>>Out with the Old and In with more Old<<

Friends,

I guess alot of you know me by now and what I've been up to for the past serveral months. Something is happeneing to me that I'm not sure I fully expected. As you may or may not know, a little over a week ago I had a cervical fusion along w/ some other skillful vertabrae cutting, grinding and sculpting by a Wiskid Neurosurgeon who day by day I think just outdid himself inside my neck! I just can't believe how much pain has vanished from my entire upper left side. I'm truely amazed! With that being said, now other old friends have returned who haven't missed at all and I'm not at all glad to see or feel again! Last night while I was trying to cook dinner, my lower lombar area hurt so bad, the stabing, burning and those old electric charges running down my legs just like the old days! I had to go sit down about 10 times while cooking as I felt if I didn't, I would have buckled and dropped right there. Then I woke up at 3:00am this morning and my left knee was on fire and throbbing w/ pain and having that wierd sensation that always means there's fluid in it. I also have an pain in my back under my right shoulder blade, my two boys used to call it my spot years ago when they were little kids. I would ask them to rub it or even punch it for me sometimes. This old friend>NOT also showed up this morning with a vengance stabing me unmercively in the back like a true friend>NOT which is just driving me crazy right now while trying to type. My rotted out left hip socket which needs to be replaced is also pounding away w/ it's dull but strong base line beat of pain. What the hell is going on? I feel like a Blues Band of Pain! Is all this in my mind? Do I miss having all the pain in my neck so I'm unconciusly calling in these old friends to join the party? My wife has been so carring and understanding and is so exstatic over the success in my neck so far, I can't start complaining about all these other old war injuries now. It would just destroy any hope or trust she's had for the last couple weeks! I don't usually take any pain meds this early but with these old friends returning I just might as they are beating the crap out of me! I believe that inactivity has played a role in this wave of old pains returning but all at once? It feels like they are all trying to play king of the hill of pain fighting to take today's top honors!! If I told anyone except All of Y'all about this, they would surely think I'm a crazy hypocondriac and at this point I'm questioning it myself? How could this be happening? Was the neck pain just so bad, it overwelmed the other pain that was there all along, I just didn't knowtice it? Is my brain playing tricks on me because CP has become such a part of my life that I unintentionally don't want it to leave? I am questioning my own sanity at this point! Heck, I'm going to go make a pot of coffee and take a pill. See Y'all later!

Call me Mr. Hypocondriac!

Your pittyful friend,

Pete  

Ps

I'm gonna make a pot of coffee and face it. I didn't sleep all night.

Oh my Pete so sorry your lower back is acting up, It could be that
your neck pain was bothering you so bad that you didn't feel the other pain
in your lower back.. write down everything that's happening and ask this wonder doc
of yours about these new problems, make sure you explain it good like you've done here
sure wish I had a better answer for you...
Hope you get a low pain day soon...
{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{{PETE}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}}
Good luck on the fishing trip with your boys, this weekend....

Hi Pete,

Whew, sure hate to hear whats going on with you guy. Wonder if you are right, since surgery you have been very active, more than you should be I am sure. Maybe this is your body warning you that you are overdoing things. I would not ignore the problems at all. I too think you need to give your dr a call, either one of them.

That spot your boys called it, where my friend what you described sounds like a nice big ole muscle spasm going on. Its very common to get the spasms after surgery too for some reason. i see you take Flexeril at night, maybe your drs can call in something else to try that you can take during the day too. Before I got my new pm dr I lived on Zanaflex muscle relaxers, that was the only way I could get any relief. Back when my neck was roaring, I finally had an RF done on my neck. The RF got rid of those soft balls that were under my shoulder blades for 15 yrs. Nothing worked before in getting rid of them. It was awful.

Susie

Hi Pete,

You certainly don't sound crazy to me! I highly doubt that all these "new" pains are in your head. There are probably multiple factors influencing this origin of "new" pain, but I see one big reason as this: Like what Frances was saying, our bodies can only deal with so much pain at once. Our brain tends to prioritize, the thing that causes you the worst pain you will feel the most. This can have a "canceling" type effect on other, less strong pains we feel. For example, if you had a constant muscle ache & then got a paper cut, you'd likely notice the pain from the paper cut more than the ache, such that the ache seemed to dull during the time in which your finger was hurting. You've just taken away, or at least greatly reduced this huge source of pain, so it is only logical that your other pains will now be more noticeable, despite the fact that your other conditions have not changed. Unfortunately, it sounds like you might have to do what Frances & her doc did, tackle different source of pain one at a time, until you have everything under control.

I hope this makes some sense. I wish there was some easy answer, but it sounds as if you may be trading one pain for another for a while until you can eliminate or reduce some of your multiple sources of pain.

hugs,
Skeye