Hi,
I'm new to this site. I have lived with severe, chronic low back pain for the last 15 years. I am now totally disabled and unable to work in any way. I would like to interact with others who are going through the same problems as I am for support, to share ideas, to share frustrations and concerns. I am very anxious to "meet" you.
Elaine
hi, as betty jsut said you have come to the right place, many people have hhelped me on thhis site, wheni thought i was loosiing it :), altho i am sad that you have had to come here. what kind of pain do you have? a lot of people have probs with thier drs. and pin specialists, so join the crowd, sad to say, but true. i have probs with finding a connpassionate clinic and, the fact that it is 4 yrs since i have had cronic back pain, is just not acceptable. i also have probs with drs. UNDERMEDICATING me at ths point, whereas almost 4 years ago, i believe they were OVERMEDICATING me ...ah...to just get the correct amount or to actually FIX my back ( i do not want to take meds all my life, but if this is the way it is going to go, i wannt the correct amount)..i have lost my job, my husband and i are "on the edge" and i juust want MY life back...sorry to have gone on as i did and hope i didn't scare you away :) :), but truly you will find some of the most understanding , commpassionate people on tis site...if you ever need to vent...my shoulder is open :) the best to you, cindi
You have found a great bunch of people who understand chronic pain and the issues that go with it. I worked in an ER for 20 years ( now I'm unable to work )Working around doctors you learn a lot. For some reason the doctors I worked with would not prescribe Soma. None of them ever explained why. They didn't have problems prescribing all the other muscle relaxers........Flexeril,Zanaflex,Skelaxin..............etc Maybe one of the experts on this site will have an answer. It does seem strange that they would want to keep raising your morphine dose. Maybe they need to switch to another pain med that would work better. I've had chronic pain for 11 years after 5 back surgeries and 2 leg surgeries. I'm available if you need someone to talk to. I hope you have a low pain day today. Scooter
To all of you who responded to my post 5 days ago, I wanted to tell you how thrilled I was to finally find a group of people who "get it". I am a member of a caregiver support group (I take care of my 97 year old Mom with dementia). There I found people who were so understanding of the nightmare of caregiving, but totally clueless when it came to discussing pain and pain meds with them. They made me feel like an addict or a baby. One woman told me that since I was able to muddle through with the pain on meds, I should try to get off those horribly addictive meds and see how much more pain I could handle( hey, now there's a great suggestion, huh?). The answer, of course, was I can't handle ANY more pain---I can't even handle the pain I have now. I have waited 15 years to find just this kind of support group and I so appreciate hearing from all of you---I so understand what you experience and the frustration of pain meds withheld.
Thanks to all of you, Elaine
Elaine
Hello new friend. I am so glad that I returned to read the rest of your posts here.
I just now realized that we have another thing besides Chronic Pain in common. I too am a caregiver for my 94 yr old friend and I live part time at her house, (1/2 of every month) to help her around the house & manage her finances, bills, docs apts, meds, etc.
I would love to hear more about your cargiving experience and share with you, the trials and difficulties of trying to take care of both of us on a daily basis.
I have many struggles at trying to help her and take care of my pain too. She tries to understand, but I know it's tough on us both. Can't wait to hear from you again.
Hugs
Betty
Elaine
I'm sorry to hear about your setback!
I hope that your docs will get things figured out for you again and help you to be up & moving around a little bit very soon.
Don't you worry, we are always here and can be found easily by sending any one a private message too.
I'm looking forward to visiting with you more when your up to it.
Gentle Hugs & Well Wishes
Betty
Trying to deal with both of these horrific situations is overwhelming. I want to keep in touch with all of you--my neck is better, so I can write a few emails/day. I'll follow your posts--hang in there. The stress of caregiving (Mom is 97 years old and has advanced Alzheimer's) is a real killer and deadly to our backs/necks/wherever the pain is---the stress just goes right to my back and neck and I'm sure you have all had the same experience. There are so many days that I just don't want to get out of bed and face one more miserable day of pain, stress and dealing with Mom, whom I love dearly--it is a very difficult balance, but we have to take care of our own health or we will not be able to help with our loved one.
Take care,
Elaine
I feel like that quite alot right now. I tried to get my oldest brother to come down (since he's now retired) to stay here for a week so I could get away. Was I crazy? Must have been. So yes the pain gets to you and the whatever of being a 24/7 care giver does get to you and sometimes it is very dificult to take care of yourself. I'm hanging. My bed partner is a Thermaphore heatiing pad that stays plugged in year round ( I live in Fl.) and even tho I hate ice there are times when it is useful. I try to pace myself and remember to take my meds. I'll try to follow the post to.
Take care.
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Hello Elaine
It's a plesure to meet you and Welcome to the Chronic Pain Connection!
I'm happy that you've found us and just jump right in anywhere you'd like or feel comfortable.
If you have an questions, I will be happy to try and help you or find the answers for you.
Take Care and I hope your having an enjoyable Sunday
Betty
Thanks for the quick reply. I am pretty darn desperate and at the end of my rope with the pain specialists who are cutting my Soma (the only thing that helps) and, instead, want to increase the morphine er (from 1000mg/day to ??). I declined the offer for more morphine--I have cut it down to 200-300mg/day and I feel much better without the sledge hammer approach. I would love to know why it is that these doctors are so unwilling to prescribe muscle relaxants, yet offer me all the morphine, oxycontin, fentanyl patch that I want. I refuse to take any more morphine than I am right now, but with the recent decrease in soma from 6/day to 4/day, I am terrified about my future. It is so wonderful to have people who understand wht I am going through.