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Posted 3/21/2014 9:40 PM (GMT 0)
Hello all,

I am new to the forum but not to chronic pain. I finally did my sig line so I figured I could introduce myself now.

I live in upstate NY and we are still buried in snow and the polar vortex. Hoping I will feel better when it finally warms up and I can get outside and move around a bit. CaBiN FevEr!

I fell in my own house, just a silly accident, but I did it to perfection. I stalled the wife for a while but I could hardly move so she finally called 911 and they strapped me to a board and took me on a very painful ride to the hospital. They completely missed my now wedge-shaped vertebra on the xrays but the doctor said he knew something had happened since every muscle in my back was locked up. He offered a shot of Demerol and about 10 minutes later I was going out the door leaning on my wife and whispering to her that I could not believe they were letting me go.

The next day I got a call that they had finally found the problem on my xrays and they set up an appointment to see an orthopedic surgeon in about a week. He told me everything was stable and that I would be back to normal in just a month or two. And I believed him!

Now after 18 years I have seen probably a couple dozen doctors, mostly various specialists. I have had about 5 MRI's, more xrays, physical therapy, TENS unit, injections, psychiatrist, herbs, meditation, yoga, OTC drugs and at least 15 different kinds of prescription drugs. I was told by several different docs right in the beginning that it was unlikely that anyone would ever operate on me unless/until I showed signs of paralysis since the injury was in the thoracic area.

So, I am still in pain, but still hanging in there.

Some of the good things:

My little lady of over 30 years has stuck with me thru all this and is my greatest defender against stupid people.

I have not been able to work for 10 years but got approved for SS Disability about 5 years ago so we are not broke yet.

I have a good doctor who is not a specialist but he listens to me and thinks for himself. I had seen him even before the accident.


I'm sure I have left a lot out but this is already long and boring enough!

phil
Posted 3/22/2014 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
Hey Phil.

Rick here.Welcome to HW.

We're all in different states of disrepair.

Welcome aboard,
Rick
Posted 3/22/2014 12:19 AM (GMT 0)
dp

Post Edited (tidalmouse) : 3/21/2014 6:58:13 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/22/2014 2:34 PM (GMT 0)
Good morning Phil.

So sad you have had to deal with this so long. At least you have a place at HW where you can come and talk. I'm sorry I have no cures to offer, but I hope you will keep trying and post if you find relief.

I'm pretty much in your boat, fell in my garden and broke my neck, 6 vertebrae in all, 3 thoracic. My grandchildren heard me yelling for help. I wasn't sent home because I was paralyzed from shoulders down,neck surgery, 2 months in hospital, 1 month in care center. I can walk unaided a short distance, enough to get groceries, driving hurts.

I now have Central Cord Syndrome. Maybe you do too. I have central pain because every little touch message gets screwed up at the spine injury point and the brain interprets everything as pain ... and itching!

I've had some relief from facet joint injections and ablations, mostly from spine problems that were already there. TENS hasn't helped. Massage feels nice but doesn't do anything either. I can't even count all the nerve and pain medicines, but from reading about central pain syndrome, they don't work.

I'm in SW PA, getting the polar vortex cold too. It's going to be too cold to go out for at least the next 4 days. I sit here alone most days. Hubby works long hours. I'm not entirely ignored, but still depressing. I found I can swim at the Y a few minutes, but then I get cold and the muscles cramp up. Can you get services like a Y membership on disability? Some people can on unemployment.
Posted 3/22/2014 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
At one of the clubs I taught at, we had a number of pools. One of them was salt water. (I've never seen anything like that, before or since, but I thought it was pretty darn cool). We had endless swimming pools (which also help because you keep moving, without moving)....

I'm wondering about warm pools, hot tub or Jacuzzi type settings? I strongly dislike the heat (my skin is ultra sensitive to anything warm) but I find that the bubbles and jet streams help...they also stimulate the surface area around my injuries which encourage blood flow, and thus, sensation.

My skin is also hyper sensitive, and I do not like to be touched....even certain clothing can be perceived as real physical pain (not discomfort or irritation, but pain)....cannot walk barefoot, and I feel every little seam and tag or single piece of gravel....

I think with my spinal injuries, things kind of re-wired in a different way, so when I "should" be either perceiving a certain sensation,...or when certain muscles "should" be firing,...I'm way off the charts in different directions.

In that regard, I think it's important we accept we do not fit the doctors' books and charts of what patients "ought to be" and what they "should feel," and we need to do what we find brings us relief, even in small bits, everything helps!




M.
Posted 3/28/2014 2:05 PM (GMT 0)
Sorry I have not responded until now but for some reason when I tried to log in after I first posted it said I had been locked out by an admin..? Looks like it is fixed now, I will try to come back later when I feel a little better.

Any ideas why my sig line is not showing up? I hit the button to add it in my profile but it's still not working.
Posted 3/28/2014 7:06 PM (GMT 0)
Thank you for all the welcomes.

Good, I see my sig line is working now.

Alcie, is it warming up in PA yet? We had freezing rain for hours this AM but now it is just rain. A few years ago we had an ice storm that knocked out power for almost three days so it's scary. It has been a long cold winter but we are finally forecast to go into the 40's for the next week. I don't know anything about Central Cord Syndrome but I do think many of my symptoms are due to some problem with my spinal cord.

Merrida, I did try swimming on a regular basis at a previous address but it didn't seem to help. One of my problems is that my pain increases drastically for every minute I spend sitting in a car to go to a pool or rehab or anything. The best exercise I get these days is walking in the woods behind our house (too much snow lately) and my veggie garden which of course is only in the summer.

phil
Posted 3/28/2014 7:49 PM (GMT 0)
T-9,

I hear ya. It's similar with me,...all the sitting in waiting rooms, often made worse by them wanting you to arrive a half an hour early,...just to wait more.

Ditto to the walking in the woods, too, as it was my form of home based exercise, with my dog. Now the sleds are on the tracks and it isn't fit for walking yet.

I think my providers have gotten used to me pacing the hallways. I just can't sit. So I stand, shift my weight and bob back and forth. No doubt it lends to curious glances, but the pain that comes with sitting, and how it increases substantially until I can lay down for a break,...well, that's all I can do. So, I do it.

Do you have any form of, or access to, anything for physical exercise, (given the grounds, that is)?




M.
Posted 3/29/2014 2:14 AM (GMT 0)
Hi Phil and Welcome to Healing Well Chronic Pain forum. Yep your right they don't usually like to touch any of the thoracic disc if they can avoid it. I had to give up nursing and go on disability many years ago because of it. I am sorry about all the problems your having, I do understand, and can definitely empathize with you! I am glad you found us, I think you will find this forum a really good place to come, as we all know what it is like to deal with chronic pain!

I do wish you well and hope that you will become an active member of this CP forum.

White Beard
Posted 3/29/2014 4:01 AM (GMT 0)
Phil you were accidently locked out when a duplicate post by tidal was deleted and I notified Admin as soon as I knew. However he gets a lot of emails and has to manually fix each problem thus the reason it took a few days. I apologize and glad you came back.
Posted 3/29/2014 5:43 PM (GMT 0)
Thanks nvrthesame, I was hoping i didn't break the rules and get banned with just 3 posts!

Merrida, I am the standing man, i have been basically standing all day long for about 10 years now. I stand to eat, watch tv, just about everything. I kneel on a pillow when on the computer.
I do try to lie down 3 times a day and do stretches and stuff. I do a lot of pacing too. A lot of my exercise in the winter is shoveling snow, but that's not good. It's finally melting fast now and I think I will be back in the woods in a few days.

Hey White Beard, I be multicolor beard, it's about half white these days.

phil
Posted 3/29/2014 8:43 PM (GMT 0)
Welcome phil

Glad you found us here at HW
You are very blessed to have a loved one standing by you!!

My therapy pool is salt & about 90°
My fibro & myofascial pain love it

I too pace & lean & think carefully prior to getting in my car to go anywhere. Period.
Posted 7/24/2014 4:05 AM (GMT 0)
Hello T-9crushed,
I see you are here frequently so thought I'd say Hello.

You must be glad it's warmer and your walking trails are now clear. Do you have a garden this year?

Have you tried one of those standing desks some offices have for workers? I've read those using them say they are more productive. I'll bet you could teach them a few things about standing up most of the time.

Your attitude is appreciated. Thanks for being here.
Posted 7/24/2014 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hey Abilene,

Yes it is much warmer which does help some., but as soon as the snow melted the bugs came out. We still go walking anyway and hoping to find some good mushrooms soon.

When I was first injured I was working for a construction company mainly in the office but with frequent trips to job sites and meetings. They fixed up my plan table so I could stand up and work but still had to bend over it which is tough.

In desperation we sold our home and moved to Hawaii for the warm weather. I knew I couldn't work in an office with AC and it helps if I keep moving so I changed to working in the field. Even worked as a laborer for 6 weeks until they got me a position as a Project Manager. But I only made it a year and a half before I had to quit for good.

Then after 4 years of not working we moved back to the northeast. One thing about living in a constantly warm climate is your body adjusts to the temperature and you end up feeling cold if it goes below 70! Now I think 50 is warm again.

Yes, I do have a big garden again, it is a pain(literally) but is a big part of our lifestyle. We love eating organic veggies all year long so we preserve them by canning, drying and freezing plus many of them stay fresh in the basement for months like onions, garlic, squash and potatoes. I usually work in the garden several times a day for about a 1/2 hour which is all I can manage.

Well, I didn't know I was going to write a book!

t9
Posted 7/24/2014 11:28 PM (GMT 0)
Your garden and having organic veggies all year sounds wonderful.

I was also interested in your thread on "chronic pain adrenaline" or "chronic pain fight or flight". At the pre-op for my neck surgery it was discovered I had an irregular heart beat that was not there 1 1/2 years earlier. I wonder if it was caused by the pain. Cardiologist did a few tests and approved me for surgery. Now 7 months later we are searching for a cause. Cardiologist did say it could be caused by pain but we are checking a few other possibilities too. I'm having a sleep study tonight. I've worn a 24 hour monitor. EKG and Echo have been done. I'll see the dr again in a couple of weeks and get all the results.

Why were you not able to work in an office with AC? I'm just curious. All these different situations here really interest me.
Posted 7/25/2014 5:24 PM (GMT 0)
For some reason my back really doses not like the cold breeze of air-conditioning on it. Some say to use ice on the back but I like warm much better. I use a heating pad about 9 months of the year.

I am still trying to figure out the adrenaline thing. I used to be the king of relaxing but I can't do it now because I just can't get comfortable in any position. That is one of the worst things about this, I just long for the old days when I could flop down in a chair and go aaaaahhh........
Posted 7/26/2014 1:31 AM (GMT 0)
Phil, I think it is wonderful that you have a garden & yes they are a lot of hard work to take care of. When I was a kid my mom always had a big garden & us kids helped her with it. I can grow plants but not food, I am jinxed in that area, lol. The zillion different kind of bugs take over everything.

I cannot use ice either, I need the heat. Air conditioning really gets me both the house & the car.

Take care.
Posted 7/29/2014 3:34 PM (GMT 0)
Ice is still my friend. Sometimes I'm covered in a blanket shivering with the ice pack but still it feels good. Maybe I should just try heat every once in a while.

My sleep study was very interesting with many wires attached to me. Are you able to sleep at night or do you have to be knocked out, if that's even possible? You said you were told early on that surgery would not be considered unless....... Do you see yourself moving toward that or not? It's great you have a doctor who has been there during, even before, this accident.
Posted 7/30/2014 11:50 PM (GMT 0)
Straydog,
I guess gardening is about the one hobby I have left. My wife has a black thumb but I let her pull weeds. tongue

Abilene,
I do have to pretty knocked out to get to sleep although the main thing it takes is just 1/2 of a Flexeril. Makes me sleepy and helps the spasms too. Stupid cat usually wakes me up at least once.

I don't seem to be showing any of the signs that would cause them to operate on me although I do have a lot of strange things that could be caused by the spinal cord. The last specialist I saw said that all they could do would be a fusion and he didn't think there would be any improvement in pain or anything.

So far my heart has been good.............. I do seem to always have an elevated heart beat, like 80-85. My blood pressure is normally low but rises when I am hurting worse, but that seems common.

t9
Posted 8/2/2014 6:58 PM (GMT 0)
Yes, it does sound normal to have an elevated blood pressure when the pain has increased. Others on this forum have said that is true for them.

I tried a heating pad when I had overdone it with a project yesterday and it felt good. That was after using my trusty ice with no relief, so it seems my recovery has changed. Maybe that means progress.

We are really having a nice summer in Texas-not at all normal and we like it!
Posted 8/2/2014 7:42 PM (GMT 0)
Abilene next week we will be getting back up to our normal heat for this time of year, lol. I have enjoyed the last couple of days with such cool weather, almost getting spoiled by it. The rain this summer has been awesome, it has cut down on my watering a bunch.

T9 the only thing that I have managed to grow well was yellow crook neck squash one year. The bugs ate the peppers & tomato plants. I used 7Dust & I swear they got fatter off of it, lol. I have tried container gardening as well, didn't work, the bugs again. So, I just run over to the farmer's market to get the fresh veggies. My daughter planted tomatoes & peppers this year & she is now getting to pick tomatoes & peppers, its crazy, all she does is throw some water on them when she remembers, lol. She has a green thumb too.

Think of us when you are chowing down on your veggies!!!! Take care
Posted 8/14/2014 3:56 PM (GMT 0)
T-9, I'm wondering what you know about a pain pump. Is there any chance that would help you? White Beard's recent comments about his pain pump helping his back pain made me think of you. White Beard has told his whole recent pain pump story, plus his comment I referred to on the thread called Decision on meds and pain pump.

I read the Mercola.com web site and recently some advice on organic gardens has been mentioned, including using wood chips. How big is your garden? Is any of it elevated so it would be easier for you? I also have a black thumb but my husband would love that if we had any space for it.

I go to the sleep center again tonight to learn about the machines to help with my sleep apnea. I was really surprised that I have that, but after researching it and with White Beard's advice, I'm eager to see how much it will help me to get an even better night's sleep-I thought I was sleeping well. My husband knew I was not! He will probably feel better too.

Posted 9/4/2014 5:22 PM (GMT 0)
Hello,
There is a new member here - RGCheek. His thread is First Post, I have Chronic Muscle Cramping in Mid Back. I've suggested he read your story.

I'm doing well with my Sleep Apnea treatment, and so is my husband!
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