nothing helps,what can I do?

[originallola]

1981 I was operated on L4-L5.Everything was fine until a couple of years ago.My left leg started locking up and I fell often.No backpain then.Over time it got worse and my left leg started hurting.I got treated with Prednisolon and it was better for a longer while.Now,I started to have severe pain over my hip,the groin,the frontpart of my thigh,the outside of the kneearea and the calf.My doctor gave me again Prednisolon,but this time it does not seem to help.Can I do anything to make it better?This pain drives me insane.Because of tripple cervical fusions I have a pain-pump and I am under pain-management.Even these drugs don,t help.I take on top of it Soma,Meloxicam and Methadone.Please help!

[Marcygirl]

My pain is in the same areas, although my hands and arms have since gotten very weak, too.  I have been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia, Pernicious Anemia (from Vitamin B12 deficiency), L 3 & 4 and L 4 & 5 disc protrussions, mild spinal arthritis, osteoporosis of the spine and osteopenia of the right hip.  The pain has flare-ups where it's excruciating, but even on a daily basis, it's always there at some level.  When I was initially diagnosed with the Fibro in 2001, it was annoying, but something I could live with.  It has progressed to almost unbearable.  

I used to do 100 sit-ups, leg-bends, and butt-squeezes every night and did Swing Dancing three nights a week.  I was in very good shape, very active, and very limber.  In August of 2008, this put me down in August for 2 1/2 months, hospitalization in November for 8 days, again in January for a week, and just one month ago again for 8 days.  Morphine didn't touch the pain and neither did Dilaudid.  I, now, go to Physical Theraphy twice a week and to exercise is very painful, but I do it with determination.  It doesn't help though.  The muscles are inflammed and exercise is the enemy.  The muscles will gradually just keep stiffening and causing more and more pain until I become totally sedentary.  Sadly, ever just lying on the sofa doesn't leave me pain free.  Even though this is called a syndrome and not a disease - it's terrible.  I do have pain medication that I am very stingy and careful with and have also had an epidural and bi-lateral nerve block.  The block helped some for about three weeks.  

I don't mean to be the bearer of bad news and, of course, everyone is different, but I think we all need honesty so we can adjust to our "new normal" the best we can.  Good luck.