Comments on: Severe Chronic Pain-please Help?

By: ohthepain

ohthepain — Mon, 04 Jan 2010 14:23:45 +0000

I started having problems with severe back and neck pain, as well a numbness and paralysis of my hands and legs, back in 1995 after being attacked, beaten, pistol-whipped, and robbed (only $54) by some F%#*%ng gang members. One doctor after another (9 total) wouldn’t believe me that I was in such terrible pain, nor that the numbness/paraysis was real. In fact, 2 of them actually told me they thought I was faking it!! By 2000, I could no longer work @ my $60,000 per year job (nor anywhere else)anymore b/c I was spending more time laid up in bed than going to work. FINALLY, in 2004, I found a doc (a Neurosurgeon) who found the REAL problem…b/c he looked at my MRI films for himself, instead of diagnosing from the bogus radiology report (don’t trust radiology reports). I had (and will always have) permanent SPINAL CORD damage in my neck, as well as severe damage to my pelvic joint and Lumbar Central Spinal Canal. I recently had my 6th spinal surgery to slow down the degeneration of my spine and spinal cord. Due to to IGNORANCE and INCOMPETENCE of those 9 doctors, between 1995 and 2004, I’m now stuck living with paralysis and degenerative conditions of my spinal cord and lower spine. Had they listened and believed me (and looked at the films instead of going off some incompetent radiologist’s report), I might be able to still be working and making a decent living, instead of living WELL BELOW the poverty level on SSDI (which took almost 2 years, getting a lawyer, and going to court). Not to mention the constant severe chronic pain. It sucks!! Thankfully, I now have a doctor who believes and understands what kind of pain I have to live with. As much as I truly loathe having to take pain meds (& many neuro-meds), I’m glad my doc prescribes them. They’re my only option. Otherwise, I would feel like I’m being tortured. Still, I will NEVER give up hope that things will get better (sometimes a little “denial” is heathy, I guess). To those of you living with chronic pain, my heart goes out to you. Don’t give up. If you don’t, I won’t, ok?

By: orange sky

orange sky — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 10:25:40 +0000

i know where you’re coming from. i wish i could help. i was in your shoes and was divorced with two kids. i kept losing jobs, houses, no insurance, had to go live with family members, etc. the worse part was my kids had to go live with their father. i finally decided to get disability and yes, i did get it. also medicare. i don’t know how to help you. i just wish your doctor would help you out. i wish you could change doctors or something! i will pray for you. God bless you and may you have a miracle happen very soon.

By: Chas

Chas — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 08:56:46 +0000

There is only one brutally honest answer I can give, and that is to try to find a good lawyer to get your disability. If you are unable to work, there is no other option, well unless you can find a good man LOL only joking. But honestly, you need a lawyer, and fast.

By: justmein

justmein — Fri, 25 Dec 2009 06:01:02 +0000

i know what you mean by docs dismissing you-
they think that because you claim to have FMS–that you must be faking any other condition–
i had mono–they said –your fine stay active
i had a serious head injury–they said–your fine stay active–you can drive (i couldn’t even see straight)–the doc coached me through the neuro exam when i couldn’t pass it–and declared me fine…..
and i wasn’t even asking for pain meds—–i can’t even get injuries properly treated–because the docs assume i am faking the pain–and they don’t even test to see if there is an actual injury…..
the only home remedies i’ve found that work for me–are ice packs until I’m numb and positioning with multiple pillows…..

By: Broken Hearted

Broken Hearted — Thu, 24 Dec 2009 23:48:27 +0000

********Please know you are not alone*********Wow, my heart really goes out to you. I don’t have FMS but I do have my own battle. I did have a wonderful friend who dealt with this and we often cried together b/c of what she went through. Please don’t give up, I can only imagine how tempting it might be fore you. Disability processes for assistance suck for both state and federal, however keep applying and re-applying. We had to do that for a little over a year (state) and almost two for social security. They literally test you to see “how bad you need/want it”. Disgusting, it really is.. For the pain, I send you a huge (but very soft) hug via the net to you. I know it seems weird but my friend found great relief in drink ginger tea (you can get ginger at the store bulk and it’s relatively cheap) and doing 3-5 ginger soaks a day, used Arnica Montana (homopathic med. that is relatively cheap) to atleast bring the aganising pain down a notch or two, ice packs until numb, mindfulnness meditations seem to really help her to cope and last of all when you get insurance see a natropath, that really helped my friend per diet, etc. seems silly but it really helped.