETWEEN L4 /L5 . MY RIGHT LEG HAS NUMBNESS UP AND DOWN IT, PAIN IN THE TOP OF MY FOOT CONSTANTLY. IN THE PAST 2 YEARS I HAVE TOTALED TWO CARS FROM ACCIDENTS I BELIEVE WERE CAUSED FROM NOT HAVEING PROPER FEELING IN MY RIGHT LEG, AND MAKEING POOR JUDGEMENTS IN STOPPING DISTANCE. I TAKE MORPHINE 3 X,S A DAY (HAVE USED MANY OTHER PURSCRIBED DRUGS) . DR,S I SEE HAVE ALL THE ANSWERS WHEN I TELL THEM ONE OR TWO DAILEY PROBLEMS. IM VARY DEPRESSED, CANT SLEEP DUE TO PAIN AND DEPRESSION. I WANT TO WORK SO BAD BUT THE MEDS IM ON I CANT SLEEP, OR KEEP ANY AMOUNT OF CONCENTRATION ON WHAT I DO. I WANT TO CRY CONSTANTLY FROM PAIN, AND EVEN SUFFER FROM SUICIDAL THOUGHTS. I JUST WANT TO BE OUT OF PAIN OR GET IT TO A LEVEL TOLERABLE FOR SOME KIND OF LIFE. IVE HEARD OF NERVES BEING SEVERD OR FUSIONS TO DISC, IS THIS AN OPTION THAT COULD POSSIBLY CUT AWAY SOME PAIN, OR MAKE LIFE A LITTLE LESS PAINFULL.???????

[Tuckamore]

Hi Al,

Welcome to the Pain Management Forum. I am glad you found us. I am very sorry to hear about the severe amount of pain you are experiencing. We can relate.

Your question was will having a nerve severed help your pain?? It's possible. They must locate the "right" nerve(s) that is producing the pain. If your pain is not relieved through any other method I would consider the procedure. You mentioned the "doctors," I hope that means that you have a good team of PM physicians. If not I encourage you to get into a good PM Clinic.

Your meds may need some juggling and adjustments. If you are not on an antidepressant you should be or if you are on one it may not be effective. Please discuss this with your physician. I have felt the way you do, life was too full of pain and too many obstacles related to or a result of the unrelenting pain. I'll venture a guess that most of us have had at least fleeting suicidal thoughts, expressed or felt due to the hopelessness and/or frustrations we felt in our situations. I'll admit I have. But we all realized and you should too that death is never an answer. There are some good PM therapists out there. I encourage you to consult with one. If you don't know how to locate one talk to your PMP or PCP.

Please quit driving before you fatally injure yourself or someone else. How could any of us live with injuring an innocent child, someones loving mother or father. Don't take that chance. Once your pain and symptoms are better controlled than you can consider getting behind the wheel again.

Do you have a good relationship with a physician? Your comment, "The doctors I see seem to have all the answers when I tell them one or two daily problems I have..." I find that quite telling. It may be time for you to find another group of physicians or a PCP that you can relate to. It took me a long time to find a PCP that truly understands my pain and condition. She listens to me. If she weren't my PCP she could be my friend. I wish that for all patients. It can make all the difference in PM.  

Last but not least, please stay with us. Become an active member of our community. I had just been forced to leave my career due to severe chronic pain when I found this community. I was at a very low point in my life. I thought my life was over. I have found comfort, understanding, support and comradely here. I am hopeful that you will find the same.

Other's will respond with their opinions. Please let us know how you are doing. I will watch for your future posts and will be thinking of you. Hang in there.
Take Good Care of Yourself, Tuck  

[nick30]

Hi al1955,

I just want to say one thing right up front. If you are thinking about suicide then you need to speak with someone who can help you in that regard. It is a matter to be treated with great urgency and seriousness.
If you are so depressed with the pain that suicide seems like a good solution then the truth is that you are probably in a very bad state of mind. In no way am i suggesting that you are exxaggerating your pain but we all know that it is neccessary to stay as positive as humanly possible even to deal with our pain during the best of times.
I hope you have found(or are going to find soon)a good team of Dr's to manage not only your pain, but also your state of mind. Depression and pain almost always go hand in hand. It's often hard or impossible to treat one whilst ignoring the other.
For the situation you are in(not being able to work)it might be a good idea to remain as socially active as possible, otherwise it can become very easy to become detached from the rest of the world. At the very least please keep in contact with us here on this forum.
Although we aren't feeling exactly what you're feeling at this exact moment, I think the truth would be that many or most people on this forum have also had thoughts similar to yours.
I hope you are treating both your depression and pain problems as equals. They are both of immediate concern. Please post back and let us know if you are able to see a way out of this situation, or if there is anything that we might be able to help you with.
There are so many treatment options out there that there must still be hope of finding enough relief that your life can hopefully return to some degree of normalcy.
Regards,
Nick