<><><>It has been a while since I have posted anything here and I apologize. I enjoy reading your posts and I do believe that if we live with something like chronic pain perhaps by sharing our experiences someone else might gain some new insight or method of managing it from what we have already gone through. I know I have gained alot of emotional support from reading about other people's experiences, both good and bad, and it is also very validating to know that someone out there understands what I am physically experiencing with my pain, and how that is affecting me emotionally, socially, and physically.
<><><>For the past six months or so I have been dealing with a pulmonary problem which includes chronic and persistent coughing fits, low oxygen levels in my blood and shortness of breath. I have been having a series of tests, but so far have no diagnosis. I was scheduled for a biopsy of my lung to try to diagnose some of the abnormalities that showed up on the CT Scan, but once they sedated me there were complications and they couldn't do it. I am taking high dosages of steroids and antibiotics now and in about six weeks I'll have another CT Scan to see if the problems still show up. So in addition to all the other illnesses, and the pain and problems that come with them, I know am dealing with this. Whis is partly why I haven't posted.
<><><> If you've read my other post you know I have lived with pain since I was 12 years old, which is over 40 years now. I have had five spinal surgeries, and also have Multiple Sclerosis for sometime now. In addition, since 2001 I have broken five bones in bad falls, which required 8 surgeries, including a total hip replacement. As a result of a bad infection I got when a rod was put in my right leg from the knee to my ankle I developed cellulites, an infection.
<><><>As a result of the five surgeries I had on my right leg, 3 related to the rod and trying to manage the infection and two on my hip, some lymph nodes were damaged causing my lymphatic fluid system to be compromised, resulting in Lymphedema, and when the fluid doesn't circulate my legs swell as much as 3 or more times their regular size and it activates the cellulites so I often have very large, red, very painful legs, as I do now. It is treatable, but takes a long time to respond to treatment.
<><><>And last but not least because I think it makes it more difficult for me to fight any of the other illnesses, I have severe obstructive sleep apnea, which means that I stop breathing about 50 times an hour, disturbing my sleep to the point of waking me up if I don't breathe long enough. I now use a machine that pushes air through a mask over my nose which has reduces the frequency of apnea to about 30 times an hour, still way too much.
<><><> I have gotten the contstant pain from my back under control since 2000 when I had an intrathecal pump implanted that delivers morphine, baclefen and bipivicaine to my central nervous system. Up until recently I would have told you that there are days I don't even think a bout pain, and that would have been true. There are still those days, but they aren't as frequent, no fault of the pump, but as my legs get worse my skin becomes even more painful and that is nerve pain I believe. Plus when I get the bad coughing fits I tend to pull all the muscles in my back and chest, which even the pump needs a little help to handle and I have to take additional pain medicine for breakthrough pain, which I rarely had to do as recently as six months ago.
