Hello all..

[Guest guest]

I am new here and seriously need some support on how to regain

control of my life from just finding out last week that I have a

condition called degenerative longstanding inflammatory disc disease in my back.

I joined two pain groups last nite so I will give a somewhat detailed

description of what I have been going through, the same thing that I posted on

the other

group, because I cant sit here very long.

Well I have had back pain all my life, but finally now after 34

years it has finally come out as to why I have suffered, as stated

above. To start with, my pain was intermittent up until July of

2005. I used to be able to relieve the pain by laying down, heating pads or icy

hot gel rubbed on my back. For the most part my back pain was always in my lower

back, right on the left side of my spine. I have gone to 3 different

chiropractors to try and relieve the pain, but they always seemed to make it

worse.

In July, I was leaving to take my son to football practice and when I went to

lift my right leg to get in the car, I got an intense, severe, killing pain in

my lower back and dropped to the ground. I laid there for almost an hour

waiting for an ambulance. They took me to the hospital and all the ER doctor

did after I explained what happened, was give me a shot of pain killer in one

leg and some other pain killer in my other leg, both at the same time and sent

me out the door.

By the time I got out the door to a friends vehicle, I was on the

ground again and she drove me over to another hospital in a

neighboring town. They admitted me and we fought that the doctor thought I had

kidney stones. Well coming from a person who had 3 kidney stones, I informed him

that this was not the case. I demanded an MRI and got one. That took the pain

completely away.

He came back and told me that I had 2 herniated discs. I was

hospitalized for a week. When I left the hospital, I could not walk

on my own and had to go home with a walker. The pain was so

severe. The meds they were giving me by iv were not even touching the pain. I

was sent home with a hospital bed and lived in that for about a month. I was

then and still am unable to take care of myself, my son or my family. I can not

stand up at the bathroom sink to comb my hair, brush my teeth. I have a raised

toilet seat as well as a shower seat. I cant stand up straight. And every

little move I make, sends a severe shooting pain in the left bottom of my back.

A pain so intense I almost pass out from it. Besides that, the regular everyday

pain is there.

I have had a shot in my spine right after I got out of the hospital, that took

some of the pain away, but not really. Anyways, after the doctor in the

hospital telling me to never come back and see him, I got a referral to go see a

neurosurgeon, with the hopes of maybe surgery or something else to take my pain

away.

I saw him Sept. 13, 2005. This was a week ago. I received news I never thought

I would ever hear. He told me that surgery wont do a thing for me and I have

more than 2 herniated discs. I have

Degenerative longstanding inflammatory disc disease.

His orders were to go home and live with it, continue with shots and lose

weight. He told me I was screwed and I would have this pain the rest of my life

as it gets worse as the disease travels across the rest of my spine.

Right now, my state of mind is warped, clueless, and tons of

uncertaintity of what my future holds, how I am supposed to live the rest of my

life, how my kid is supposed to cope with this, since he cooks for me, does the

dishes and does all the house cleaning and he is only 11. I need some help,

ideas, clues whatever to keep me going.

My husband is gone all week as a car hauler and its just my

son and I here. And now that he is in school, it has been extremely

difficult to take care of myself. I am way to young for this crap.

I have just filed for disability online, but still have to get my

medical release forms to them and my other documents they need, but

since I can barely drive, I cant even get to the office to get it

done.