Sick and tired

I was in a terrible car accident almost 5 years ago. Every since then I have chronic back pain. I am married and have 3 children whom I love more than anything, but I am not the person I use to be. I get so snappy with everyone, especially when they say I know how you feel or it will be OK. FIRST of all you don't know how I feel, you DO NOT feel this HORRIBLE PAIN, you don't cry at the drop of a hat because you now feel worthless and cannot do hardly anything with my children, you don't have a clue how I feel so don't sit there and tell me you do, second  tell me how is it going to be OK? It has been 5 years and it is NOT OK! I have been to so many doctors, specialists, you name it I have been to them. I have tried EVERY kind of pain med you can imagine and nothing works, Pain medication does not effect me, even when I was a child. So why take them, if they don't work? My doctors have given up trying, but they did try what they could I guess. They tell me I am going to be a chronic pain patient the rest of my life. What kind of answer is that to tell someone who was then 23 years old. The doctors of course have me on depression medication, but that is not helping either.I am SO tired of hurting, not sleeping, not being able to walk from here to the bathroom without crying because of the pain. ANY physical activity I do, from walking to even sitting, makes it worse. I have see psychiatrists, they all tell me if my back was fixed I would be fine, that is why I am depressed. Well I ALL READY knew that. So they have stopped seeing me as well because there is nothing they can do to fix my back. So, if you have any suggestions PLEASE let me know because I am NOT NOT NOT going to live anymore of my life like this!

[Curtis1960]

Hello, Julia.

I'm so sorry to read that you're living in so much agony - especially at such a young age.  I've lived with chronic pain for nearly 10 years now.  My pain is the result of being hit on my bicycle by cars twice in two months.  My docs treated me the same as yours treat you - with medication.  "If the meds can't help, then live with it" is their philosophy.  

The pain drugs did help me until I became addicted to oxycontin.  Now that I've gone through rehab, no doctor will prescribe pain meds.  So, I am living in hell.  I have a 16 year old son who's dad has not been there for him the past two years.  I'm not a very good husband or father.  

I've also had problems with my insurance company paying for tests, MRIs, specialists.  So, I went ahead and paid for my own MRI.  It shows that I have three herniated disks in the neck and three foramin that have closed around the nerve due to arthritis.  This explains the pain.  Now, I need to see a neurosurgeon to find out what we can do about this.

Has your doctor ordered MRIs? Have you seen a neurosurgeon about your back?  If so, did he indicate if there's anything they can do to relieve the pain?  What type of doctors have given up on you?  Have you considered switching docs?  Have they tried steriod injections, nerve blocks, pain pumps or other things?  

On the non-doctor side, have you tried accupuncture or message therapy?   find both help for a couple of days.  I use a lidocaine patch on my neck that slowly releases lidocaine onto the nerves to deaden them.  I've also used capsaicin cream.  This cream will burn like crazy the first few times you use it.  However, the burn will shut down the nerves in the back.  The cream has some drawbacks - when it's hot and if you start to sweat, boy does it burn.  And, use gloves to apply it or your hands will burn too. The first few hot showers will burn also.  But, once the nerves shut down, the pain levels will drop.

My friend was injured in a fall from a helicopter in Vietnam and suffered terrible back pain for 30 years.  He went to a chiropractor that uses "spinal decompression".  Within three months his back pain was nearly gone and he looked 10 years younger.  The only porblem is that the treatment is expensive and most insurances won't pay for it.

My wife warms a cup of milk for me and adds turmeric to it.  Turmeric has been used for two thousand years in India as a pain reliever.  Read up on this and other herbs to reduce pain.

Please try to not give up.  I'm not in your shoes but I do have a family.  I know your family needs you even in your condition.   Give every treatment a try.  Fight hard and write me if you need someone to listen to you.

Best of luck!

Curt

[therese83]

I heard someone with bck pain saying they get great releif from a TENS machine?

just a silly thought.

[Curtis1960]

Not a silly thought at all, Therese.  Many people get relief from a TENS unit.  That was a good suggestion!

[Fuzzz]

Hi Julia

Your pain sounds awful.  I am sure all the doctor visits have been expensive, but with this much pain, I hope you don't give up without trying some less conventional treatments.  I'm talking about accupuncture, accupressure, physical therapy, massage therapy, and chiropractic care.  

My sister in law just told me that she has shoulder pain that comes back every few months, and only chiropractic care helped it.  Then she moved and had to find a new chiropractor.  She lucked into going to one that took extra studies so he'd learn more about soft tissue treatments.  He got an extra degree in this.  He's in the Dallas TX area, apparently.  Anyway, he was very excited when he pressed his hand over the area of pain in her shoulder because he could feel she a problem he could actually cure.  He said she had scar tissue that had grown into her muscle, and it was tying two muscles together.  The main treatment is basically breaking up the scar tissue with his hands.  I think it will take just six treatments, and then the chances of a cure with no other treatment is 90%.  Most chiropractors would have just offered the same temporary treatment she'd gotten before.  So don't give up hope yet.  Maybe something like that will happen to you and you just haven't found the right treatment or therapist yet.  

You didn't say what your MRI showed.