Hello everyone, first time on the CP forum

Hey everyone. I have been posting in the depression forum for a bit now, but I figured I'd finally make the jump over here. Part of my depression stems from chronic pain. Hehe if you read the depression forums and have seen my posts and replys then you will know that I write very long messages usually, so I will attempt to keep this as short as possible.

I am currently 25 years old and have been dealing with pain of some degree for about 8-9 years now. It all started when I fell from a ladder about 18 feet, straight down, in the dark, so as I approached the ground I wasn't able to prepare myself at all. When I hit my right shin broke straight through, landed on my butt and broke my T12 and sustained whiplash which damaged C1-C3 and also the very top vertebrae connecting to my skull. I then had the shin rebroken after a full 3 months healing due to doctor incompetence, then had a third surgery a few months later to remove the steel plate from the rebreaking and chisel down my shin some because my bone was growing around the plate itself. I was on crutches for about 8 months, which did damage to the hip on the opposite side of the leg injury, and also both of my knees sustained some damage from the fall.

Since that time I have dealt with pain of varying degrees, but in the past year or so it had become so acute that I went to a chiropractor to get some xrays. I am a taller guy so I have always had some lower back pain, and I guess that over the past 8 years or so it had just gradually become more intense...but slow enough that I was becoming used to the pain as it increased. The chiropractor of 40+ years told me that he had never seen a 24 year old (at the time) with a back as defunct as mine. I have about 50% degeneration of the disc between my lowest vertebrae and my pelvis. When I hit the ground my pelvis was knocked crooked (and missed by the quack of a doctor that messed up my leg) which caused my lower back to curve more and more over the past 9 years. The center point of my spine on the x-rays, at the worst point in the curve, is about 1 inch to the side of where the center point should be. I have constant pain my lower back, sometimes just a 4-6 on a scale of 10, sometimes very near 10. I also have pain at the middle point of my back, near the T12, and also pain in my neck.

After my leg and back broke, my head snapped down. When that happened I had whiplash damage(which was also missed by Mr. Quacktastic). When I went to my second chiropractor, he found that my skull was actually connected in a slightly crooked manner in comparison to the next vertebrae. It was causing such pain in my neck that it would (and does still to a somewhat lesser extent) flood up into the back of my head, go around my temples, and at times would climb around and I would feel shots of pain in my cheek bones and my forehead (which, Thank God, has not happened for a while). It would feel like my head was on fire, filled with pressure like an air tank, and I would have everything from dull, aching, squeezing, sharp, shooting, and tingling sensations all throughout my head and neck. When the second chiro found that he performed a procedure to fix it (which was surprisingly easy for him to do) and immediately afterward I had some instant relief. I still cannot look down, like when doing paperwork, for more than about 10 minutes without some significant pain build up. I also cannot look to the left or right for more than about 30 minutes before the same thing happens. I always have some amount of neck pain, usually above 5 on the scale, which will go up into my head and temples when I have to use my neck a lot, but luckily has not caused the tweaks of pain my face since I had my head put on straight (hehe literally).

A recent addition to my plate, which is not chronic, but is most certainly quite painful right now, is that I am dealing with what I believe is a hernia. I am in the process of getting it figured out, but this is definitely some serious pain. Since I have been dealing with pain on the level of my back injuries for so long, my pain scale is totally screwed. I am by no means immune to pain or like it any more, but long lasting type pain has a way of being pushed to the edges of my attention as much as I can...a sort of defensive mechanism of mine from the past 9 years. This what I am feeling right now is most definitely a hernia or muscle tear, based on my experiences of what the different pains feel like.

Hehe so all in all, I am quite a mess, and especially for only being 25 years old. My hips and knees bother me, my lower back is just twisted and is constantly in pain, my middle back is in pain often, and my neck/head are constantly in pain. The pain in my neck is probably the worst, most acute and most difficult to get around. You don't realize how much looking around matters until it hurts to do it. That keeps me from so many job possibilities simply because I cannot do desk/paper work for more than 5-10 minutes at a time, I also cannot do heavy lifting anymore (which I used to be very capable in doing)...so that doesn't leave many options. On top of all that I deal with everything with no pain medication because I have no insurance. A friend was helping me in that department for a little while but it was short lived. With some pain medication it is a little bit more livable, but dealing with the bare pain and never ending discomfort is what has lead to part of my depression. A feeling of hopelessness creeps up on you after so long of dealing with constant pain, pain that you know you can't relieve in any way...no position, no amount of over the counter pain meds, no amount of "taking it easy", not even sleep can relieve the weight of the pain.

I know I left some stuff out, but I was trying to keep it a reasonable length. I need to get some insurance soon so that I can find a way to relieve this mental pressure and the pain that is causing it. Thanks for reading about my problems.

Hey Misunderstood , welcome to the Chronic Pain Forum , I'm really sorry your dealing with so much at such a young age , that is tough . Have you tried getting on medicaid , that may be the answer for you , that will take care of all your medical needs , get you a home attendant if you need it , access-a-ride for travel , dental , everything .Think about it at least you won't have to worry about that stuff and you could see a therapist for the depression too , they can help guide you through your difficult times . Let us know how you are doing , Mikel

Welcome missunderstood,
So sorry you have to join. This is a great place to come for support, advice or even just to vent. I am so sorry to hear all of that which you are having to go through. I see you have already gotten some good advice and since I'm in a heavy pain day I'm gonna leave it to those that can help. Nice to meet you, though. Hope to chat soon. Heather

   Dear Miss,

    Well that was why I suggested your local university hospital. Often times, they carry insurance just for their facilities. My friend had to see all doctors and specialists affliated with the university. But, one of the nice things was that she was able to gain access to all sorts of therapies. Aqua fit, personal physical therapy, psychologist, myofascial therapy and they even had a pharmacy on the ground floor. She loved that she could go to the doctor, fill her meds and eat lunch all at the same place. The down side was all the required documents. Even I was stressed, and I wasnt the one applying! In the end it was worth it though.

    Hey speaking of chiropratic therapy, you should find if it is being taught at your local university, or somewhere else. Could get in you in with students atleast until the insurance gets sorted?

     Hope you are able to let your body rest. You are in our hearts

*hugg*
  dani

Hi Missunderstood,

Welcome to the CP forum! I'm glad you decided to join us, although I wish it was under better circumstances. I'm sure the people on the depression forum are great too (I've visited there once or twice myself), but the folks here are amazing. There are the kindest, most supportive people you'll ever meet. It's like one large family.

I'm only 22 & have been deal with pain of one kind or another since I was 15 (although my real CP stared when I was 18), so I know how hard it is to find proper treatment when you are "so young." Hopefully you'll get some answers & some help soon!

hugs,
Skeye