i am hurting and want help

my doc sent me to a speciallist for lower back pain after having an mri done and the speciallist said that i have degenerative disc and joint desease want me to do physical therapy with out having any thing for the pain but i have no problem with the therapy but i have to be able to work to feed my family with no insureance and a fixed income what do i do? the therapy is 90 to 180 a visit also pain management that is affordable for me but who will help me do that i dont want to be labled as a pill popper or junky how do i get threw the day how do i keep on living who can help  me

[whoamilately]

hi i suffer from cronic (chronic) back pain and deficient in cenovial fluids which make the joints mobile and assist with the turning bending movement side of things. I have tried therapy aqua and dry and the only thing that assisted me is a supplement of glucosimine and a massage by a family member twice to three times a week. I normally have a cup of pepermint tea then heat up about 50mls of virgin olive oil and add a teaspoon of deepheat/muscle sport ointment to the oil and have someone work it in to affected area,further more you can do a exercise that helps is standing upright and keeping your legs vertical and bend to touch your toes and hold for ten seconds or so repeat a few times daily,one other thing is when showering place the showerhead on full force and aim it so it hits your affected area and move around area also with setting the water temp as hot as you can bear without burning yourself, hope these cost affective remidies help you as they have me best of luck also if your smoking this does not assist with the movement and blood flow, good luck.

[Tuckamore]

Hello Slikk,

Welcome to MedHelp's Pain Mangement Forum. I am sorry to hear about your pain and situation but glad that you took the time to post.

Physical therapy can be very painful. However it can be even more beneficial. It's important that you stick it out and follow their exercise and strength building program if you can find a way to afford the program. That said your physician should be willing to offer you medications that will ease your pain and make the demands that PT places on your body more tolerable.

Taking prescribed narcotics as ordered by your physician should not label you as a junkie or pill popper. Those that place those untrue labels on chronic pain patients are uneducated and pain management ignorant.

If I understand you correctly you do not have the funds to pay for the PT. Have you discussed this fact with your ordering physician?  If not please do so. He may have some alternative solutions until you are able to obtain insurance or medical assistance.

You can also discuss this with the facility that will handle the PT. Sometimes they have payment plans. I do understand that often there is not monthly dollars budged for medical bills.

You may also want to check with your state to see if there are funds or programs  available to you.  Our state offers an insurance based on your income and ability to pay. Some residents obtain this for nothing while others have to pay an adjusted amount.

If you have a PCP that you are comfortable with please discuss your situation with him/her. Even a PCP that you don't yet have a good relationship with can be very helpful and understanding. This could lead to a better relationship with your PCP.

I am so sorry that you find yourself in this catch 22. Please let us know how you are doing. We will look forward to hearing from you again soon.

I Wish you the Best and Please Take Care,
~Tuck
.

[namnam46]

Hi slikk730,

I, too, want to join in welcoming you to ths Pain Management Forum!  You need to know that there are NO Doctors on this Forum.

I'm sorry that you are having so much pain and on top of that all of these problems trying to be able to find an answer to getting the treatment that you need!  

Tuck gave you some WONDERFUL suggestions about the different options that Hopefully will find some answers for your problems.  A lot might depend on how far along your DDD (Degenerative Disc Disease) is that has made him come to this decision. Unfortunately, it also may have to do with your age.  If you are young (under 45) they are TERRIBLY reluctant to start you on any medication.  ESPECIALLY if you are in your 20's or early 30's.  I'm sorry, but it's a fact and it's NOT fair,  BUT it does happen more often than not.  :(  The reason for this is that you will become immune to the pain medications and then you have NOTHING to help you later on.

I hope that you will keep us updated on what you are able to find out.  I ALSO hope that you are able to find the help that you need to be able to start your PT so that you can get some relief from your pain.

Best Wishes for a GOOD outcome........Sherry

[slikk730]

thank you for all of your suggestions i am seeking pt from a long time friend that may help show me what i can do in my own home but now i am in a place in  my life that i cant afford to be down i have a son who is 4 who needs his daddy a wife that needs her husband and a little one on the way i very much appreciate the advice and i will keep u posted on how my situation turns out just wish i had more options for how i can provide for my family without causing more damage to myself because of the job i have now requires me to do very heavy lifting and very physicaly demanding labor to where it has  been speeding up the detireation of the discs of my back so hope to find a new job with less laborintesive demands from me if there was any availible where i live but thank you all that are concerned for me

[JadedSweetheart]

I'm sorry you are in such a hard situation.  I know how it is to need to work but be in so much pain that it's very difficult to work.  
I wanted to suggest to you that you check with the State that you live in to see if they have any low-cost medical insurance available to parents of children.  For instance, in most states, if you have children and qualify financially, you can also recieve Medicaid.  I have had to do this for a number of years and while it's not the best insurance, it's also relatively free and the only thing that would cover me with my pre-existing condition.

When I was prescribed PT, the most my insurance would cover was 10 visits.  So I had the Physical Therapist teach me exercises to do at home.  It would also be good if they show you the best way to lift things not to aggravate your condition, so that you can avoid further damage at work until you can find something less labor intensive.

Depending on what you do for a living, you might be able to find another job within the same company that requires less strenuous labor.  In this economy, I know it's a good thing to be able to have a job, so it would be great if you could keep your job but do something that won't hurt you.

I commend you for taking good care of your family when you are suffering.  That is very admirable.  Maybe you could see a pain management specialist and get on a medication that will help with your pain so you can work and do PT without suffering so much.  

My husband has to work with a lot of back pain and his usual advice to anyone is to keep moving and keep working.  For him it keeps his mind occupied so he doesn't have to think about the pain, and it keeps his muscles from atrophy and his joints from getting stiff.  It still hurts, but he's managed to keep his strength up and says he feels better when he moves his back than when he lays down all day.
I hope that you're able to get the pain under control so you can take care of your family without suffering.

[nelson1]

How can I stop taking oxys for pain
And maybe stay on TyLenol 3 for my chrOnic back pains I want to stop taking
The oxys but the w d s are bad but the 3s help me and I don't feel the w ds as bad from nelson1 thx

[MamaAng]

Wow, I am so sorry!  I can't imagine dealing with my CP and being the bread winner (although I did it for a year while my husband and I were separated, and it was extremely hard working full time in pain, but I was on meds).  I was 28 when I was ref. to my pain clinic, they put me on Gabapentin (NOT a narcotic but very good for nerve pain, it takes the edge off) and Hydrocodone.  I am 31 and they just had to up me to oxycodone b/c my minor disc bulge further ruptured and is now very large and extremely painful and I am being forced to look into surgery.  Anyway, I was not denied narcotic treatments, but I have done EVERYthing I was told.  PT, injections (LESI's x6), and I have never ever asked to be bumped up on meds.  You have a right to pain mgmt.  PT is very painful, but it helps.  Meds have many pros/cons but they help.  Everyone has to jump through hoops, it is a process.  You have to fail plan A to get to plan B and you have to fail A and B to get to C, it's not fun.  I wish you well.  

[sandee1818]

Hi Slikk730,
  Welcome to the pain management community. I am glad you found us. being the breadwinner of the family and having to deal with chronic pain is very difficult I imagine. having to deal with the pain with no aide is hard enough without having the responsibility of the financial obligations of caring for your family. Relationships are often affected too as we do hurt and seem to withdraw from out loved ones not wanting to burden them. Support is very important and needed when dealing with this.
I would suggest seeing a pain management doctor if you haven't and if the Doctor you did see was a PMP then it may be time to see a new one for a second opinion. Now you will be expected to try the things they offer such as the PT but there should also be pain management. Let the doctor know your willing to do what he/she suggest you try but that you do need help managing the pain too.
We have all been there where we had to try the different options such a PT and the injections, etc and it does take time finding what works best for our pain personally but you do need a Doctor willing to treat your pain.
In the meantime you can try heat/ice and inflammatories and Tylenol. The thermacare heat packs and things such as Salon Pas or Ben gay may help too.
I do hope you get some relief soon:)