Hi @painless, and welcome to Connect.
I moved your message to this existing discussion about chronic back pain so that you can meet some of these members who are talking about this topic. You may be interested in reading some of their previous posts in this thread.

I also thought you might like to meet some of the members who've talked about spinal fusion in particular, like @sallymagint, @jlfisher56, @gailg, @jrchicago and @kdubois.

Many members who participate in this group also have found our Mental Health Group helpful, here: https://connect.mayoclinic.org/group/mental-health/.

A few discussions in particular that might be of interest to you are:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/anxiety-and-depression-1/ and
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/long-term-depression/

Are you finding any of the remedies you are using now to control your pain are bringing you any relief?

Hi Steve @painless .

I'm sorry you're having so much pain. I had a spinal cord stimulator implant in June, for peripheral neuropathy pain in my feet, and it was wonderful to have relief from 7-9 level pain. Much of the time I'm not actively aware of the pain, though I do have significant burning pain some days. That usually happens when I walk or stand on hard surfaces for more than an hour. The first step is a temporary implant, to see how much it helps. If you get at least 50% relief, you can qualify for a permanent implant. The surgery is outpatient, and as with any surgery, there are physical limitations for a while.

The newest stimulator is the Burst DR, and is MRI compatible. Previous ones were not. The Abbott company bought it from St. Jude's, who developed and marketed it. If you consider it, be sure to specify Burst DR.

I pray that you'll get some answers very soon.

@donnacpt07

Donna,

It's always distressing to see human suffering, which you've probably experienced in your work as a pt. I wonder if a pt (the other kind of pt) could help you. You don't say what help you've sought out. I know from my own painful experience what a challenge it can be to find the best solutions. I don't pretend to have the answers. But I hope you persist until you get relief from the pain you're having.

Jim

Jim, That is great information and I thank you for it. I have an appointment with the Pain Management folks on Oct. 23 and will definitely bring it up.
Thank you so much. And thanks To everyone who has been so kind as to take time out of your busy lives to help me through these trying times.
BTW: any suggestions for managing the pain between now and then? I'm trying everything I know; Hydrocodone, ibuprofen, rest, ice, wine (helped for an hour but not worth the after effects) , massage (felt great during but very sore afterward), acupuncture (hurt during and very sore afterward). Haven't tried marijuana yet (well, since the 70's) but I'll do ANYTHING at this point.

@painless

I take morphine and Cymbalta, and sometimes Percocet and orphenadrine, a muscle relaxer,Ibuprofen, Tylenol, medical marijuana edible, sleep, naps. The first two are the only ones I take regularly. Plus Wellbutrin, Clonazepam, claritin, Benadryl and all the vitamins. I have Lidocaine cream to numb my feet, and have tried without success, Capzasin. Having a psychiatric service dog helps a lot.

And to think I never took a pill until I was 39. I was never sick, and only missed 3 days of school because of measles.

Jim

@painless

I take Norco 10-325 and it helps some but mostly if I stay off my feet. I can take up to 6 per day but seldom do so. I also take Neurontin which works better for me for nerve pain than Lyrica did. I recently began using Cannibinoids and while I am not sure how helpful they are for the pain, they take away a bit of the anxiety that I have from the pain and some of that "woe is me" feeling. I know they work because I stopped taking them for a while and realized they were helping a lot with my attitude about my pain. So I began taking them again. It takes a while to get built up in your system but once it does it is helpful. I also use the Hemp Oil Tincture under the tongue. This is quite helpful as it works quicker than the capsules. Again, mostly helpful for attitude about your pain which for me is a big thing. I use the Iron Horse Organics version of it because I can get it reliably locally or online through Fitness Doctors and it is all legal (I am in Texas and I am not holding my breath for legal marijuana here anytime soon). My pain doctor is aware of it and he is very open to it. I try my best to minimize stress which is not always easy but I find that I hurt more when I am in a stressful situation. My pain doctor who I have been going to for over 10 years has never offered me anything stronger than Norco and for that I am glad. I also purchased a Quell stimulator which goes around your leg and it works very well for me because a lot of my pain is sciatic down the leg. It is covered by insurance so I gave it a shot. I did a trial with spinal cord stimulators when they first came out years ago and did not like it. But I know they have come a long way since and my pain doctor thinks I should try again with the Burst Stimulator. I am considering it particularly in light of the good comments about the Burst on this chat.. I find pain extremely isolating because it is difficult to plan things since I don't know how I am going to feel on any given day/night. I live alone and spend a lot of time with my dog. I can go many days without talking to anyone and sometimes that is great. Sometimes not so much. I am open to any suggestions that anyone else has but hope that this can provide some help to you or others who are suffering.