Denise Coleman

Health Interests

Back Pain,  Multiple Sclerosis,  Lymphedema,  Neuropathy,  Physical Disability

Drugs I am Taking

Denise Coleman has not shared any drug information.

About Me

I am a 57-year old woman who has had five back surgeries and has lived with chronic back pain since I was 12 years old, the pain increasing over time. In 2000 I had an intrathecal morphine pump implanted in my abdomen that delivers morphine, baclafen and bipivicaine to my spine through a catheter and has given me significant relief for the first time in many years; very rarely do I even have to take the oxycodone I have for breakthrough pain. A great thing about having medication delivered this way is the continuous flow maintains the pain relief at a steady level and I don't feel any of the groggy feelings of oral morphine. I am an advocate of pain management specialists and, if appropriate, the intrathecal pump. I also think that all doctors, regardless of specialty should be required to learn about chronic pain, pain management, and the impact chronic pain has on their patients. Unfortunately this is not currently taught as a subject in many medical schools. In 1980 a surgeon told me that when he operated, my 3rd spinal surgery, he noticed that I had no myelin around the nerves from my spine and I might have Multiple Sclerosis. No one followed up on this until 1997, when my symptoms began to interfere with my life. An MRI of my brain showed lesions and I was diagnosed with MS, a disease of the Central Nervous System that can cause various symptoms depending on where the lesions are located. Often progressive in nature, MS can be a disabling and devastating disease; added to the chronic pain and spinal problems I was already living with, it became impossible for me to continue working and I left my position of Vice President at a Metropolitan New York college in 1998. I do some consulting to non-profits and universities and am working on a book proposal that I hope to submit to literary agents and/or publishers this fall. I find these Share Posts to be informative and in many cases inspirational and I thank everyone for sharing a little of themselves and their experiences through their writing. I have one daughter who is an attorney and married to a great guy since 2005. My first grandson was born on August 7, 2008, making me the happiest woman on earth.