23 chronic back pain for 12years no diagnosis. Help?????

[jane_pain]

Hi there,

I am 23 years old and have had chronic lower back/hip pain for around 12 years nows and i still haven't got a diagnosis. I have had every scan/xrays/treatments there is going, but everyone single one has shown nothing that is abnormal. The pain is constant and unbearable and is mainly in my lower back, hip and really sore buttock area, but i also get milder pain in my neck, swollen knees and ankles. I have tried most pain killers and i am now taking morphine in tablet form and also liquid morphine, and at such a young age i worry how long i will have to go on without an answer and taking such strong prescribed drugs. I have seen so many doctors one that recently told me he had done everything he could and there wasn't anything else he could do and to "just get on with my life!" I am really depressed and i need an answer, i need to know what my future holds, i can't b on morphine all my life and not know why... even if there isn't a cure, i  just need a diagnosis. I'm always looking for suggestions to go back to my doctor and ask about to try and find a diagnosis, so if you suffer from something simular i would be grateful to hear from you.

[jane_pain]

Thank-you so much for your posts every one, it means a lot to me. It's also a big comfort to hear from somebody my age who has something similar!

I have had a massive kick in the teeth recently and it has totally knocked me back down, it involves my doctor. I thought i finally had found an understanding doctor who actually went the extra mile for me and was determined to help me get an answer to my suffering. (I have been here once before where a doctor promised me the world and then took the rug from beneath me, and i learnt then, to cope and just get on with the fact i didn't know what was wrong etc) But this doctor gave me some hope, he said he would never ever stop trying to find me an answer to why i suffer so much, i was thrown a life line once again, so i took it with both hands. As it stands now to cut a long story short, after every single test imaginable he got fed up with me and told me that he think's "i don't want to get better" (Despite my every effort in finding out what’s wrong with myself  over 12 years!!) and i was too "negative" (perhaps i'm a little depressed!) He was really unprofessional and started shouting and pointing in my face. (I think he was upset because he had never failed to get a diagnosis before, apart from with me!!) He got so nasty with me i ended up crying and storming out the doctors.

I really don't know what to do now though as i can't go back to him the way he treated me. I had so much hope and motivation when i thought there may be a diagnosis (even if it's not a cure at least i know what my future will hold) but now i feel totally depressed and i am crying uncontrollably all the time. I really don't want to just give up on trying to find someone who might be able to help me, because if i do then surely that is giving up on myself and my future?? At least if i knew i was to have it for the rest of my life i could then accept this and make the most of it- maybe i wouldn't be so ambitious etc. (My whole life depends on it because it is my life, weather i can have a career, children, etc.)

Just so you don't think i'm a weak and not getting on with my life here's a bit of background; My mother was in a very serious car crash and broke her spine in several places and is in a wheelchair, all my life i have seen how strong she is and how to cope with extreme pain. It's not like i am sat here doing nothing with my life, i am trying my hardest to get on with it but it is such a struggle and sometimes think what’s the point!!? I have managed to get my self a Degree, it took me longer than most and i was in agony i don't know how i managed it, but it did. I now really want to set up my own business, it's not like i haven't got motivation because i think that’s the problem with me.. i have TOO much and i want to just get on with it all but i can't with my condition.

As for ARTHRITIS i have been checked for this and apparently don't have it either.  I exercise every single morning in some hope that it might strengthen my back and help. It hasn't so far but i still stick to it. I also when i can go swimming to help built it up, but so far i just end up in more agony and think is it worth it when it's not done much so far!

I did have an accident at around the time when my back/hip’s started. I fell off a sea saw and the whole thing fell on top of me. I broke bones in my foot and my leg, and this was in Whales on holiday. At the hospital there they told me I should walk around on my cast as much as possible. However when I got back to my home town hospital, they said it was the worse thing I could do is walk on a broken leg. I think deep down that this much have something to do with it!? <Maybe I did something to the balance of my hips or something back then?( I have also fallen down marble stairs when I was younger and had to have operations on my knee.)

Might I just also mention that i do have the most brilliant and supportive boyfriend of 7years, which without him I don’t think I would be here today. He is a massive support, understands completely, massage’s me every single night and really helps me to cope with it, physically and emotionally. Despite how amazing he is and how he keeps me going it does obviously put a strain on our relationship)

Sorry that i have dribbled on a bit there, but i do feel slightly better for getting it off my chest lol!!

Let me know what you think and if there is anything you think you could recommend even if it's the smallest thing!

Thank-you so much everyone xx

[caca325]

I'm 23 and have experienced pain in the same areas for roughly 9 years, a recent car accident hasn't helped matters. There were times when I wouldnt want to get out of bed for days, nights I couldn't even sleep longer than an hour. But honestly what I have found is that you need to listen to your doctor and get on with life. I found a great personal trainer who taught me a lot, also I did a lot of research and I take a few holistic all natural supplements. Stretching is key! Do this every morning and night, you can go on youtube and type in back and neck stretches! Most important eating a healthy diet along with daily exercise has turned my life around completely. Some days are worse than others but you cannot allow your pain to control your life, as for the meds get off of them they are useless! Especially morphine-being on such a heavy drug takes a toll on your body and somewhere down the line you may run the risk of drug dependency. I know what you are going through, and its extremely hard but you need to take charge of your life and your body as much as possible, once you get into a habit/routine of your new life style things do generally turn around. My pain isn't completely gone but I will say I see a 75% improvement! I hope in time things will completely turn around, feel free to message me anytime.

[AZAFVET]

I am 64 and having similar pain problems.  Mine I know are caused by arthritis,  I have degenerative disk disease which causes all of those symptoms except for the swollen knees and ankles. I assume that you have seen a specialist in arthritis and rheumatism and they have ruled that out.

One other thought, given the age of onset, and the location of the pain, have you had any trouble your female functions?  I would check your OB/GYN to make sure everything is as it should be.

I certainly empathize with you and pray that you find the problem quickly!

[kiwigirl370]

hi jane_pain,
as a massage therapist, i have dealt with many people with this issue. if you have no injury to explain your discomfort, it could be more that your muscles have become stressed and are so contracted that you are suffering what is most easily described as cramps or the stitch in various muscle groups. you are suffering genuine pain but if the pain moves around different muscle groups, it is the "stress" or "muscle fatigue" from the muscles being contracted too much for too long that is causing a lot of pain. Morphine is the ultimate muscle relaxer - but if you rely on it to relax your muscles you are not learning to relax naturally or normally.
have you tryed massage - you would need to find someone who you trust and can give you simple gentle massage to begin with. deep tissue massge would be too painful to begin with. also simple relaxing treatments such as a soak in a spa pool or having a sauna - the heat can have a fantastic relaxing effect. medicine doesnot always come in the form of drugs - sometimes the underlying cause can be simply your posture - how you stand and sit and walk. at 23 your body has possibly learnt some bad habits but you are young enough to get correct - look into yoga for stretching exercises and posture correction.