1. < Spine Health

Chronic Back Pain for Years

Posted by jlfisher56 @jlfisher56, May 2, 2017

6 back surgeries (extensive cervical and lumbar fusions) with neurological complications. Left with chronic pain. Accident happened in Nursing career 1992 and worked with first fusions until 1999 (failed fusions). At my age, and as a former nurse educator, I never wanted to had to rely on medication/s for the severe pain. Having thoroughly exhausted exploring sites using non-pharmaceutical methods, using psychological methods, biofeedback, trying to accept my limitations, i.e., I still believe somewhere...out there...is hope. The strong medicine has caused gastroparesis, further complicating my health problems. They are too numerous to write and I will not focus on them. I am looking for "help" and guidance. If I can be of assistance to anyone throughout their trials, (perhaps similar to some of what I have gone through), I will.

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eileena | @eileena | Sep 27, 2018
In reply to @lioness "@Isabeir I just reread this post I wanted to let you know about my chiropractor I..." + (show)
@lioness

@Isabeir I just reread this post I wanted to let you know about my chiropractor I go to He has a masseuse working on me first the heat and tens unit then he sees me I have a fractured back bulging disc but he works on the muscles not the bone so Ive never worried it would do more damage . Today I just ordered a new bed its an adjustable bed ,craftmatic he put pillows on my bed I had my head@legs elevated as soon as I layed down my back pain left me I couldn't believe it I needed a new mattress but after seeing the relieve I had I ordered the bed

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You have a really responsive chiropractor.

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isabelr | @isabelr | Sep 28, 2018

THANK U FOR THE INFO I REALLY APPRECIATE U LOOKING OUT FOR ME ....MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ....THAT I CAN GO TO A CHIROPRACTOR AND NOT WORRY ABOUT ANY FURTHER INJURY .....I WILL BE LOOKING FOR. A CHIROPRACTOR

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1 reply
lioness | @lioness | Sep 28, 2018
In reply to @isabelr "THANK U FOR THE INFO I REALLY APPRECIATE U LOOKING OUT FOR ME ....MAKES ME FEEL..." + (show)
@isabelr

THANK U FOR THE INFO I REALLY APPRECIATE U LOOKING OUT FOR ME ....MAKES ME FEEL BETTER ....THAT I CAN GO TO A CHIROPRACTOR AND NOT WORRY ABOUT ANY FURTHER INJURY .....I WILL BE LOOKING FOR. A CHIROPRACTOR

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@isabelr yes I wouldn't be afraid but as I did tell him of all your back issues let me know how it goes I will say back in 05 no chiropractor would touch me but in 07 I found one who used the activator its a small hand tool but the one I go to now uses his hands .I my personal opinion is the massage and tens unit with heat or ice packs is what relaxes the muscles so he can adjust then .Bless you

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jcb64 | @jcb64 | Oct 1, 2018

Just reading your post found on mayo clinic.
Without getting into too much, i have lumbar and cervical fusions and hardware both anterior and posterior from a ton of injuries and wear and tear from work and sports. I am 54 and my last of 4 surgeries on my lower back was done on 2010. I never really got great pain releaf. The last surgery caused a bunch of new issues from severe drop foot and muscle loss on one leg and knumbness all over my butt and legs.
My issue is, i have developed severe shooting pain , paralyzing pain, drop to your knees screaming pain over the last few years that was coming and lasting for 8 to 12 or so weeks and then just go away for a few months and come back and leave
Each time getting worse tho and this last bout not letting up and it just feels like something has finally let go. The pain is like an electrode on your s1 thru L3 area with a gun being shot inside. . Absolutely stabbing screaming.
Has this happened to you.
Thanks for your help. Where would you go to have this diagnosed

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lioness | @lioness | Oct 1, 2018

@jbcbr600 Just reading your post I never had back surgery but do have burning ,sometimes stabbings pain in my thighs The Orthopedic Dr said this is from my fracture pinching on the sciatica nerve Im thinking you should see an Orthopedic Dr and maybe a neurologist but an Orthopedic for sure

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thm946 | @thm946 | Oct 6, 2018

I have been using Tramadol for 3 + years for disc pain in my low back. Was taking it before bedtime & had trouble falling asleep. Mentioned this to my GP about sleep problem. He informed that Tramadol is a sedative medicine & a stimulant is added to prevent drowsyness. Now I only take it in the AM or early afternoon. For me it’s a very effective pain reliever.

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2 replies
pfbacon | @pfbacon | Oct 6, 2018
In reply to @thm946 "I have been using Tramadol for 3 + years for disc pain in my low back...." + (show)
@thm946

I have been using Tramadol for 3 + years for disc pain in my low back. Was taking it before bedtime & had trouble falling asleep. Mentioned this to my GP about sleep problem. He informed that Tramadol is a sedative medicine & a stimulant is added to prevent drowsyness. Now I only take it in the AM or early afternoon. For me it’s a very effective pain reliever.

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Thanks for that info -- I didn't know why I could take 1/2 of a Tramadol and it would kill the pain without making me sleepy like other prescription pain relievers do ... I'm so glad they added the stimulant so we can take it during the day. Peggy

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Lisa Lucier | @lisalucier | Oct 6, 2018
In reply to @thm946 "I have been using Tramadol for 3 + years for disc pain in my low back...." + (show)
@thm946

I have been using Tramadol for 3 + years for disc pain in my low back. Was taking it before bedtime & had trouble falling asleep. Mentioned this to my GP about sleep problem. He informed that Tramadol is a sedative medicine & a stimulant is added to prevent drowsyness. Now I only take it in the AM or early afternoon. For me it’s a very effective pain reliever.

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Hi, @thm946 - sorry to hear about the ongoing disc pain in your low back. I've merged your post here so that you can interact with many others in this discussion who have talked about back pain, like @grandmar @2011panc @oregongirl @eileena @lioness and others.

Glad to hear the tramadol has been a very effective pain reliever. Thanks for your tip about taking it in the morning or early afternoon, due to the stimulant added to prevent drowsiness, so that you can fall asleep at bedtime.

Will you share a bit more about your low back disc pain and how it first arose?

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living_strong | @living_strong | Feb 13, 2019
In reply to @oldkarl "@living_strong Telling you something that I have found important. I, too, have a faith base, and..." + (show)
@oldkarl

@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." )*&^%^$

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@oldkarl @grandmar

Update:

It turns out that the majority of my pain was contributed for being deficient in vitamin D. I have taken 25,000 UIs for a few months due to the level of 22. The optimal level should be 75 according to the medical professional I visited. I also had to supplement with a normal daily dose of magnesium and potassium because vitamin D can deplete these minerals. If magnesium or potassium become deficient then the side effect is similar to low vitamin D. I wish that doctors would be willing to check vitamins and mineral levels before conducting other expensive tests and surgeries. This only causes the patients stress with medical bills and live in pain longer. It would have been wonderful to avoid the surgeries and significantly decrease (getting more pain free days now) my pain levels.

There has been several people who I have shared my story. They started vitamin D and were tested. They too are seeing results to a better life with less pain, fatigue, exhaustion, and other improvements. One has rheumatoid arthritis amongst other issues. She had a level of 6 as a test result. Of course she will see an improvements due to the level. I am curious if some of the things she has been diagnosed with are actually misdiagnosis since her nutrition (vitamin) levels were only tested because she requested it.

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Stephen | @wsh66 | Feb 13, 2019

Are you familiar with the pain pump? Mine has been a great success. Pain still stops me from walking any significant distance without a cane or a walker but at least when I'm seated or lying down I am not in pain. I've had this in since 2016 and I get it refilled every 10 weeks. Anything beyond 10 weeks and the medication gets old and becomes ineffective. Medication administered from the pump through a cervical catheter is 300 times more effective than medication taken by mouth

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