Forced retirement 4 yrs ago due to degenerative disc disease

Hi @joeallen, welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I'm sorry to hear about what you've been going through. I know how frustrating it must be to be in pain and not have answers. Have you talked to your doctor about the current symptoms you have?

got an appt. at 10;40 on Tue. to see my Dr. I have a trapped ulna nerve from a crushed elbow, carpal tunnel left hand, had right rotator cuff surgery, right knee replaced. had pancreatitis, have sleep apnea, have had three reconstrutive nose surgerys. All these things hurt but nothing compares to the never ending daily pain and discomfort I have been living with for the last 4 years and now this face thing wants to join my daily life of misery. On the upside during my last physical great blood pressure, cholestral, and I lost 10 lbs.

Hi @joeallen,
I'm tagging a few other Connect members who may have something to add to this discussion. @mlemieux @gatorjaws, @nannapat58

You may also want to join this thread https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/i-am-looking-for-any-kind-of-answers-that-anyone-can-offer/

How did your appointment go today?

Colleen
Connect Community Director

Hi @joeallen,

Thanks for sharing all that information. I completely understand what you're going through concerning your pain and having no answers from anyone.

You mentioned that you had an appointment today? How did that go?

All of the symptoms you mentioned above, are your specialists saying it's all due to your "degenerative disc disease"? Have you ever had a bone scan before to check for bone density? Have they checked for any bone loss deficiencies before? A lot of your health issues seem to related around bone structure, joints, etc.

Pain Meds?
If I may, would you be willing to tell us what medications they've given you for pain? inflammation? nerve damage? etc...

Depression:
Also, have you spoken to anyone about your depression? Pain + depression is very common. I too went through some major battles in my life, all of which made me stronger in the end. You're not alone, we are all here to help.

Sleeping:
I too went through a sleep clinic and they gave me a sleep apnea machine. I find it way too hard to sleep with unfortunately, now I just take gravol to help with sleep. Pain wakes me up 3-4 times a night, which can be a major factor in the amount of pain I have the next day. Weird question, what kind of pillows do you use? I had a lot of problems sleeping until I got some medical-type pillows that help to keep my back arch straight. Been sleeping like a baby ever since.

Your GP:
Last but not least, how long have you had your current GP? Sometimes I find certain doctors just don't have the resources available to them to know where/how to manage your conditions and/or pain. If you feel that your visits are going nowhere, you might want to consider getting a second opinion.

I look forward to your reply!

Sincerely,
Martin Lemieux
@Martin_Lemieux - Tweet

Saw a nurse practioner, did blood work. they will contact me on Wed.
My Drs. say a lot of what is going on is due to the degenerative disease as well as injuries that are now being affected by the degenerative disease. I have had a bone density test no problems. I also have muscle spasms and feel shaky inside almost all the time.
I take a lot of pain meds and other meds I start Gabapetenin, percocet and some sort of steroid on Wed.
I don't take anything for depresssion as I don't like how they make me feel. sleeping, I do use and have used a cpap sleep apnea machine for 16 yrs., pain and night sweats wake me up several times a night. I sleep in a kind of sitting up position or I move to a recliner. I have not tried med. pillows.
I have had this GP for around 10 yrs. I also see a back specialist, knee/joint specialist, I did talk with a pain specilist but I did not like there program. I have seen several other GP's and they all seem to say the same thing. Depending on what I hear on Wed. I may be seeing a neroligist.
If it wasn't for my beautiful wife and my big yellow lab I don't think happy thoughts and smiles would be possible.

Thanks so much for listening to me, when I tell some friends and family that I don't feel good or that I can't do some things - they don't always believe me and this is very hard to deal with. been trying to not care what others think

Not feeling 100% and pain meds are trying to work.

Thanks
Joe

saw a nurse practioner , did blood work, wrote me 3 prescriptions, said they would contact me on Wed. the only answer I got today was that my white blood count is good. Thanks for your ear and your help.