I was injured in late 2000 in a job related accident. I was one who as my lawyer put it "slipped through the cracks", and well, screwed by the system. Come to find out years later, that I had a solid case. I still have most of the paper proof. I have spent everything I've made and on credit cards, trying to get relief from the pain. Chiropractors, Rx meds and even internet meds I'd take pain meds to get through the day at work and have to take meds to get 4 to 6 hours sleep. I am out of resourses, jobless. As soon as my feet hit the floor, it's as if I'm walking on tacks and stabbing back pain that NEVER lets up! I have 2 kind of days, bad and real bad! No one will listen or hear me! I'm a white, 53 year old male. I need help now! The only option left is, well not so unthinkable at this piont! What do I do now? Where and who do I turn to? My goverment doesn't care. No one cares! Is it true? Am I just "one who fell through the cracks"?
Q: I have cronic pack pain. Unbearable pain. I can't work with this pain that gets worse every day.
What a difficult situation. If you weren't able to get disability from your job and have you tried to get government disability. I wouldn't presume to know how to take away your pain but I can tell you that courses have been developed for people for whom, unfortunately, drugs and other therapies haven't worked. They utilize meditational/mindfulness techniques to turn down the 'arousal' of your system and help reduce your pain levels.
If you look at your situation you can find multiple stress triggers; the pain, the loss of your job, the lack of resources, the fact that you slipped through the cracks-you have lots of triggers for system arousal. It turns out that being unable to relax results in increased pain levels. Studies have shown that being unable to sleep well results in increased pain levels. Being under tension increases pain levels.
The MBSR courses seek to turn down overactive systems and afford you increased relaxation and feelings of well-being. This is not to say that your pain will disappear but these courses can offer increased quality of life. You might want to check them out - they could help. Good luck!
http://www.umassmed.edu/cfm/mbsr/
Kenneth,
It sounds to me like you have been the victim of bad medical care. You said that your injury happened at work. Do you still have a workers comp case open, or is that all settled?? If it is settled, did it provide for future medical issues, or did your lawyer close the case, period.
If that is the case and you don't have insurace right now, you might want to check into University Hospitals in your area, to see if they have free clinics/pain clinic that you can go to. A lot of the teaching hospitals offer free or low cost clinics for people that are uninsure or under-insured, and they have some of the best care that you can get anywhere!
You mention that you work. Do you have insurance at work? If you do, you need to find a good pain management Doctor and a good Neurosurgeon or an Orthopedic surgeon that can do some MRI's and other studies to find out what the source of your pain is, and what can be done about it. Unfortunately, if we as patients don't take charge of our own situation, no one else will! I've always said, that I am my best advocate, and with everything that I have been through medically, I had to knock on doors, I had to drive 2 hours to be able to see the best Doctor's in my area, etc...
So maybe you need to do some research and find out what you can do in your area in order to help your situation out. I hope that you can find good Doctor's that can help you out really, really soon. Take care,
Almost the exact thing happened to me 2 yrs ago, got to the point where I couldnt work, just too much pain. Could not prove it happened at work, and most nlikely was wear and tear, but instead of taking that..oops I fell off the ladder, I just took a leave from work, still paid my insurance every week. This lasted for about 6 mos. Insyrance paid for Pain Specialist, injections meds, until one day, mention of surgery came up, not one week later, I got a packet from my insurance saying I was cancelled due to PRE-EXISTING CONDITION, know what it was? Degenerative Disc Disease!
So after 10 months of waiting for Medicaid Disability to kick in, because they denied me the first time, like clockwork, not SSS, just Medicaid. While I waited 8 months for an appeal, that of course I won, I have, used to have a L5-S1 disc, which was obvious from the MRI, which was done before being denied, had to pay for Dr. and meds out of pocket!
All I had to do to keep from losing everything I own was, not even fake an injury, just fill out an accident form. Sorry this is so long, but my wife, 2 kids and I now live with my 80 yr. old father, who if it wasnt for family, who knows where we would be!
Waiting for SSD, now, been 1 yr and a half, and I'm actually getting pushed through fast! Work your a@# off, pay in, then when ya need it, it takes losing everything to get it back...if you do! So, yes I understand how ya feel, just gotta take each day as it comes, and hope ya can cope!
Good luck, and sorry for rambling, but at 38 yrs. old, its not looking too bright on the horizon. I'll pray for you and yours!
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