extreem flare ups and new pain

[tristaann]

I am 25 years old and have been sufering from chronic pain from 4 grade 4 torn discs in my spine. Recently i have woken up from a new pain in my knees, legs, and i feel like i have cramps. This has been going on for over a week and i have a doctor and have labs to get done before i know why this is happening. Some mornings i wake up unable to walk to the alarm clock. I remember the last time i woke up unable to walk, it was the start of two very long painful years and im very afraid it is happening again. The last time the pain was in my feet from peripheral neuropathy pain from the torn discs. It took them two years to find the source of that pain. I could bareley work

Now im unemployed, looking for work, almost avoididng applying for jobs becuase of my worsening conditions. I also have adrenal insuficiency from the pain medication that im taking daily. it makes me tired, groggy, even spacey some days.

Can i get knee pain, joint pain from siatica or my torn discs in my lower spine? It could be a medication thing. How do i get back on track here and focus on finding work, finding the strength and motivation to look for work is hard. im so worried ill mess up yet another job becuase of this pain. anyone else going through this? i wish i were stronger, could just get out there and do it without these wories. any tips on how to deal with a worsening pain would be helpful, its hard to notice yourself deteriorate, very hard, especialy when the rest of your life is in a mess as well. (living with my mom, incerdible amount of debt, ect...)

Thank you anyone who can relate to me or takes the time to answer my questions, it is appreciated.

[tristaann]

Thank you everyone for your help! I do have a wondrful pain managment DR here in wisconsin who has looked at my knee and said i have burcitous. An inflimation of the ligament....itll go away on its own and it has. :) Im having an appointment with a pain psychatrist soon and upping the depression medication a bit. Its rough becuase i also have adrenal insuficiency and can feel very tired or low at times from that. Thank you for your help.

[Cindee56]

Especially considering you age, I think you might have to look beyond just the spinal thing.  Have you seen a rheumatologist?  Did they check for autoimmune diseases like lupus or RA?  And  you need a doctor who looks at more than just blood tests.  Some of these diseases don't show up in lab work.

I'm not saying there's not a problem with your spine (I have that too) but it may be more.

[Tuckamore]

Hello fellow Wisconsinite,

Otis has offered some good suggestions and information. Because you are from WI our Pain Management Clinic and Physicians are very different from those in other states. They will evaluate your condition and offer such treatments as steroid injections but they do not follow patients nor prescribe medications.

There are therapist that deal with trauma and pain issues, a good one may be difficult to locate but I encourage you to try.

I never put my life on hold waiting for an answer or solution. I just kept going. I suggest you have an evaluation to determine if you are fit for work and what kind of work you are best suited for given your pain and possible limitations. You may want to consider applying for SSDI if you have the backing of a physician.

Keep searching for a diagnosis (DX) and cause of your pain. I found my DX from a great D.O., possibly you may want to consider an clinical exam with a newer grad.

Best of luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing. We will look forward to your posts. We are here to support you.

Take Care,
Tuck

[OtisDaMan]

I'm going through a similar story concerning the back at home with the parents, medication issues, and return to work hassles. On this discussion group you will find a lot of people who can empathise with what you are going through.

With regards to the new occurrences of 'joint' pain in the knees and elsewhere, medication certainly can cause that. A change in condition in the lumbar spine may cause spinal cord compression, and that can also lead to muscular and joint pain. So unfortunately it isn't easy to pin down one factor as the cause. Your doctor might be able to provide some guidance on what try from here.

These days there are pain clinics that you may be referred to for help - you may be going to one already - and they can look at all of the issues surrounding chronic pain and its management.  They can assist you also in developing strategies for coping with the pain and reducing its impact upon your day to day life. For a few examples of where they may help:
* A lot of chronic pain people quite naturally get depression, and being depressed can really put a wrecking ball through your ability to manage with pain and with life in general. Sometimes depression can make the pain physically worse, so looking after mental health is doubly important.
*A common issue for chronic pain people is to defer "living" until they get a diagnosis and/or cure. This is a real trap: you may build up your hopes on getting fixed by a specialist, who might have a 6 month waiting list, and so you hold off on doing important things - seeing friends, shopping for new clothes, etc - until you are fixed. Then the appointment comes and the specialist cannot help your specific case, and the emotional merri-go-round begins anew. Psychologists - which pain clinics should have - may assist a chronic pain patient in avoiding this sort of natural but negative behaviour.
* Having an exercise plan that you can physically cope with. Chronic pain has a habit of encouraging the stay in bed behaviour, which inevitably leads to physical deconditioning of muscles important for stabilising posture. Exercise might be a 20 minute walk, even if it is broken up by a few pitstops. Perhaps hydrotherapy is useful.
* Assessment of appropriate medication(s), road-testing a medication, and managing with inevitable side-effects are all things that a pain clinic should provide to you.

All the best,
OtisDaMan