Need some help with dealing with several pain issues

Welcome Dn to the forum and as always sorry to see a story such as yours.

First I guess is do you have any kind of pain management in place? Do you have a team of Drs that help and work with you to ensure you have the best quality of life they can offer? This is the most important thing we have and second is finding things we ourselves can do to help. I spend a lot of time working in the hydropool for example, others do whatever they've found to give them even an edge to staying ahead of the pain.

You've made a step in the right direction joining us as there's a wealth of experience, advice and support from those who do know!

I consider HW part of my PM just as much as anything else.

Glad you found us and again welcome!

Thanks guys. I am having some trouble getting to a pain mgmt. doctor, as I had my last heart attack in June 2013 and cannot get the MRI's needed due to a metal stent placement. And ofcourse INSURANCE will not cover anything until the MRI's are done. Its a neverending catch 22. I was hopeful that today would be better, and once again I didn't get but a few hours of sleep because of the terrible back pain. I feel like its a no win situation. I have a job, but I have to be on my feet for 8 hours at a time, so I keep calling off since I KNOW there is no way I am going to stand for that long, since my legs give out because of the spasms in my back. THIS is AWFUL! I don't know what to do anymore, I take each day as it comes, and PRAY today will be less painful, but each day that passes seems to get worse. I don't know how to not just throw in the towel. Right now I am in so much pain that its hard to see to type, since I am trying to cry quietly as to not wake up my husband or kids. And I feel so bad for them, cause there is always something wrong with me. I'm sure they get just as frustrated with this crap as I do.

dn,

I am sorry for all the pain you've gone through and still go through.  And at such a young age!

Our situations are different, but I've done some similar things, like having to wait for insurance, and feel depressed and frustrated having so many health problems with a healthy family, so I'd stay in bed and cry silently, pretend to sleep even though I have chronic insomnia (because if I got up to lay down on the couch, my Husband couldn't/wouldn't sleep and would wake up upset because I "let my mind get away from me" and couldn't just go to sleep). 

It seemed better at that time than starting a fight.  I couldn't afford feeling upset.

We have come a long, long way since, and so will you.  Your family's still there with you through quite an extensive history,...remind yourself of that.  (I had to,...I was always afraid).  They're still there, you're special enough for them to want to still be with you!  That's a big part of the battle!

Have you tried a Teaching Hospital? 

Maybe fresh eyes can shed new light?

My prayers and thoughts go out to you.

M.

Oh honey, you're not alone.  And this is, in my sincere, honest, and humble opinion, one of the best forums you could have come across for support, help, and understanding.

So many of us deal with complex, multiple issues.  We know what it feels like to internalize all of this, feel overwhelmed, feeling like a burden to our families....

I really do understand.  I am 50 and my journey started in my 20's.  I'm not mentioning that to discourage you or imply you have a long road ahead, but rather,...to be honest, I'm in a stronger place now than I was years ago.

And yes, many, many times I lived hour to hour, staring at the clock, in survival mode, neglecting a lot because all I could think of was "existing" to live the next day.  You will be surprised as you hang around these parts more, to see just how many fellow CP'ers here have your back, will give you freedom and safety to vent, shoulders to cry on, ears to lend....

They've gotten me through some frustrating, angry, scary times,....HW truly is a Family, and we will all reach out.

What are you currently doing to manage your pain?

M.

Hello & welcome aboard. First off, your dr can order CT Scans on you, that would give them some idea what is going on in your thoracic & lumbar spine. A lot of people have metal & cannot do MRI's so the next best thing is a Ct Scan. Why they have not done this is crazy.

Honey, as a rule people that do not have pain do not have a clue what it is like to suffer as we do. Because pain is something you cannot physically see they just don't get it. The thing is always remember that & do not let others thoughts bother you. I know what you mean about some co-workers, but there again there is nothing you can do to make them understand. I think of some of the stuff I was put through just to be able to go to work every day, not sure some of them could have done it or would have done it.

Try to keep yourself as stress free as you can because stress will only add to your problems. I know that a tall thing to do considering it all. When you need to de-stress come here & let it out. In the meanwhile, talk to your dr about doing CT's on you so you can get into PM.

Take care.......Susie

I have been on my current meds for 9 months now, and think I maybe have built a tolerance for it. I have been fighting with insurance for months now to get the CT scan, but this is insurance. They want the MRI first- so my Dr. has taken up my cause and is now fighting with the insurance for me to get it done. It's very hard for my Dr. to prescribe me meds until he knows how bad the damage is. The DSS is getting worse based on several x-rays over the year. I understand the Dr. side, but it's hard sometimes. I see him again on Nov 25th and am going to talk to him about a possible increase. I've tried Flexril, Soma, and several other muscle relaxers and surprisingly the cheap generic stuff helps the most. I wish sometimes that the people who make me feel bad could spend 1 hour feeling the pain as I do. But my wonderful husband reminds me that EVERYONES tolerance is different, so I can't really judge either. I appreciate your help guys. Any suggestions before my next appointment- on things I need to ask- any medications that have worked well for others (in low doses if possible)- this is new to me as its only been a year and half for me with this pain, and I still feel like just going in to the Dr. and saying "My back still hurts" isn't enough. I would greatly appreciate any advice or suggestions. I've only been on this site 48 hours and have had some great advice and support THANK YOU

Yes, I live in NM, and am currently on a really awful Medicaid plan, that I cannot change until Jan. Their rules and political crap is a nightmare, but I worked Insurance billing for Dr.s for years- so I know how it works. Hopefully by the 25th they will have something scheduled. I just try to be patient and jump thru all the hoops in the proper order and by my time. It is just difficult when the bad days start outweighing the good as far as the pain goes. The mild dull annoying achy pain I can deal with. The pinching, back stabbing, knee buckling pain is another. After a few days of that OMG you feel crazy. I just am trying to hold on. Thanks for the advice thou I appreciate it