Age 21-diagnosed with Osteoarthritis/DJD/DDD, sent to about 3 neurosurgeons/neuroligist,1 Ortho, 1 Arthritis doctor. Acute pain-no meds.
Age 24-Disc herniations throughout my spine added to list with depression and major pain, numbness, loss of balance, headaches Anti-immflamatorys, all diff ones and lots of them declared legally disabled.
Age 28-loss of memory added to those as well as increased numbness and pain sent to about 12 or so doctors and pain clinics, shots on many occasions, with a lot more pain taken off Anti-Im, do to stomach pain and put on Ultram/2 50mg 4x daily, and Neurontin 600mg 3x daily plus 2 bed time for sleep.
Age 31-Several Doctors said to add Fibromialgia to the list and I am being treated by an Arthritis doctor that has sent me to many other specialists so many I can't keep track, they all sent me back to him and said couldn't be helped or they left the clinics many other excuses and I only took Narcotic pain meds for 3 months by one doctor at a pain clinic that decided since the shots were not helping me I had to go back to the Arthritis doctor that sent me.
I am always sent back to him and he always takes me and trys to help me. Although now that I am at the top of Ultram and cant take any more I need help. He will not prescribe me anything that is a Narc because he usually only sees older people and started seeing me as my cousin recommended him which now he probably regrets. He is the only doctor that ever helped me and I am always scared he is going to retire because he is older. Also I have no idea what to do or where to go. He will refer me to a place if I call and let him know but I just don't know. My sister who has 1/4 the problems but 10 years older has never had trouble getting help and is now on the Duragesic patch which she says is great because the ups and downs are not as bad and there is a small amount of breakthrough pain. He will not even consider trying anything else but will continue to give me what I take now forever. I know I am 31 which is very young but it is not my fault and I am just tired. I can't sleep I now have Crpl. Tnnle. in both wrists, have a lot of accidents because I lose balance I just have no quality of life. I have 3 girls 12, 4, 1. I barely made it through the last 2 pregnancy's. I wanted to die the pain was so bad but I made it through without meds. I did it for my baby because it isn't her fault either. Every where I have gone I have been treated like a drug seeker because of my age. I have all the proof of everything wrong a ton of MRI's CTs, everything you can have done I am prob. glowing from it. I am tired of being treated like a drug seeker when what I want is help. I have tried everything except for Narcotic pain relief. I hate taking 16 pills a day total in front of my kids. My daughter 4, I see her playing tea and she acts like she is taking a pill and I ask her why and she says she wants to be like mommy. I have tried to get into tests for artificial discs but are for 1 or 2 not many and was turned down. I can make it to tulsa, or even fayetteville if someone can tell me who to go to. I am sick of doctors and I think I may have a nervous breakdown if I go to one more that says lets try shots or raising your neurontin, or anything else that won't help because I have done it all many times because I kept thinking maybe it will help this time, maybe they will help me this time, and listen to me. But they never do help and they never do listen so I am asking you. Can you please help me figure out what to do to get quality of life back for my kids, so I can play catch with my daughter again for the first time in so many years I can't remember. I have always been an athlete I know I may not get that back but I do know that I can live with a lot less pain right now not in 20 years when I am older because I won't make it that long before I give up. There is to much out there that can help me for doctors to be so afraid of helping patients. I am a help seeker, I am a quality of life seeker but please don't call me a drug seeker. None of them actually said it but I could always tell because I have 4 nurses in my family and was in school to be a nurse when I became disabled.
