Chronic Back Pain for Years

Thank you Justin and I gladly will share my story if it can help anyone. It is very lenghty so I will try to keep it as abbreviated as possible but to the point. I can understand some of what physical therapy you "might" have gone through post-op with an ankle fusion (had a total rt knee and lt hip replacement). You are correct...long and hard.
I injured my back as a nurse involving a patient. For 2 years I was misdiagnosed as a "lumbar strain" when actually it was a cervical cord compression at C5 to C7. I did have a slight herniation at L4 and slippage and most pain seemed to come from there. My bowel and bladder were affected, legs were weak and arms. I worked in the NICU as "light-duty" using a special back brace but over 2 years continually symptoms became worse. The head of physical therapy stated my EMG showed more from the cervical or upper thorax than lumbar. I started to pronounced arm weakness, neck pain,and cervical headaches. The physiatrist stated, "I tell the doctors to always check the whole back because often the problem is coming elsewhere and not where the patient's pain is." My doctor "knew" better and thought MS but the MRI was negative.
To shorten the story, I went to the"pioneer of back surgery" in Philadelphia (an orthopedic surgeon I knew) and saw his neurologist. First glance he noticed in my face the abnormal jaw reflex and the change in the curvature of my neck into an "L" shape. I had almost a "total" compression C5-C6 and C6-C7 just about as bad. My doctor stated I should have been dead or a quadriplegic and was amazed I was even walking. I had an anterior fusion 2 years after my initial injury (1994) and then the slippage and herniation L4-L5 worsened (I was working part-time as an instructor at my hospital).
I needed trimming L4 and fusion L5-S1 with hardware posterior in 1995 and kept working. My symptoms improved with some neurological deficits remaining but not that severe. Pain only when walking too much and not taking enough breaks. As time went on, I started have all the original symptoms reoccur.
I had what is called a "failed" fusion. My fusions were unstable and areas above and below were herniating or impinging nerves. The peripheral nerves to arms, legs, bowel and bladder and now increasing pain happening more and more were becoming constant. In 1998, thorough testing (discogram, MRIs, EMGs, i.e demonstrated I had a "bad" back). I almost fell off the litter when the x-ray doctor told me.
These were extensive and because of years of the "failure", permenant nerve damage has remained even though some did get better. I had a posterior cervical fusion C4-C7 and 6 weeks later anterior cages and posterior fusion L3-S1 Lumbar area. I developed a post-op hematoma and infection of the lumbar fusion which worsened the neurogenic bowel and I needed 2 bowel operations and am left with a functioning colon but only 18 cm. The neurogenic bladder did become better in time.
I am sorry this is so lengthy but if I can help anyone, just a little more. I know length can turn people off! I developed scar tissue in the spinal cord arachnoiditis (lumbar area found in my testing before my refusions) that causes a lot of chronic pain, had nerve pain and chronic pain, which worsened as the years have gone by. Due to the nerve damage to my bowel, plus certaain medications, gastroparesis (decreased contraction of the nerves to the stomach) which can be very serious. I had botox to the LES plus take medicine to help the stomach to contract. Also, my fusion healed crooked, and I have "torticollis" (very painful), and get botox every 3 months. Many of my problems went undiagnosed for years, thus causing permanence of my symptoms to some degree.
I do apologize for the length. I do not want to bore or act like I have it worse than others. If I can help anyone or if anyone can help me. I greatly would appreciate it. I have tried many "mental" and "physical' therapies plus my TENS unit as an adjuvant but still need my chronic pain and gastric medications. Some of the chronic pain medications are continuing to "destroy" the stomach nerves which really upsets me. I'd love to get off everything but after all these years and all the complications, am loosing hope. I keep praying.
Best to you with your ankle. I am sure you have your good days as well as bad and the "weather" isn't always your friend. It is funny how so many have told me they can predict the weather from their "bone'' injuries and I must agree LOL. Take care. Joan

Thank you Justin and I gladly will share my story if it can help anyone. It is very lenghty so I will try to keep it as abbreviated as possible but to the point. I can understand some of what physical therapy you "might" have gone through post-op with an ankle fusion (had a total rt knee and lt hip replacement). You are correct...long and hard.
I injured my back as a nurse involving a patient. For 2 years I was misdiagnosed as a "lumbar strain" when actually it was a cervical cord compression at C5 to C7. I did have a slight herniation at L4 and slippage and most pain seemed to come from there. My bowel and bladder were affected, legs were weak and arms. I worked in the NICU as "light-duty" using a special back brace but over 2 years continually symptoms became worse. The head of physical therapy stated my EMG showed more from the cervical or upper thorax than lumbar. I started to pronounced arm weakness, neck pain,and cervical headaches. The physiatrist stated, "I tell the doctors to always check the whole back because often the problem is coming elsewhere and not where the patient's pain is." My doctor "knew" better and thought MS but the MRI was negative.
To shorten the story, I went to the"pioneer of back surgery" in Philadelphia (an orthopedic surgeon I knew) and saw his neurologist. First glance he noticed in my face the abnormal jaw reflex and the change in the curvature of my neck into an "L" shape. I had almost a "total" compression C5-C6 and C6-C7 just about as bad. My doctor stated I should have been dead or a quadriplegic and was amazed I was even walking. I had an anterior fusion 2 years after my initial injury (1994) and then the slippage and herniation L4-L5 worsened (I was working part-time as an instructor at my hospital).
I needed trimming L4 and fusion L5-S1 with hardware posterior in 1995 and kept working. My symptoms improved with some neurological deficits remaining but not that severe. Pain only when walking too much and not taking enough breaks. As time went on, I started have all the original symptoms reoccur.
I had what is called a "failed" fusion. My fusions were unstable and areas above and below were herniating or impinging nerves. The peripheral nerves to arms, legs, bowel and bladder and now increasing pain happening more and more were becoming constant. In 1998, thorough testing (discogram, MRIs, EMGs, i.e demonstrated I had a "bad" back). I almost fell off the litter when the x-ray doctor told me.
These were extensive and because of years of the "failure", permenant nerve damage has remained even though some did get better. I had a posterior cervical fusion C4-C7 and 6 weeks later anterior cages and posterior fusion L3-S1 Lumbar area. I developed a post-op hematoma and infection of the lumbar fusion which worsened the neurogenic bowel and I needed 2 bowel operations and am left with a functioning colon but only 18 cm. The neurogenic bladder did become better in time.
I am sorry this is so lengthy but if I can help anyone, just a little more. I know length can turn people off! I developed scar tissue in the spinal cord arachnoiditis (lumbar area found in my testing before my refusions) that causes a lot of chronic pain, had nerve pain and chronic pain, which worsened as the years have gone by. Due to the nerve damage to my bowel, plus certaain medications, gastroparesis (decreased contraction of the nerves to the stomach) which can be very serious. I had botox to the LES plus take medicine to help the stomach to contract. Also, my fusion healed crooked, and I have "torticollis" (very painful), and get botox every 3 months. Many of my problems went undiagnosed for years, thus causing permanence of my symptoms to some degree.
I do apologize for the length. I do not want to bore or act like I have it worse than others. If I can help anyone or if anyone can help me. I greatly would appreciate it. I have tried many "mental" and "physical' therapies plus my TENS unit as an adjuvant but still need my chronic pain and gastric medications. Some of the chronic pain medications are continuing to "destroy" the stomach nerves which really upsets me. I'd love to get off everything but after all these years and all the complications, am loosing hope. I keep praying.
Best to you with your ankle. I am sure you have your good days as well as bad and the "weather" isn't always your friend. It is funny how so many have told me they can predict the weather from their "bone'' injuries and I must agree LOL. Take care. Joan

The support and encouragement i have gotten here has been just unbelievable!! I have never gotten SUCH CARING even close to this!!! I can't stress that enough!!
Sadly, I have severely re-hurt my back over and over these past few years especially, because my doctor told me I had absolutely no limits on what I could do. I have leaned over many times to pick up heavy things, only to be "frozen" in gut-wrenching pain, and not able to straighten back up for at least a week. I really thought my doctor knew best.
I sadly have no family near by who can help. I live alone (my fiance died unexpectedly several years ago due to an unknown congenital heart condition) and must do everything myself. My doctor always said that it was OK.
I have no other health insurance, or recourse.
One hard and ugly truth I have learned over and over about the VA hospital here.. if you slight a certain doctor, not follow what he says or try to turn him in, you PAY for it a hundred times over. I hesitate to even mention specific circumstances as most people would probably not even believe that any doctor could EVER stoop to or dare to do such things.
The more I try to complain or try to stand up for myself in even the smallest way, the more certain doctors can (and do!) get back at you. It becomes so brutal and traumatizing, over and over and over. But it is REALITY.
It makes it worse, I believe, that I am a woman, as certain male doctors will shamelessly and openly harass and cruelly sexually abuse women patients, with no fear of reprimand whatsoever.
PLEASE PLEASE NOTE: MOST DOCTORS here are VERY ethical and VERY kind to all. I just happened to have gotten the very bad one or two.

The support and encouragement i have gotten here has been just unbelievable!! I have never gotten SUCH CARING even close to this!!! I can't stress that enough!!
Sadly, I have severely re-hurt my back over and over these past few years especially, because my doctor told me I had absolutely no limits on what I could do. I have leaned over many times to pick up heavy things, only to be "frozen" in gut-wrenching pain, and not able to straighten back up for at least a week. I really thought my doctor knew best.
I sadly have no family near by who can help. I live alone (my fiance died unexpectedly several years ago due to an unknown congenital heart condition) and must do everything myself. My doctor always said that it was OK.
I have no other health insurance, or recourse.
One hard and ugly truth I have learned over and over about the VA hospital here.. if you slight a certain doctor, not follow what he says or try to turn him in, you PAY for it a hundred times over. I hesitate to even mention specific circumstances as most people would probably not even believe that any doctor could EVER stoop to or dare to do such things.
The more I try to complain or try to stand up for myself in even the smallest way, the more certain doctors can (and do!) get back at you. It becomes so brutal and traumatizing, over and over and over. But it is REALITY.
It makes it worse, I believe, that I am a woman, as certain male doctors will shamelessly and openly harass and cruelly sexually abuse women patients, with no fear of reprimand whatsoever.
PLEASE PLEASE NOTE: MOST DOCTORS here are VERY ethical and VERY kind to all. I just happened to have gotten the very bad one or two.

Since I sincerely believe I cannot rely upon my Primary Care (VA) Doctor, I have been very desperately and diligently reading everything here that other people post. I am hoping so much to perhaps find help with and/or suggestions to ease this horrible, unrelenting pain. Pain is literally ruling my life.
My Doctor will not give me muscle relaxers or any kind of pain pill (even after receiving the results of my MRI), and he is also very against over-the-counter (or any kind) of Ibuprofen. He says it is useless for pain, anyway. He did tell me that my lower back pain will eventually all resolve itself. He insists that I just have to give it time to go away on its own. I just don't know. I have listed above the word-for-word results of my MRI, but I have no idea how to read it or interpret it. He himself received the results and told me, "Nothing to worry about." Here are the results again, to save anyone interested from having to "back-track".:

L1-L2: No significant disc bulge. No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing.

L3-L4: Diffuse disc bulge with superimposed right subarticular zone disc extrusion, with approximately 11 mm caudal migration of disc material.
There is bilateral facet arthropathy and facet effusions. There is spinal canal stenosis, primarily secondary to disc bulge. There is narrowing of the lateral recesses bilaterally, with abutment of the descending right L4 nerve roots.
There is severe right neural foraminal narrowing.

L4-L5: Broad-based disc bulge. There is moderate bilateral facet arthropathy. There is moderate right neural foraminal narrowing.

L5-S1: Broad-based disc bulge.. Moderate bilateral facet arthropathy with facet effusions bilaterally. Moderate bilateral neural foraminal narrowing, greater the right.

S1-S2: Broad-based disc bulge. Severe bilateral facet arthropathy, with a left facet effusion. Extraforaminal synovial cysts are noted to project anterolaterally from the left facet joint, with significant encroachment upon the exiting nerve roots. There is an additional small synovial cyst projecting inferiorly from the facet joint. Mild right and moderate left neural foraminal narrowing.

END OF MRI RESULTS

The support and encouragement i have gotten here has been just unbelievable!! I have never gotten SUCH CARING even close to this!!! I can't stress that enough!!
Sadly, I have severely re-hurt my back over and over these past few years especially, because my doctor told me I had absolutely no limits on what I could do. I have leaned over many times to pick up heavy things, only to be "frozen" in gut-wrenching pain, and not able to straighten back up for at least a week. I really thought my doctor knew best.
I sadly have no family near by who can help. I live alone (my fiance died unexpectedly several years ago due to an unknown congenital heart condition) and must do everything myself. My doctor always said that it was OK.
I have no other health insurance, or recourse.
One hard and ugly truth I have learned over and over about the VA hospital here.. if you slight a certain doctor, not follow what he says or try to turn him in, you PAY for it a hundred times over. I hesitate to even mention specific circumstances as most people would probably not even believe that any doctor could EVER stoop to or dare to do such things.
The more I try to complain or try to stand up for myself in even the smallest way, the more certain doctors can (and do!) get back at you. It becomes so brutal and traumatizing, over and over and over. But it is REALITY.
It makes it worse, I believe, that I am a woman, as certain male doctors will shamelessly and openly harass and cruelly sexually abuse women patients, with no fear of reprimand whatsoever.
PLEASE PLEASE NOTE: MOST DOCTORS here are VERY ethical and VERY kind to all. I just happened to have gotten the very bad one or two.

Since I sincerely believe I cannot rely upon my Primary Care (VA) Doctor, I have been very desperately and diligently reading everything here that other people post. I am hoping so much to perhaps find help with and/or suggestions to ease this horrible, unrelenting pain. Pain is literally ruling my life.
My Doctor will not give me muscle relaxers or any kind of pain pill (even after receiving the results of my MRI), and he is also very against over-the-counter (or any kind) of Ibuprofen. He says it is useless for pain, anyway. He did tell me that my lower back pain will eventually all resolve itself. He insists that I just have to give it time to go away on its own. I just don't know. I have listed above the word-for-word results of my MRI, but I have no idea how to read it or interpret it. He himself received the results and told me, "Nothing to worry about." Here are the results again, to save anyone interested from having to "back-track".:

L1-L2: No significant disc bulge. No spinal canal stenosis or neuroforaminal narrowing.

L3-L4: Diffuse disc bulge with superimposed right subarticular zone disc extrusion, with approximately 11 mm caudal migration of disc material.
There is bilateral facet arthropathy and facet effusions. There is spinal canal stenosis, primarily secondary to disc bulge. There is narrowing of the lateral recesses bilaterally, with abutment of the descending right L4 nerve roots.
There is severe right neural foraminal narrowing.

L4-L5: Broad-based disc bulge. There is moderate bilateral facet arthropathy. There is moderate right neural foraminal narrowing.

L5-S1: Broad-based disc bulge.. Moderate bilateral facet arthropathy with facet effusions bilaterally. Moderate bilateral neural foraminal narrowing, greater the right.

S1-S2: Broad-based disc bulge. Severe bilateral facet arthropathy, with a left facet effusion. Extraforaminal synovial cysts are noted to project anterolaterally from the left facet joint, with significant encroachment upon the exiting nerve roots. There is an additional small synovial cyst projecting inferiorly from the facet joint. Mild right and moderate left neural foraminal narrowing.

END OF MRI RESULTS

The support and encouragement i have gotten here has been just unbelievable!! I have never gotten SUCH CARING even close to this!!! I can't stress that enough!!
Sadly, I have severely re-hurt my back over and over these past few years especially, because my doctor told me I had absolutely no limits on what I could do. I have leaned over many times to pick up heavy things, only to be "frozen" in gut-wrenching pain, and not able to straighten back up for at least a week. I really thought my doctor knew best.
I sadly have no family near by who can help. I live alone (my fiance died unexpectedly several years ago due to an unknown congenital heart condition) and must do everything myself. My doctor always said that it was OK.
I have no other health insurance, or recourse.
One hard and ugly truth I have learned over and over about the VA hospital here.. if you slight a certain doctor, not follow what he says or try to turn him in, you PAY for it a hundred times over. I hesitate to even mention specific circumstances as most people would probably not even believe that any doctor could EVER stoop to or dare to do such things.
The more I try to complain or try to stand up for myself in even the smallest way, the more certain doctors can (and do!) get back at you. It becomes so brutal and traumatizing, over and over and over. But it is REALITY.
It makes it worse, I believe, that I am a woman, as certain male doctors will shamelessly and openly harass and cruelly sexually abuse women patients, with no fear of reprimand whatsoever.
PLEASE PLEASE NOTE: MOST DOCTORS here are VERY ethical and VERY kind to all. I just happened to have gotten the very bad one or two.