Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

I'm so sorry that you are experiencing so much pain. I'd like to share something with you that I do to move through each day with my 24/7 terrible entire spine pain. I've has 11 spine surgeries and have an implanted Spinal Cord Stimulator that used to be so helpful in helping my pain - but unfortunately my spine has deteriorated so much on all 3 levels of my spine - that it no longer helps. You see, I have, in addition to the various breakdown of my spine- I have a condition called Adhesive Arachnoiditis. This is an extremely rare condition not only in the US, but also throughout the world. The nerves in my spine and around my spine clump together in bunches that some of my doctors describe as "clumps of over cooked spaghetti ". There is nothing that can be done to decompress the nerves. There is no medication to help either. There is no research being done or clinical trials since Adhesuve Arachnoiditis is so rare. So, the only thing I can control in my life to help me live a "normal life" each day, is to control my thoughts and to help my spirit throughout the day - each day. So, I have adopted an "attitude of gratitude". In other words, to be grateful for the people and the interactions I have with others, and to be thankful for Mother Nature's and all of the beauty I'm surrounded with each and every day. Plus, I try to reach out to others and to be pleasant to others and listen to them, if they are having problems - and to help whenever I can. Plus, I try to keep a sense of humor about myself, and about what I see or hear at any given day. Trying to keep an an "Attitude of Gratitude " really does help me not allow the terrible pain control my life. I still have control of somethings in my day to day life. I hope that what I've shared can help you too. You will be in my prayers.
Mmata

I am so sorry you suffer with this, is this the same as "Caude Equinis" ? I thank God daily I do not have it. Nothing can be done to fix our spines and knowing this has also moved me to keep the same "attitude of Gratitude", etc. you have described here 🙂 I also find myself watching documentaries of others with worse medical challenges. It can be easy to think and feel like you are the only one on the planet experienceing such pain...scary and anxiety producing.
Thank you for sharing the most helpful info I've heard! You will be in my prayers too.

Hi Luca's Mom. What a handsome picture of your dog. I bet he is a little love bug... To answer your question
@lucasmom - Adhesive Arachnoiditis is different from Caude Equinis. With Caude Equinis the effected nerve extends from your tail bone area and in testing resembles a horses tail somewhat. Adhesive Arachnoiditis is where the "nerves, in and around all levels of your spine (Lumbar, Thoracic and Cervical) bunch together into tight clumps of nerves". Doctors can not operate to try to separate some of the nerves from each bundle of Adhesive Arachnoiditis all around your spine. To try to separate even one nerve from one of the several bundles of tightly formed nerves would damage/sever the nerve or nerves, and it would be almost certain that severing to nerve or nerves would result in paralysis of partial areas of your body or total paralysis of your entire body. With Adhesive Arachnoiditis, you can not even have injections into your back or neck as to do do would run the risk of puncturing one or more nerves in the nerve bundles/clumps and partial or total paralysis would result. So, instead of concentrating on my pain all day - every day, I have decided to not let the pain dictate all aspects of my life. I acknowledge it to myself and others sometimes, but then I either say to myself, or sometimes to someone else too " Enough of this pain trying to control me 24/7 - I choose to see more then pain in my life. " Then I either call a family member or friend, or watch something funny or cute on TV, or a game show that stimulates my mind, or a non-gory mystery on TV. Or I will get together with friends to play a game of some sort, or I'll share a meal with a couple of friends and we talk and laugh with each other. Or I watch the different kinds of birds soaring through the sky and the squirrels running around - they are pretty funny sometimes. I make sure that I start each day by taking inventory in my mind and in my heart of all of the people and things I have to be grateful for, and of the things I hope to do as the day unfolds and if the people that I hope to connect with also. Then at night, as it gets to be 11-11:30 pm, I go over, in my mind and in my heart, the day that unfolded fir me, and I think about the people I saw and/or talked with, any what I did that day too, and my heart and mind smile... I lift up my heart to God, and give thanks for the many blessings that I experienced in so many different ways. Sometimes, as I'm doing this, the intensity of my pain raises it's presence in various areas of my body. Sometimes I even pass out from the intensity and spread of the areas of my increased severe pain. This passing out from the sudden increase of my terrible pain happens between 14 to 54 times each day. My various doctors have all witnessed this happening to me and they have named them as "severe pain episodes". Nut, when I wake up from passing out from the increased level of my pain, I gather myself together, take whatever time I need, and then I whisper a prayer to express my thanks for helping me get through that severe pain episode. I refuse to give my pain the power to cover up things, so many things and people that I am truly grateful for. I am comforted and strengthened by holding an "attitude of gratitude" close to me 24/7. I will hold you in my prayers @lucasmom
With peace-filled wishes,
@mmata

You have a remarkable attitude! Is this condition from having DDD?
I like the "Attitude of Gratitude" 🙂