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dockside
- Location: St. Adolphe d'Howard, Quebec, Canada
- Gender: Female
- Birthday: July 28, 1952
- Bio: Retired Computer Networking Specialist teaching network managers
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HEALTH INTERESTS:
Sciatica, Back Pain, medications, new treatmentsDRUGS I AM TAKING:
Neurontin, Oxycontin, Celebrex, effexor, estrace, Calcium with Vitamin D, famvir, crazy generic name for constipation, occassionally as needed flexeril, seupedol as my BT medABOUT ME:
I can not tell you how talking to others who are in pain 24/7 has improved my outlook on life and general well being. Below is my introductory letter to anyone. Thank God Betty answered in such a caring and friendly way. This is only the tip of the iceberg of course but it lets you know a bit about me. Introduction letter Hi, This is my first time on any online forum. That is how desperate I am. Before June 4th 2006 I was a very active 54 year old woman, ladies golf captain, competitive bridge player, computer specialist, wife, mother of 7 adult children (3 mine and 4 step), badminton captain, volunteer etc. I have had back issues since I was 17 with 2 minor surgeries, one at 16 and one at 17, but I have always managed to overcome the pain, or muscle spasms or what ever.........no nerve pain involvement. I injured my back on June 45h gardening and digging. The nerve pain (sciatica) was acute with muscle spasms that didn't allow me to stand up. I was in bed for a year and a half almost completely except for doctors appointments, therapies and medical tests. My marriage fell apart and ended last November leaving me pretty much alone. I am still grieving the loss of my marriage and husband. My seven children have their own lives all over North America. My parents are still alive and live near by. They are more active than I am and they can't understand why it is going on so long. My 2 siblings have their own families and their own health issues to cope with and don't live nearby. My close friends now call only occasionally.......they have moved on with their lives and they don't know what to do. If they could only understand what a gift to me it is just to have some one to listen sometimes. They don't have to try to fix me.......just listen so that I can let some of my frustrations out.......not at them just release it. Now, after 2 1/4 years and many MRI's the diagnosis is a combination of things, of course. The neuro surgeon thinks that I have central pain from past surgeries when I was 16 & 17 which is just now giving me symptoms because of the injury to my Piriformis muscle while gardening. I have also had 5 different abdonminal surgeries which has pretty much destroyed my pelvic floor muscles.....to say nothing about the adhesions. The Physiatrist (for those not from Quebec, this is a doctor specializing in Orthopaedics but does not do surgery) agrees with all the pain medicines for the Neuropathy and he gives me cortisone shots in my hips and at different levels of my spine regularly. The shots help alleviate the acute pain for short periods of time. Sometimes this works better than others. He also agrees with the twice a week treatments given by my Osteopath. My neurologist is mostly just interested in any changes to my nerve damage and function. (also the changes in my MRI for degenerative disk disease and foraminal narrowings). She is in charge of the medication aspect of my treatment along with my family doctor. My Osteopath, Bruce, is fantastic. He knows my body inside and out. He has been able to help relieve the acute pain........even if it doesn't hold. I need twice a week treatments. My family doctor is also a great support but I see him once a month. Between appointments I just hold on. I have also been seeing a Psychologist who has really seen me through some difficult times. My life is mostly having medical appointments and therapies. They all agree that they don't want to do tradition back surgery on me for fear of making it worse. They all agree that the type of laser surgery offered in the states and not in Canada might really help me BUT this will cost me $30,000 which I don't have. They all agree that I need to strengthen my core muscles but I can't do that until the acute pain is less. How can I still have acute pain 2 years later? They also all agree that I have acute chronic pain. I can't sit for more than 15 minutes without paying for it later. I am sitting on the sciatic nerve. It is better in the morning but the gravity of being upright on my spinal nerves progresses during the day and by 3 pm I can't do anything......even prepare dinner. What spurred me to write all this and try the forum is because yesterday (Friday afternoon) my mother visited and said I needed to change my attitude and ignore the pain and join in. She became angry when I said she didn't understand. She went home abruptly without working through our communication problem. I cried all Friday night and most of Saturday. It took be until Sunday to get back some self confidence to continue my life as best I can. What a waste of what little energy. How can I handle situations like this better? I have also been struggling with a chronic sinus / tooth infection for the past year. I had the tooth pulled 4 weeks ago. I have a dry socket, the dentist chipped my upper jaw bone in the process of pulling the tooth and this may need more surgery and the sinus is still swollen and productive. I tell you this only because this pain is the kind of pain you can ignore and continue with your life as my mother tells me to do. I do ignore it...........it is so secondary to my back and leg pain and such a different pain. The acute chronic sciatica, muscle spasms, leg and back pain drains me of energy so quickly now. It has been too long and my muscles have atrophied. I can be doing something in a somewhat normal fashion (example shopping at the grocery store) and all of a sudden my legs feel like dead weights. I literally am dragging my feet using the grocery cart to support me. I head to the door, car and home as fast as I can. If I lie down for an hour so that my legs recuperate, I can then move "normally" for me again for short periods of time for the rest of the day. How do I better explain all this to my family and friends? I have tried but I also understand that they can't understand and because they can't understand they pull away from me. How do I let them know they can't fix it anymore than I can wave a magic wand and fix it myself? How do I tell them that it is so important to me now that I am alone to have contact with them regularly and please friends and family, forgive me if I cry when I hear all that they are doing that I can't do with them?PHOTOS:
ROLES:
Living With It in Chronic Pain
RECENT ACTIVITY Notify me when there are new posts
dockside answered Laser Spine Surgery
10/13/09
dockside answered Laser Spine Surgery
08/15/09
dockside answered Laser Spine Surgery
05/21/09
dockside asked Laser Spine Surgery
01/12/09
12/27/08
dockside answered have chronic pain like sciatica but nothing showed up on MRI
11/23/08
dockside commented on Dockside Introduction
10/16/08
dockside commented on Dockside Introduction
10/16/08
dockside commented on Dockside Introduction
10/16/08
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