Chronic Back Pain for Years

@hosta
Good Morning,
I don't know when you had your surgery or when you will have it.
In any case, praying for a positive outcome.
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@living_strong
Good Morning!
It is always good to get an extra opinion. May I ask why you are going to your 4th doctor?
I am a little confused. Just because your doctor did a hysterectomy and they can't find anything, they are saying your issue is religion? Sorry, that does not make sense to me, unless I just don't understand.
I have a BIG problem when a doctor writes off a problem when they can't 'find anything.'
There are so many tests that the doctor can take.
Good luck!
Hope you are pain free today!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@living_strong
Good Morning,
I know how exhausting and frustrating it can be when you know something is wrong and no one either believes you or can't find out what is wrong.
I've been going through something similar.
I have been suffering with back issues for years.
After seeing pain specialists for more than10 years, I realized that that route was now useless.
Those doctors did all they could.
2 of the 5 pain doctors I've see over the years told me that if the shots stopped working, then seeing a neurologist was next
I did that. My most recent pain specialist could not help me after 5]4 years, I decided I was done and needed to go further.
I did some research and found a neurosurgeon.
He did the standards, PT, shots, x-rays and MRIs, it kept showing the same thing, L4/5 was a problem and C5/6.
I had surgery, in February on the cervical spine.
However, the doctor was not sure why I had the symptoms I had in my lower back.
x-rays and MRIs, again, did not show anything new that would account for the issues.
Next, I took a MYLOGRAM CAT Scan.
Again, nothing. However, my doctor was not convinced and he did another search of the films and actually found something missed by the technician.
To confirm his findings, he sent me for a CONTRAST MRI.
Sure enough, it showed a cyst in the spinal canal.
If the doctor didn't go any further than the MRI (to save money), he never would have found the cyst.
Guess I am just saying, don't let a doctor write off

Good luck!
Hoping for a pain free day!
Ronnie (GRANDMAr)

@grandmar
I have been to a 2 GYNs because other doctors would not have anything to do with me until the female reproductive parts were checked out and cleared. The 1st doctor was the one who monitored me during an extremely difficult and life threatening pre & post pregnancy. Once I was better than before he said all is well and nothing more can be done.

The 2nd doctor was also a GYN who could not find anything. Since I was cleared by one doctor and he couldn't find anything, he started to question me as if I was a person seeking prescription pain medicine. He didn't seem to take into account that I had 3 D&C procedures in 2 months and it was several months post pregnancy. He gave me progesterone pills and said give it 3 more months to see if it helps.

It was the now retired nurse of my primary care physician who requested a referral for me to go to a 3rd doctor. The 3rd doctor is an Oncologist for women. He agreed to to exploratory surgery to get me off the "female issue band-wagon" so I could get seen by other medical specialist. It was after this surgery he admittedly told me that he too did not believe me until he seen that my uterus was not normal. Since, it wasn't normal he agreed to perform a hysterectomy with the comment that it could help. Since the source hasn't been identified for certain he said that it may not eliminate the pain.

Returning to my primary care doctor (whom we love and credit him to life saving responses for my husband) I was giving a clean bill of health and said that only so much can be done then it is up to the Lord. Granted I believe in God, but I also know that letting things sit and relying on religion is rarely an option.

I called 2 Pain Specialist Physician clinics and have been turned down because they do not explore pain sources or treat pelvic pain. They don't seem to think that maybe something in the back or elsewhere could cause the pelvic pain. It seems the work "pelvic" scares physicians away from females who suffer at various pain levels.

I have found an Internal Medicine clinic that I am going to meet with next week for a consultation. They know I am at a loss and am seeking answers. This could turn out to be a money pit. I have another clinic I am in contact with that is in a different state that I will attempt if the Internal Medicine place doesn't help.

@living_strong Telling you something that I have found important. I, too, have a faith base, and religious practice has been a big part of my life. Done many things with these 78.5 years. Pastor, truck driver, computer programmer, Real Estate loan and grant manager, football player, coach and official, teacher, restaurant bus boy, mechanic, professional student, seminar leader, etc. But I found my answer to my own disease, Hereditary Gelsolin Amyloidosis, in what I learned to do. I take care of the details of my health as best I can. After visiting 60-70 MDs, I started writing up my own story, which anyone can get free at httpjs://bit.Ly/1w7j4j8 under "Amyloid and Old Karl". But it was at that point I realized that the doctors I was seeing never looked at any of my records from their own labs. Mayo, OHSU, ... any of them. So I started searching by going back and re-reading my old lab reports, writing down summaries of them, and doing a lot of thinking about what was happening in my life. And I found some sources of terrific material. I bought "Amyloidosis - Diagnosis and Treatment" by the Mayo- Rochester staff, bought it from Amazon as an E-book. And a bunch of other stuff I got free from Helsinki University Hospital, and NIH and other places. As I went along I found a few kernels here and there, and put them in an orderly stack. And guess what? Because there are so many forms of Amyloidosis, I may not have the final exact diagnosis identified, but I know in my gut I am very, very close. And I know a heck of a lot more about what is wrong in my body than do most of the doctors I see. Medicare will not accept my diagnosis, but they were not accepting the others, anyway. Now, I do not expect that I know what your body is doing, but in many ways it sounds like mine. But you might look at my stuff and see if you can get some ideas. And, as a next resort, try the NIH Undiagnosed Disease program. All you need is a doctor whom you trust and will actually write a letter to them to get you into the program. I just lost a Clinical Trial I needed because my doctor was too lazy to write a letter saying only "I suspect Karl has Amyloidosis." )*&^%^$

My hysterectomy was at the beginning of May'18. It was a year of dealing with this pain. Some months I don't count as a result of healing from pregnancy & delivery from May'17. I have never been one to have postpartum and I don't think pain a symptom. The pain gradually worsen, improved after the hysterectomy, never completely left, and seems to becoming more of a issue with time. It gradually increase and has random peaks that doesn't make sense. Thank you for the prayers.

@grandmar good morning how are you feeling? Ive been thinking of you and wondering ,please keep us informed of your progress since your x-lift Linda

@living_strong I never heard of something blamed on religion I suggest you start over with new Dr,s or if a Mayo Clinic is near you go there if you can ,good luck

@oldkarl
Thank you for sharing. I too wrote couple of books however it was not medical. It was faith base and belief God which got us through the most troublesome times in our lives. Believing in God doesn't change life. It provide the peace God provides as we journey through life.

I will do that. I am feeling good or about the same. I am very active in that I am full time career professional, a mother of 3, and packed schedule. Thank you @lioness.