Hi, I am a 26 year old male, avg. height and weight. I've had neck problems since I was 16 and back problems since I was 21. No one has ever been able to tell me whats wrong with my neck, but I injured it when I was dropped on my head in wrestling camp when I was still in high school. My back started bothering me about four years ago while I was pressure washing a house. A thoracic MRI last year revealed that I have 3 herniated discs in my mid back, which is causing some of my back pain. Lately, my lower back has been hurting right at the base of the spine and it runs down my hip and leg. Let me first of all say that I have been to a chiropractor several times, had physical therapy twice, had an epideral, steroid injections, deep massage, etc. and the problems seem to just get worse and worse. I have been taking muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatory medication for about a year now. I was just referred to another pain management specialist, who ordered an MRI of my lower back and an x-ray of my neck. She gave me lidocain patches and more anti-inflammatories, and prescribed more physical therapy with weekly motrin injections into my spine. Her preliminary prognosis of my back from strength tests is that I have problems between C3-5, T3-7, L4-5, and S1. I have not gotten an MRI of my lower back yet (waiting for my appt.), so I can't say exactly what the problem is, but I have been in CONSTANT pain for the last 3 weeks or so. I can't stand or sit for more than 15-20 minutes at a time without having to switch. Getting out of bed and into/out of cars is torture. Even worse is climbing stairs.
I am leaving Monday for a week to California on a business trip, and I am dreading the plane ride. I made a doctors appointment for Friday, and I'm hoping they can prescribe me some type of pain medication to take with me. I am worried, though, because the last two times I went to the doctor, I've asked for pain medication, and they've told me either I don't need it, or they don't want to prescribe me any. Instead I get muscle relaxers and anti-inflammatories and lidocain patches, which feels like putting a band-aid on a bullet wound to me. I had to go to the ER 2 days after my appointment because my back hurt so bad and it felt like my spine was sticking out of my back almost, and they gave me 6 vicodin to hold me over til I saw my doctor, who told me I don't need pain medicine. I do NOT just want pills to get high off of or whatever, but I feel like I am treated as such. I am a young man with back pain, and I've been told over and over that I am too young to have these types of back problems, but that does not make them go away and I am extremely frustrated jumping through hoops to try and correct this problem, but not getting ANY help to get through with my day to day life without having to lay down on a heating pad all night after I get off work. So I guess my question is... what do I need to do to get someone to help me?