Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

@jmcamden9687 Good evening. What was the cause of your initial neck/back pain? Was the diagnosis in any way different from what you expected? How did the pain doctor explain the anticipated results? I would like to call on @johnbishop to send you the latest links to stem cell injection therapy results. Have a peaceful night. Chris

Hello @jmcamden9687 -- I would like to add my welcome to Connect along with @artscaping and other members. I don't know of any success stem cell treatment/therapy for any autoimmune disease but there is a good discussion for neuropathy that you might be interested in reading through to see what others have discussed. Normally it's not covered by insurance. Also I don't think there have been any clinical trials or FDA approval for any of these types of treatments so it's good to do a lot of research.

> Groups > Neuropathy > Stem Cell Therapy for Neuropathy
— https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/stem-cell-therapy-for-neuropahy/

Would your husbands doctor being doing the stem cell injections in a smaller local clinic or is it a major medical facility?

I will call myself Guga, I am in pain from the minute I step foot off of my bed to the minute I get back into it. I have no pain meds due to the new laws and fears of providers. I have gained 80 lbs, and am miserable. I have seen the drs in several places but no one cares about someone like me.

@guga Welcome to Mayo Connect. We are a very diverse and caring group of people, some of us patients, some of us caregivers, some of us family members. We share our experiences to support and assist others on their own individual journeys. We do not diagnose nor can we offer medical advice. If you are comfortable, will you tell us about the type of pain your are experiencing, and any remedies you have tried? Is there a cause to this pain? Are you able to do any type of exercise that might make you feel better and ease the pain? We would like to be able to offer you support, but need a few more details!
Ginger

Hi ,The pain Dr. would be doing stem cell injections. My husband needs a spinal decompression. He has a MRI scheduled , but can't do the surgery until spring 2020. He was hoping to get a little relief between now and then. He doesn't take any pills for pain only marijuana.

@guga , welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. I just read your post regarding the intense level.of pain that you experience continually. I am not a medical practioner, and therefore cannot diagnose or advise.

However, I am a patient, a friend, a caregiver, and someone who has dealt with Chronic pain for many years. I am a Volunteer Mentor here at Mayo Clinic Connect.

May I ask, can you discern or pinpoint where this pain is coming from? Are you able to tell whether it is in your joints, in your bones, in your muscle tissues, or all of the above?

Have you considered keeping a journal of your pain experiences? Pain can be dull, throbbing , sharo, cutting, or aching. Pain can travel or stay in primarily one spot. Different circumstances can affect pain levels. How is your sleep? Does your pain wake you up at night? Do you feel rested when you wake up in the morning? Has anyone ever suggested you might have sleep apnea?

Keeping a record of all your symptoms might enable your medical team to discover patterns in your health, that could lead to proper testing, and hopefully a proper diagnosis.

Through the years, I have found in my case that the more information I can give my PCP, the closer to an accurate diagnosis and treatment we get.

Many people just have a little notebook where they write down all that is going on, day by day. I find that it helps me to track everything going on with my body.

I hope that we have given you some glimmer of hope here. And that you will come back to visit us any time you have a chance to do so. We are here for you. I will be keeping you in my hopes and prayers. You deserve to be free from pain.

Mamacita Jane

Study Result 

EXAM: MR THORACIC SPINE WITHOUT IV CONTRAST

COMPARISON: No similar Comparison

FINDINGS: Sagittal images reveal multilevel disc desiccation and intervertebral

disc space loss throughout the thoracic spine.

The visualized lower cervical spine in the thoracic field of view demonstrate at

disc protrusion at C6-C7 with ventral effacement of the cord and associated mild

central canal stenosis. Mild multilevel disc bulges or disc protrusions are

present in the thoracic spine at T3-T4, T5-T6, T6-T7, T7-T8, T8-T9, T9-T10,

T10-T11, T11-T12, and in the visualized upper lumbosacral spine at L1-L2 and

L2-L3 levels. Of these, there is multilevel ventral effacement of the cord from

T5-T6 through T10-T11 levels, and mild central canal stenosis at T9-T10 and

T10-T11 levels. There is no evidence of intrinsic thoracic cord signal

abnormality. The conus ends at L1-L2. There are findings suggestive of a left

hemilaminectomy at L1-L2. Multilevel thoracic facet arthropathy is present.

There is neural foraminal encroachment bilaterally at T9-T10 and T10-T11 levels.

There is also neural foraminal encroachment at L1-L2 bilaterally.

Sagittal low resolution T2 localizer of the cervical and lumbosacral spine

reveal slight reversal of the lordosis of the cervical spine, as well as a mild

disc bulges in the cervical spine from C3-C4 through C6-C7 levels, with slight

ventral effacement of the cord. Cannot rule out mild central multilevel canal

stenosis in the cervical spine. The lumbosacral spine reveals mild multilevel

disc bulges or disc osteophyte complexes from L1-L2 through L4-L5 levels.

Suspect mild multilevel central canal stenosis. Detailed evaluation of the

cervical and lumbosacral spine is not possible in this examination.
MPRESSION:

Multilevel discogenic degeneration and facet arthropathy are

present throughout the thoracic spine, with multiple disc protrusions which

produces ventral effacement of the cord. There is arthritis all through my hips and my pelvis I am only 53 the pain is in my legs and my knee is my left foot swells up near my ankle I have numbness in my legs I have fallen twice because of the numbness I just kind of went down I do keep an eye on it now so when it starts getting numb I smack it till we get back up hopefully that'll help and sometimes it does sometimes it doesn't and when it doesn't I seem to find myself to a chair I am confined to my house I tried to go to work as much as possible I still follow up with my church still cook dinner as much as I can even with the pain I am tired I am so so tired I don't sleep at night yes I do have sleep apnea but the pain wakes me up some days is worse than others some days I'll suck on a Benadryl is just to get some rest cuz I can't take it anymore and then when I can't take the pain and it's so bad I run to the emergency room to see if at least I can get a shot of pain relief and then go home for a few days of rest with whatever they give me

Study Result 

EXAM: MR THORACIC SPINE WITHOUT IV CONTRAST

COMPARISON: No similar Comparison

FINDINGS: Sagittal images reveal multilevel disc desiccation and intervertebral

disc space loss throughout the thoracic spine.

The visualized lower cervical spine in the thoracic field of view demonstrate at

disc protrusion at C6-C7 with ventral effacement of the cord and associated mild

central canal stenosis. Mild multilevel disc bulges or disc protrusions are

present in the thoracic spine at T3-T4, T5-T6, T6-T7, T7-T8, T8-T9, T9-T10,

T10-T11, T11-T12, and in the visualized upper lumbosacral spine at L1-L2 and

L2-L3 levels. Of these, there is multilevel ventral effacement of the cord from

T5-T6 through T10-T11 levels, and mild central canal stenosis at T9-T10 and

T10-T11 levels. There is no evidence of intrinsic thoracic cord signal

abnormality. The conus ends at L1-L2. There are findings suggestive of a left

hemilaminectomy at L1-L2. Multilevel thoracic facet arthropathy is present.

There is neural foraminal encroachment bilaterally at T9-T10 and T10-T11 levels.

There is also neural foraminal encroachment at L1-L2 bilaterally.

Sagittal low resolution T2 localizer of the cervical and lumbosacral spine

reveal slight reversal of the lordosis of the cervical spine, as well as a mild

disc bulges in the cervical spine from C3-C4 through C6-C7 levels, with slight

ventral effacement of the cord. Cannot rule out mild central multilevel canal

stenosis in the cervical spine. The lumbosacral spine reveals mild multilevel

disc bulges or disc osteophyte complexes from L1-L2 through L4-L5 levels.

Suspect mild multilevel central canal stenosis. Detailed evaluation of the

cervical and lumbosacral spine is not possible in this examination.

MPRESSION:

Multilevel discogenic degeneration and facet arthropathy are

present throughout the thoracic spine, with multiple disc protrusions which

produces ventral effacement of the cord. There is arthritis all through my pelvis all through my hips and I'm only 53 I'm hurting when I can't take it anymore I served on a Benadryl and yes I do have sleep apnea and sometimes I stay up for days and days until I can't take it anymore when the pain is just so accessor bated that I cannot live with it I run to the emergency room for some type of relief and they're very good at taking care of it except that some doctors they just don't believe in this anymore so I'm stuck living with this pain it's daily and I'm tired I don't sit around I don't watch TV all day I move I walk with the dogs I play outside with the dogs I cook supper I wash clothes I go to work I try to spend a few minutes and my grandson's baseball games but it's very hard

I have tried everything from heat to cold 2 gabapentin which made my heart race Tramadol did nothing Tylenol I'm allergic to ibuprofen I go for a walk I have to come right back play with the dogs outside garden I've even gotten a bike and I take three or four seconds on it and come back and every day I try to do a little bit more I also stretch every morning I'm now eating healthier trying to lose some of the weight because I've gained so much weight over the past two years I've gained 80 lb this does not help me and now I'm trying to find a provider that can help me with a gastro problem 2

@jmcamden9687 My back is in the same boat I have a lot of issues but the P.T. gave me back exercises to do one is just stretching to release the disc space between the vertebra, With 2 back fractures I have a lot of P.T. Talk to your Dr about maybe getting some. I do home P.T, when I need it as they gave me sheets to go by.