Chronic Pain members - Welcome, please introduce yourself

Posted by Kelsey Mohring @kelseydm, Apr 27, 2016

Welcome to the new Chronic Pain group.

I’m Kelsey and I’m the moderator of the group. I look forwarding to welcoming you and introducing you to other members. Feel free to browse the topics or start a new one.

Why not take a minute and introduce yourself.

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Chronic Pain Support Group.

Profile picture for badteeth @badteeth

I'm a 72 yr old living with chronic pain since 2004. I unknowingly had the pars defect. I was rear ended at a high rate of speed by a SUV while was at a stand still. I didn't know my back had broken cuz I had no pain for 6 weeks. The broken disc healed(?) on top of the lower disc with my sciatic nerve pinched in between them. This caused me to get scoliosis, sciatica and lumbar degeneration. It has spread upwards and now and I have thoracic degeneration. I'm have a bulged disc, a missing disc and a ruptured disc. Having neck pain now; therapist says it's a pinched nerve caused by my torn rotator cuff. I take Tramadol every 6 hrs as needed. It takes the edge off, but doesn't totally numb the pain. I had spinal injections when my insurance covered them. The injections didn't help. The 2 neurosurgeons I saw described 1) replacing my spine with a titanium rod top to bottom and (2) 3 separate surgeries with 6 weeks in a wheelchair between surgeries. Both claimed they could 100 percent "fix" me. Since I know 100 percent was unrealistic, so I ditched both of them cuz I can't trust a dishonest doc with a knife. I've known 2 people who were partially paralyzed by back surgery. Won't consider surgery until if/when I can't walk. I think death will relieve all pain. Taking 2 antidepressants and clonazapam. I feel like I have no choice but to welcome death. (NOT talking suicide) although until I adjusted to the pain I strongly considered it. I'm not crying like a baby cuz I know others have it worse than I. And with a bone dx of -4.9 in places what would hold the screws in place? So, hello, this is me. 🙃

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@badteeth, I hope your journey in this life presents you with better days. I would agree with you - not likely to get the whole back replaced by screws and bolts. I have one fusion at L5-S1 that has healed and is now bone grafted with the bolts and screws. I hope you can get some relief with the right amount of opioid medication for the short term. I am headed for another fusion TLIFT next week, now at L4-5. Tramadol is like a Tylenol for me, so I don't take it.

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