I'd love to network with fellow pain pts. who have the same issue I do: PAIN! Pain has been a part of my life for so long. I have learned many ways to live life with pain. I have such a long list of issues in my spine, if I had to pick just one, that would be Spinal Stenosis. I have bone pieces (Osteophytes) that are growing out of the vertebrae and into my Spinal Cord. I am post-surgical times 2, the last surgery called, "The BIG One." lol What back surgery isn't, right? The surgery was called a "Costotransversectomy with Fusion", at T-9/10. They wanted to go in Anteriorally to fix the disc that was herniated to the left anterior. Most herniate to the rear, making entrance to the disc much easier in the posterior approach. I was not a candidiate for going to the Nation's only Neurosurgeon that does this Anterior approach surgery using scopes, so you end up with only band-aid scars! He felt I was too risky of a case, and although the posterior approach had a higher incidnence of morbidity, there was no other choice. I was in so much pain that I was going to go along with any approach! The post-op pain was known to be the highest after this, and the longest, and the strictest; and oh it was.
Zoom ahead 7 yrs., and here I am; blessed with a Pain Doctor that listens, is empathetic, almost like a therapist also, since they have only to go on what we say, and pain is subjective; only WE know what it feels like. Only WE can tell that it is burning, stabbing, constatn, throbbing, hot, cold, and other descriptive words for our pain.
I just started a Blog on Chronic Pain, feel free to stop by and read/comment. It's just my life in Chronic Pain. You all know about that!!
Shauna 
YIKES why such a big picture???? sorry! 
