Back Pain Support Group

Among a couple of other things. It seems so overwhelming to the doctors It's not just my neck degeriorating which a (maniacal) neurosurgeon said he would perform bone surgery (without details, I don't think so), it's also 5 and 6 and that area that are degenerating, it's also my lower back which feels as if the nerves in my hips are completely exposed at times. I'm almost completely bed-ridden. I've had ONE doctor outside of the "network" who seemed very confident explain I have degenerative disc disease. The double sway back has been evident for years. I guess most people with double sway don't experience much pain? Well, everything is out of "whack" and I cannot walk well nor function well doing anything else. I've tried massive amounts of drugs and down to 5mg Lortab every 10-12 hours because I feel better overall with the reduction (and was recommended by the doc, rightfully so) but at times I need more and hope to keep that as "occasional".

Will going to the gym and working out help? I know "rehab" and it does help maintain movement, but does not increase it because my symptoms seem severe. I'm afraid I really do need surgery to help break this cycle and, at least, remove those god awful knife-stabbing-make-me-scream pains away. Fortunately, they're not all the time but at least once or twice a day - if not more. Sometimes all "three" of my issues go off at the same time for whatever reason. I still have some morphine on hand to handle those situations as I begin to have suicidal ideations when I am in that stage. It's horrible when that happens. Yet, most don't understand or are afraid of dealing with that much pain - especially doctors unaware of the real problem which I have yet to fully have diagnosed.

I see a new doctor and, like many year, I don't know what to say or do any more. It's all dependent upon whether a doctor actually wants to deal with the real issues at hand or act as if I am someone else and not really in that much pain. For instance, to side-skirt the issues most doctors (three, for me, so far) have clinically diagnosed me with fibromyalgia of which the medications make me violent and intensify the back pain/nerve pain while making my hands, feet and hips and bladder feel better. I just don't know what to do. I haven't filed for disability, yet. We have barely any income sufficient to keep the lights on from time to time. It's odd that a case of fibromyalgia is suitable for disability in my state but not a broken back via degenerative disc disease (unless you're really old). All this hypocrital behavior drives me crazy and traumatizes me emotional making those moments of suicidal ideation even worse.

I'm just lost and completely confounded why this the medical system is so difficult to just. do. their. job.

Would it help if I signed a waiver removing my right to sue? I need to at least have a professional and experienced opinion on these matters. I really don't want to be in a nursing home by the time I am 50. I'm 42 now so, technically, I'm too young to have all these problems. Life has been tough and very stressful for me. What can I do about that?

Have you considered a pain management clinic? Some have excellant Physical Therapists, along with chronic pain groups. Sometimes the emotional part of pain is as bad, or in some cases worse than the physical part. A friend of mine told me about mindfulness meditation CD's. I know it sounds weird, but it does seem to calm the mind down. In alot of cases, degenerative disc disease does not require surgery. Sometimes other muscles come in to play. My psoas muscle (in front), was so tight, it was pulling my low back, causing nerve pain. I know it's very discouraging, but don't give up. I am facing some unknowns again, as far as my back, and it scares me, but I'm trying to keep focused on today. If you're going to try and work out, do so with a physical therapist. Light stretching is what they will start with. Good luck, and one day at a time.

Thanks for replying, Mcrough. It's interesting because nothing has changed. I never did go see that doctor. I stopped taking all my medications including my heart medications. I still have some opiates left because my last doctor over prescribed them. Occasionally, I feel desperate and naturally seek out help from forums such as this one. One I come I am reminded I cannot utilize them or share information with people because I do not have any clue what is exactly wrong. The double sway back with degenerative disc disease is assumed on my part because it just makes sense and, of course, it's OBVIOUS when my back LOOKS crooked and i can hear the bones deteriorating in my neck. I can feel my vertebrae shift around in my lower back from time to time. It happened the other day when my husband came up to me to hug me. He had only placed his hands on my middle back before even putting any pressure on. Next thing I know I'm screaming in pain, calming my mind down and holding my breath while I feel two or three bones in my lower spine literally wiggle around igniting the nerves. It's common place for me to cease all movement sometimes while the bones in my back "settle in" in such a manner. For god's sake it's mortifying to live in the 21st century with modern technology and be forced to deal with these matters as if I live in the dark ages. I hate alcohol but hard liquor in my cabinet has become common place. Now that my mind is more sober than it was a few months ago I am, literally, terrified to set foot into another doctor's office lest they kill me - as was my almost from the last doctor - from drug interactions. Oddly, it wasn't the opiates but the "wonder" drugs designed to allow the doctor to ignore real treatment and help me feel better so I'll just shut up and go away. Looking back, I'm pretty certain my back injuries were worsened because I was on too many opiates and couldn't tell. Pain does have a purpose. Everyone is afraid to even ADDRESS what's going on with me. I am TERRIFIED of medical care. Not just the doctors but the well-meaning personnel who all "play doctor" behind everyone else's back OR the ones constantly enabling incompetent doctors. Looking back the physical therapists were using standardized routine exercises and making me perform things my body is no longer capable of doing because THEY HAD NO CLUE WHAT WAS REALLY WRONG because the doctors did not diagnose me. I can't do it even though I know from experience after about 3 months without some type of relief from pain I will once again become suicidal from agonizing pain. It is absolutely incredible how horrific my experiences have been. I don't need meditation to calm my nerves when I'm already smart enough to have stuff going. I actually need a doctor that does not seem to exist and a stupid diagnosis would be a decent start, but I cannot bring myself to go back. It was too traumatic. I now loving call doctors "Taco Bell" doctors that have been efficiently trained in the practice of medicine for pre-existing illness of which we are most familiar. Anything requiring actual engagement for diagnosis, critical thinking, evaluation - much less an examination of which I've never had - is totally thrown out the window, the patients are to be blamed, a plethora of blanket medications are to be administered and the patient encouraged to just shut up about it. Can you imagine? The doctors have been prescribing hordes of heroine-similar opiates to me and not a one has ever even touched me; much less performed a physical examination or even watch my gait? Now, let's not forget that doctors do save people's lives and routinely help people. Ninety-five percent of the time when that happens someone is 1) Getting wealthy and 2) gaining a certain amount of prestige. If those things are not present, the patient is screwed. Qui Quang (Chi Kung), a prerequisite to Tai Chi in martial arts, is a very good exercise and extremely difficult to do but helpful to maintain some muscle strength in light of disabilities or inability to move much. It is also very good at increasing mental fortitude and concentration abilities as well as calming anxiety. It does require one to be able to stand, though.

Doctors are no on my list along with lawyers. Oh yeah. There are a few out there ....but not anywhere near me. I'm more inclined to think if there is a competent doctor available they are, most likely, crowded out by a system that has politicized everything to impotency. They couldn't be a good doctor if they wanted to. The system won't allow it.