@jm1 @vlk420

Hi jm1 and vlk420,

Thanks for all the help and the heart breaking stories about your health. I really feel for you guys, because I am going through physical and mental health issues myself.

Just a little bit over 7 months ago I hardly had any issues, I was capable of doing things, do my sports etc.

How can 7 months change your life, from hero to zero? 😢

I feel very depressed daily, the pain is not abating, the brain is under attack 24/7, your thoughts are centred around the pain because you can't shake it off. Nearly constant headaches and bilateral tinnitus.

I haven't been driving the car for 2 months due to the fact that is painful to seat. Attending my appointments by taxi is a challenge. Some of my appointments are located near the Melbourne AUS central district, 30km each way. I can't find a sitting position that is suitable, worsened by taxi drivers that go hard on the brakes, take off too quickly or go over speed humps too fast.

Yesterday I had to cancel my CT/Bone scan appointment because I was too sore to lie down in those scan machines. I also cancelled the C6 nerve root injection planned for next Friday. I won't be attending my wife's birthday (70) party on Friday at the local pub with her brothers and sisters unfortunately, because I just have too much pain when I sit down. She is not happy about this, but I find it hard to pretend that I am happy while I am in this extremely negative state of mind.

Sorry jm1 yesterday I did go to see an acupuncturist before I read your message afterwards.

I was there for 2 hours. The acupuncturist told me that my body is dry inside and I need to hydrate it more.
I told her that I have a massive burning pain in the left side of my neck. After she put the needles in my neck and back gently, she got me to walk around the office for 10 minutes. I did buy some Chinese herbs that would help me stay hydrated once mixed with water. When I got home, I noticed that my left neck pain had gone down quite a bit, but now the pain had shifted to the right hand side, weird. I am hoping that it will improve.

If I touch gently around C6, C7 on both sides I can feel pain in the neck connecting with pain in my lumbar spine, strange.

I have 2mm retrolisthesis of C4, C5 and 1.5mm spondylolisthesis of C6. I am wondering whether the vertebrae with the 2mm retrolisthesis are pushing against my spinal cord when I slightly bend over causing all those other pains. I asked my doctors but received no answers yet. The doctors' attitude is frustrating me, because I am the one in pain and should be getting answers. Their are wasting my time while I am getting worse.
All I received is meds and more meds, but no real solutions while they are getting paid. I have read that a lot of people around the world with this issues get worse because of mis-diagnosis and lengthy delays in assessments.

I have noticed that I have a hard painful lump on the right between C4/C5 roughly. What is it?
Better check it out shortly.

I do have fear of surgery because I may need a 3 level fusion (maybe C4-C5-C6 I don't) which may restrict my movements and prevent me from driving a car.

My Italian friend from Italy advised me that he got over his issues with physio, ozone therapy and exercises for 12 months. Obviously his condition wasn't as bad as mine.

Recently I struggle to get up from bed, it takes my a couple of minutes to slowly get up, then wash my face and make cappuccino for me and my wife in the morning. I also feel pain in my hip joints.

My social life does not exist anymore. People that called themselves "my friends" never call or visit me to find out how I am going. I only receive calls from some so called "friends" when they have a computer/network problem because I have had 30 years experience in Information Technology. I am not earning any money at the moment and am relying on government's assistance to get by. In May I will start getting my old age pension which won't be a lot of money. To make things worse we have 2 adult sons on mental disability that need to be cared for. With the current cost of living rising weekly it is going to be difficult to manage bills, etc.

I haven't been getting enough exercise, because I fear that the pain may get worse. Anyway yesterday evening I forced myself despite the pain to go for a short slow walk, I nearly covered 2kms. It wasn't too bad.

Best regards to all.

Alfred

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