Re: breaking down back pain

[Guest guest]

From your link...Dr Deyo's suggestions are for ACUTE low back pain, not CHRONIC

pain. The suggestions are normal for a new injury and is the typical less

invasive way of doing things...and probably what most of us were told when

initially seeking treatment for our pain.

I am very happy that you are pain free without surgery, but your post seems to

look down on us poor sufferers who have had surgery or are looking into surgery.

And also to imply that we can create our own pain is humiliating. We get the

same attitude from doctors, friends, family, and strangers. We come here for

support, advise, and help...not to be told we are psychologically making

ourselves worse.

Maybe I just took this post wrong...with my pain levels and multiple pain

meds, it wouldn't be the first time.

And I am post lumbar fusion in 2003, currently with 4 bulging discs with two

nerve impingements, failed back syndrome, cervical spondy, DDD, and trying to

avoid more surgery for now. And I am active in life and in my medical care and

positive that things will get worse...that is what Degenerative Disc Disease

does...it get worse with no cure.

Carlene Farmer <birddog@...> wrote:

anyone see the Discovery Times Channel's report tonight on back pain? it is

going to be repeated tonight and shown 3 times tomorrow.

basically it said that back surgery is way over prescribed, up some 77% in a 5

year period; talked about the mind/body connection and how we can create our

pain. it made me thankful for my decision to not let the surgeon fuse 3/4 of my

spine, to not have any surgery but to take a more active, positive role in the

health of my back.

it did say that back surgery is justified in some cases but not nearly the

number of cases for which it is prescribed. and that MRIs are relied on too

much for surgical decisions. and that if a doctor suggests surgery, you should

seek 2nd, 3rd and even more opinions from different kinds of doctors because a

doctor who is earning 100's of thousands of dollars a year doing spine fusions

is going suggest spine fusion because that is what he knows, has been trained to

do. but it does not necessarily mean it is what i need to do for my back pain.

i have had at least 3 doctors tell me that i have the back of an 80 year old

person with arthritis, degenerative disks, scars, etc. i have also had another

3 doctors tell me that they have seen people with backs as bad or worse than

mine who are pain free, mobile and living a fine life. so i when i begin to ask

myself why those people were different than me, i started my current physical

and spiritual program to relieve my back pain and after several weeks, and

having many pain free days, i am glad for the non-surgical decision i made.

Dr. Deyo was quoted frequently in the program and here is a link to his article:

http://www.jaxmed.com/articles/wellness/backpain.htm

Carlene Farmer

" Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet

is fighting some kind of battle. "

[Guest guest]

Vivian,

sorry i certainly was not looking down on people who have had or are going to

have more back surgery. the Discovery program was about chronic pain and how

our tension can make it worse and that has certainly been the case for me and i

was not implying it was the case for every one. i gave just a few points from

the show which was an hour long and showed the results of different types of

approachs to back pain. they also basically said that it is really not known

what causes back pain. many times people who have surgery, like myself (and i

was trying to talk about myself not anyone else in the group), end up having as

much or more pain than before. for some people the surgery does correct the

problem but with a huge increase in back fusion and no overall increase in back

problems it has to make me as a patient wonder why i am being told that i need

to have my back fused. i have many degenerative disks, 14 bulging disks,

stenosis, arthritic spurs, scar tissue and i have found a way to deal with all

of this and my mental depression and tension and anxiety w/o the huge operation

and recovery period of a 3/4 spinal fusion and some cervical neck fusion.

we learn by doing our own research and listening to others. i was not trying to

tell you or any one else what to do or not to do only what the program presented

and how it affirmed what i have learned over the last 4 months.

i have decided to take a more conservative approach, look at the body/mind

connection and see how all that fits for me. i think there is not enough data

to support the way back pain is being treated with surgery, nor are there enough

good, knowledgeable physicians out there to help us sort through all the mental

anguish of chronic pain, what might be causing it, and also help us get off the

strong opiates that depress our natural endorphins. i am fortunate to have such

a doctor, who told me to not get hung up on the MRIs, and to try some other

options that have been shown to relieve back pain but have not gotten the

attention these options deserve.

you need to watch the Discovery Times show for yourself.

sorry if i hurt your feelings, not my intention at all. just the opposite, to

say that i have been where many of you are, that i started having back problems

30 years ago when they virtually knew nothing compared to what they know now and

i have found a way that works for me w/o having to face a horribly invasive

surgery.

Carlene in MT

Re: breaking down back pain

From your link...Dr Deyo's suggestions are for ACUTE low back pain, not CHRONIC

pain. The suggestions are normal for a new injury and is the typical less

invasive way of doing things...and probably what most of us were told when

initially seeking treatment for our pain.

I am very happy that you are pain free without surgery, but your post seems to

look down on us poor sufferers who have had surgery or are looking into surgery.

And also to imply that we can create our own pain is humiliating. We get the

same attitude from doctors, friends, family, and strangers. We come here for

support, advise, and help...not to be told we are psychologically making

ourselves worse.

Maybe I just took this post wrong...with my pain levels and multiple pain

meds, it wouldn't be the first time.

And I am post lumbar fusion in 2003, currently with 4 bulging discs with two

nerve impingements, failed back syndrome, cervical spondy, DDD, and trying to

avoid more surgery for now. And I am active in life and in my medical care and

positive that things will get worse...that is what Degenerative Disc Disease

does...it get worse with no cure.

[Guest guest]

That makes sense...and I do understand about our emotions making things worse.

I know I have had days that I hurt more...but is it because I overdid the day

before? Or maybe I am tensing up because of the pain and making things worse?

I wish there was a magical wand that we could just wave over each one of us

and have the pain gone, even if only for a day. No such thing, so we all just do

what works for each of us individually, and learn to try more things from

others.

I know that no other group understands what I am going thru...then the people

here, who are also going thru it.

I had a friend who sprained her back and she said she now understood what I

live with. I told her she only got a taste of it as her pain will go away and

her back will heal.

Carlene Farmer <birddog@...> wrote:

Vivian,

sorry i certainly was not looking down on people who have had or are going to

have more back surgery. the Discovery program was about chronic pain and how

our tension can make it worse and that has certainly been the case for me and i

was not implying it was the case for every one. i gave just a few points from

the show which was an hour long and showed the results of different types of

approachs to back pain. they also basically said that it is really not known

what causes back pain. many times people who have surgery, like myself (and i

was trying to talk about myself not anyone else in the group), end up having as

much or more pain than before. for some people the surgery does correct the

problem but with a huge increase in back fusion and no overall increase in back

problems it has to make me as a patient wonder why i am being told that i need

to have my back fused. i have many degenerative disks, 14 bulging disks,

stenosis, arthritic spurs, scar tissue and i have

found a way to deal with all of this and my mental depression and tension and

anxiety w/o the huge operation and recovery period of a 3/4 spinal fusion and

some cervical neck fusion.

we learn by doing our own research and listening to others. i was not trying to

tell you or any one else what to do or not to do only what the program presented

and how it affirmed what i have learned over the last 4 months.

i have decided to take a more conservative approach, look at the body/mind

connection and see how all that fits for me. i think there is not enough data

to support the way back pain is being treated with surgery, nor are there enough

good, knowledgeable physicians out there to help us sort through all the mental

anguish of chronic pain, what might be causing it, and also help us get off the

strong opiates that depress our natural endorphins. i am fortunate to have such

a doctor, who told me to not get hung up on the MRIs, and to try some other

options that have been shown to relieve back pain but have not gotten the

attention these options deserve.

you need to watch the Discovery Times show for yourself.

sorry if i hurt your feelings, not my intention at all. just the opposite, to

say that i have been where many of you are, that i started having back problems

30 years ago when they virtually knew nothing compared to what they know now and

i have found a way that works for me w/o having to face a horribly invasive

surgery.

Carlene in MT

Re: breaking down back pain

From your link...Dr Deyo's suggestions are for ACUTE low back pain, not CHRONIC

pain. The suggestions are normal for a new injury and is the typical less

invasive way of doing things...and probably what most of us were told when

initially seeking treatment for our pain.

I am very happy that you are pain free without surgery, but your post seems to

look down on us poor sufferers who have had surgery or are looking into surgery.

And also to imply that we can create our own pain is humiliating. We get the

same attitude from doctors, friends, family, and strangers. We come here for

support, advise, and help...not to be told we are psychologically making

ourselves worse.

Maybe I just took this post wrong...with my pain levels and multiple pain

meds, it wouldn't be the first time.

And I am post lumbar fusion in 2003, currently with 4 bulging discs with two

nerve impingements, failed back syndrome, cervical spondy, DDD, and trying to

avoid more surgery for now. And I am active in life and in my medical care and

positive that things will get worse...that is what Degenerative Disc Disease

does...it get worse with no cure.