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I need help, And one seems to care

Hi, To all, I just joined the forums due to the fact that I am to my wits end. Let me start out with explaining a little of my back ground. Please bear with me if its a little long but i would appreciate some patience and maybe some kind of feed back please. So here goes:
1. Back in 1999, I had my daughter, immediately after I came home from the hospital i discovered while doing dishes, changing diapers, anything that ment bending over just the slightest was incredibly painful. i mean within 5 minutes, Well, i just ignored it and dealt with the pain. continued doing the everyday duties i had to and was in pain.
2. Mentioned to family doctor on and off of this odd back pain but the doctor doesnt really do much but puts me on darvocets and thats about all.
3. Since 1997 i have been a waitress and well, 2008 still a waitress. In 2003 I move down about an hour closer to my family but still with the same doctor who ends up retireing and a new doctor takes over. Well, by this time i have tried a chiropractor 3 times. 1st time it helped unbelievably, 2nd 2x's in complete pain not to mention by this time my back is completely locking up to the point of having to be picked up out of bed and off the couch and put in an upright standing position just to try and loosen up. Also, many episodes of siatic(spelled wrong, I know) pain, actually lost feeling one day and got out of the car and fell when i stepped.
4. Doc made an appt for an x-ray for my back and then was refered to the spine clinic. Well, That is when the disaster started has continue since. Met with the spine doc. He tells me as we look at the xray it is a simple vertebra out of place(his exact words) and with p.t. with go back into place. Well, i agree since i figure my faith is in his hand he knows what he is talking about and it will help and it will get better. Well, I drive for p.t. only to meet with them 2x a wk for nothing more than a waste of time for them to tell me how to pick up things, vaccume and so on and so forth, and never once touched me.
5. Well, here we are to the future and its a little over 2 years later and im and in a daily pain level of 8-9. cant find a new doc, mine is a jerk and wont perscribe me anything more then a few vicodin a month cause he says everyone gets additicted to them. now he sent me to see another spine doctor only because i called up to him and spoke with the nurse and she alerted me to something in med. files that i finally found out was alarming and was not told of. so here goes and was urgently sent for an mri. I was born with lumbar spondyleothesis now grade 2 almost 3, I have basicly no reflexes after the test was done on my left leg, no reflexes at my ankle and behind my knee, and a bit more reflexes on my right side. I have shooting pain down my leg on my left side that feels like someone is stabbing a knife out my shin bone just below my knee and my either feels numb, tingly or a dull pain, and i cant lean over the sink to look in the mirror or do dishes, or even lay out clothes on a bed for more than 5 minutes with my muscles in my legs twitching uncontrollably and unbelievable pain.
Now, mind you we looked at the same xrays from the original spine doc visit and you can clearly see the white lines down the sides of my spine where the pars....(cant remember the rest of the name) are broken and i even ask the new rejected spine doc(sorry my opinion of these docs are not high) told me. Now, I have developed a severe case( im assuming its rls/plmd), sometimes durning being awake but when im sleeping or start to rest I get major unconfortable feeling in my legs and occasionally in my arms, but when i do fall asleep terrible, terrible jerking, and twitching in my legs so bad ive kicked my boyfried and left bruses. i have experience the jerking awake and it was so bad with charleyhorses that i just cryed. Everyday my legs hurt and are so tight. at night i get the feeling and i either pound my legs on the floor, twist my ankles almost breaking them, or just pace the floor to no end. I barely sleep and if i do i wake to extreme anxiety attacks to trying to get more sleep but then i get the odd feeling in my arms.
    Please I need help, I nothing in my record to abusing pain meds nor and all honesty am i additicted to them but my doctors are jerks and not compationate at all and i need something stronger. I even told then since i do have to work and take care of my daughter and function without being a zombie, i would be happy with a level 3/4 pain, this way i dont over do it. But i just cant handle the level im at. any advice before i have a nervous breakdown or something....sorry soooooo long...

Thanks, Froggie
4 Responses
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547368 tn?1440541785
Hello Queenfroggie,

Welcome to the Pain Management Form of MedHelp. I am glad you found us. I am so sorry you are having such untreated pain. We know how life altering and horrid that can be.

Zak is correct, there are some ppl that have spondylolisthesis that so not experience pain. BUT there are many others that do have symptoms. Much depends on the type, the activity of the person, the accompanying structure problems, age and so much more.

I can best explain it by the following from another website. "Spondylolisthesis occurs when one vertebra slips forward on the adjacent vertebrae. This will produce both a gradual deformity of the lower spine but also a narrowing of the vertebral canal. It is often associated with pain. Type III is a degenerative spondylolisthesis, and occurs as a result of the degeneration of the lumbar facet joints. The alteration in these joints can allow forward or backward vertebral displacement. This type of spondylolisthesis is most often seen in older patients. In Type III, degenerative spondylolisthesis there is no pars defect and the vertebral slippage is never greater than 30%."

In my experience and education and now some web searching, pain is not uncommon. Indeed it is more common than not. Obviously you can attest to that fact.

I don't know if a Spine Clinic is the same as a Pain Management Clinic. I don't think it is and I suggest that you get into a good PM Clinic. What is apparent to me is you need a different physician. I have said this many times on this forum. If you hired a plumber to repair a leaky facet and when he left you facet was still leaking what would you do? I hope you would respond with, "Fire him." Physicians are no different than Plumbers, they are not God's. We hire them to do a job, take care of a medical issue. When they do not fulfill the employment contract we should find some one that will.

I recommend you find a physician that will listen to you and treat your pain. Have you been seen by a Orthopedic Specialist or a Neurologist? I would begin with one of them. You need to know your options. You should not except the brush off. There may be something that can be done to relieve your pain other than narcotics. However until they are able to determine what that "something" is you have a right to expect some pain control.

Please keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. We are here to support you. It is a Sunday and responses may be slower today. I will be looking forward to your next update. Best of luck to you in your search for answers. Take Care, Tuck

Helpful - 0
535089 tn?1400673519
Hello Froggie and welcome to the Pain Forum:

Sorry to hear od such a long battle with your Doctors. Honestly, you are the one to keep up on your back pain. I don't care if you have to go weekly, just keep up on them. Their not the ones in pain and they don't know what your going through.

Have you had an MRI or a CT Scan? If you haven't, then it is in your best interest to have these test done. Another suggestion is to make an appt. with an Orthopedist or a Neurologist. Those are the Doctors who specialize in the type of pain your experiencing. It definitly sounds like there is more going on than what the diagnosis is. You are experiencing nerve pain and something is causing it. Honestly, I'm suprised at the lack of care you've recieved and it's really time for a new set of eyes altogether.

There are many Doctors out there who can and will fix this type of pain that you have had to endue all of these years.

I don't know what type of insurance you have but if a referral is needed then go to your current Doctor and ask him for one. If you do not require one then please get your phone book out and make an appt. with an Orthopedist or a Neurologist. You can even ask your clinic to give you the name of one who has good standing in the community.

I really hope you get to the bottom of this. Please know that the Pain Community is here for you. Keep me informed and I will look forward to your next post. Take care and good luck,
Mollyrae
Helpful - 0
565239 tn?1307874590
You said you can't find a new doctor. Why is that? It sounds to me like you need to get other opinions. Have you tried a Pain Management specialist? That's who I've relied on for relief from the pain. What specialty was your spine doctor? I was evaluated by two different Neurosurgeons and had two different opinions, One of which was to refer me to the Pain Management specialists I'm seeing now. Lumbar spondyleothesis can sometimes be helped with epidural injections or facet injects of steroids. These provide a great deal of relief for many types of spinal issues, and may work for you. Please keep us informed! Take care and God Bless.
Helpful - 0
454186 tn?1388974968
The only thing I can tell you is that your severe pain may not due to spondyleothesis which you have been for long time.There are have a lot of people feel nothing with spondyleothesis for whole life. -------Only personal opinion.
Helpful - 0
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