Hi OverthePain,
I too want to welcome you to Healing Well. Oh, honey, your plate is way overloaded to say the very least. You are so right, you need a break. But, the pregnancy pretty much puts it all on hold. I am just glad you have a dr willing to rx something for pain because many absolutely will not when someone is pregnant because of the addiction issues with the baby when its born. Also, please know they do have to be very careful what they have you on because of the baby.
Many of us have suffered many years with this ugly disease and it all I will tell you is pain is just that pain. It can rule your life if you let it, you can lose friends, your job, financial freedom, dignity, spouses, oh the list can go on & on of what we can get robbed of. Somewhere in the mix of all of this we just have to get a grip on it the best we can. What may work for me may not work for you. We just kind muddle thru all of it together the best we can.
Please know you are not alone and someone is usually around here at all hours of the day/night. Right now I have my days and nights mixed up so I usually am on here in the wee hours when most folks are zzing away lol.
Understand foremost here, the people on this forum that have had surgery, most did not do good for some reason or another, ok. So, don't expect any glowing reports on how well someone did from having surgery. If they had done well, they would not be here. Please keep this in mind. With a good neurosurgeon and a person doing exactly what the dr tells them after surgery you can have a successful surgery. I know you mentioned a neurosurgeon before and an appt with an orthopedic that was canceled. With you being pregnant right now you probably would be just wasting money getting in to seeing one of them. Even if they said ok, lets do surgery, no one will touch you until the baby is born. Since money is an issue I would hold off on an appt with one until the baby is born to save on money. If you have a dr rxing to you now, thats about all that can be done till the baby is born. I would urge you to seek another consult with an excellent neuosurgeon for your neck after the baby is born. I say this because those guys have much more experience with the nerves and such over an orthopedic. Your orthopedics are trained more for bones & joints. This is my own personal preference and I have seen the difference of a neuro & ortho doing neck's and there is a huge difference.
Pain medications have little effect on nerve pain. There are medications out there specifically for nerve problems, like Cymbalta, Neurotin & Lyrica to name a few. But these may be meds that cannot be rxd because of the baby.
I too have neck & back problems. I like to take a thick hand towel and wet it & wring it out real well. I then place it in the microwave and nuke it for a few seconds. Moist heat helps more than dry heat. Careful not to get the towel too hot so you don't get burned. I then roll the towel up and wrap it around my neck. I have cooked many of meals doing this lol.
Another situation that crops up with CP is depression. They seem to go hand in hand. Alot of times an antidepressant will also help with the pain. I went on a non-stop crying jag one morning and lasted about 8 hours. Knew then to get myself to my PCP and get some help. I have been on meds for it on & off over the years. I can say it helps me alot. It helps smooth out the rough edges so to speak, it also helped calmed down the anger inside of me. That anger is no good, it drains us, really zaps the energy that we really need. Try to come up with a way to help calm your anger, you will be surprised how much it takes out of you. My PCP highly recom that I see a psychologist, I was really getting way out there. That was the very best thing I could have done for myself. I found one that was very knowledgable in auto-immune diseases too and she was a blessing in disguise. Our ins no longer pays for one, if they did I would still be seeing her.
When you feel you are at the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on and come here and write to us and let us know how things are going. Sometimes like someone said, just writing it down helps at times. No one other than someone afflicted with this crap can understand unless they live it. Try not to take things out on your hubby and son. Men are use to being able to fix things, he can't fix you so he is just as frazzled by the whole thing as you are. Also, CP is not something that can be seen, like a cut or a bruise, its invisiible to the eye, so no, most other people do not get it. Don't expect them to. At best, set your hubby and son down and try to explain calmly what you are going thru and what it feels like. Make them realize you do not expect them to fix you. But, also let them know you need help, especially now with you being pg on top of everything else. Tell them specifically things you need help with, do not expect them to know, you have to tell them gal.
Please keep us posted on how you are doing. Warm hugs coming your way.