Last post Wed, May 14 2008 5:10 PM by wendy50ech. 49 replies.
I have back pain that started after an aircraft accident crash in VietNam. I broke the back at the L5 level. I did not find out until 10 years after the accident because I did not want to be taken off of flight status and lose the money that I got each month for flying. In 1986 I went to the Flight Surgeon and told him I was having really bad back pain. They did an MRI and the Radiologist report stated that my previous back surguries had not healed properly. I had no previous back surguries. That was the start of many to come. I had 2 in 1986. Then after I retired in 1988 my back continued to get worse. It turned out that the levels above L-5 were going bad--so operation #3 fused me from L-3 to S-1. They took 150 bone chips from my Iliac Crest and used them for fusion material. They also put in Harrington Rods and Pedicle screws to hold me together. The next year they went back in and replaced the disk between L-3 & L-4. The next year they went into my neck and found degenerative disk and bone disease. C-2 through C-5 were shot. Again they fused me together, put in artificial disks and placed rods and screws in there to make it tight. Then the next year (this sounds like a never ending story dosen't it?) the went back into the back and replaced the disk between L-2 and L-3 and extended the rods and screws to include that section. Now the disk at L-1 is shot but they will not go back in to replace it because they feel it is to dangerous and I am able totake the pain. I have had a total of 8 back operations, 8 knee operations and two elbow and one wrist operations. I have a Spinal Cord Stimulator inplanted to help with neuro-pathic pain going down from my back through my legs to my feet. I have bi-lateral prepherial neuoraphy in my feet. I have lost command and control over my right leg and also developed RSD/CRPS due to the nerve tissue and muscle tissue not healing properly after the last two operations. My body is a wreck. However I have a wonderful caregiver, a great family, strong faith, and careing friends to help me make it. I also have a pain insusion pump implanted tht provides a very small amount of pain medication directly to my spine. My daily pain scale is a 7.5 on a 10 scale. Like other people with disabilities, I DO NOT WANT PITY!!! Prayers are nice. My life is painful but good and I am getting used to it so I would not trade it for any thing else. I earned these disabilities and now I will live my life with them. Like the told us in SEAL school "The Only Easy Day Is Yesterday" Thanks for reading/listening
Jimmie
I've had four back surgeries, the final pathetic attempt to find relief resulted in a "Failed Fusion Syndrome" and the surgeon, upon my questioning why there was still so much pain, had the audacity to answer, "Well, after all these surgeries, what did you expect?!"
Well, gee, let's just think about that a moment, shall we?! That was it for me. I have so often felt that invasive treatment right off the bat (first back surgery followed by two weeks the c-section birth of my daughter and it was during my pregnancy that my back problems became intolerable), I might have found more relief. Once surgery is performed it seemed to slam the door on any non-invasive forms of treatment.
When I was finally told the diagnosis of Arachnoiditis - a progressive immune deficient syndrome - it turned out it had been entered by a previous doctor well before it was revealed to me. This ripping, tearing and scarring in the arachnoid layer of the spine is caused by the medical community, and they protect their own.
It is incurable, progressive and a miserable mess to live with. I am in a hospital bed in my living room all day (ugh!), use the walker to race around the house, the wheelchair outside the house (hasn't happened since last August, though) and am in constant pain.
Because I now have a bunch of other fun problems in addition to the back, the meds I take treat a whole gang of complaints. But pain is a horrible thing, it can't be seen or felt by others and the "normal" person's perception of pain doesn't usually help those who are suffering from chronic pain - it's not their fault, really.
I have morphine (Kadian) for pain, along with Tylenol III for breaththrough pain, along with Orphenadrine, Flexeril, an anti-depressant that was to treat pain but actually helps more with depression. I am fortunate enough to be on SSDI, and have been for almost 25 years; I can honestly say I don't believe I'd be here right now were I not.
This is a crummy "introduction" from me.... I will say, what I have turned to more often than anything else is my sense of humor. There's something about laughing that makes it difficult to be 100% miserable at the same time!
I have problems with my back, mostly due to ware and tare, working in construction and over doing it. Now most people I know have had some problems but nothing like the level that I have had over the years. I would wake up in agony unable to move my arms because they where dead as if the blood flow had been stopped, but the pain that’s something else.
After my accident in 03 and was diagnosed with FMS & Polyarthralgia (symptoms of RA) I was given Amitriptyline this I was surprised helped the back pain I was having, I still have problems with my back mainly my neck area not sure if its Spinal Stenosis or spurs, but what ever it is the pain is bad. Which ever way I lye down the pain travel down my arms and my hands swell up there is no position that makes a difference other then sitting up and then it relieves it only to a degree.
Not unlike a lot of people here people look at me and say you look so good, puzzled if its not all in my head.
The one thing I have found in this site is that your not on your own.
mike
Hi, I am so sorry about your constant back pain, unfortuately I too suffer 24/7. I have had 4 back surgeries and now facing a frontal/back fusion. Because you had your fusion, can you tell me if your back pain has "decreased?" I am so looking forward to this surgery because I so want to get rid of this pain.
Thank you,
Wendy
Hi Jimmie, I love that you have a strong faith. I would love for you to keep me in your prayers, I pray that someday I will get to the place you are.
God be with and bless you,
