Oh, My Aching Back
I vividly remember a back lecture during my medical training. The lecture was from an elderly physician (at least 90) and an icon of the community. As students, we hung on each profound word; jotting them down in our notebooks for fear that those facts would eventually turn up on a test. "The back is the most important part of the body", he said. "If it wasn't for our backs, our heads would be sitting on our butts." With that final comment, he closed his notes and left the room. I don't remember much about that lecture, but that final comment is cemented firmly in my mind.
Bad backs seem to run in our family. My brother has a bad back and 27-year old RN son recently underwent surgery for his back. About seven years ago, I was heading for the OR myself after my right leg went numb and I developed a foot drop. A foot drop occurs when there is nerve compression - your foot will flop down as you walk, seemingly out of your control.
I blame the exacerbation of my back symptoms to my long commute at that time. I had accepted a professorship at a college about a hundred miles from my home. With this lapse of judgment, I also accepted a five hour daily commute to my virtual desk job. It didn't take my back long to rebel. Obviously, as soon as my contract was up, I accepted a position closer to home. Now that the price of gasoline is twice what it was a few years ago, quitting this job was one of my better life decisions.
At that time, we lived in a home that required little maintenance. It had a small yard that I could mow in ten minutes. It was relatively new and did not need painting, and it was small enough that it limited my acquisitions. With the five kids now off to there own lives, we could not let well-enough alone, so we sold this home and bought another in the Sierra foothills, about a half-hour from our jobs. It is a beautiful property with a fantastic view, however, it requires every spare minute of my time to maintain it. I spent yesterday painting my garage/warehouse, laying more sprinkler lines to enlarge the lawn so that I can have more to mow, putting up a new shed, and tending my vegetable garden that cost more than the vegetables it is likely to produce. And, my back is killing me (again). This time, I have back pain for a different reason.
I guess my back has been troubling me since my car accident in 1976. I was stopped in bumper-to-bumper traffic in my daily commute when I was rear-ended by another, bigger car. Tragically, I had removed my seat belt momentarily to pick up a cassette tape that fell on the floor. As I was rear-ended, my car slammed into the vehicle in front, ejecting me through the front windshield, not something the body is intended to do. To make a long story short, I ended up with some permanent neck and back pains that still trouble me. Now that I am older, degenerative arthritis has come home to roost as well.
So, my high-maintenance house is a double-edged sword. It provides me with some seriously needed exercise, and the opportunity to experience periodic back pain on a regular basis. When I would see adult patients in the clinic hunched over with back pain, I would tend to judge them against myself. I figure if I could go to work, THEY can go to work. If I am not on disability, they are not going to get it either. Back pain, like many of life's misfortunes, are partly in the mind of the beholder. Sure, my back hurts, but so what.
When I worked in an Urgent Care clinic, back pain complaints filled my day. Many had true, honest-to-God pain (yes, experienced clinicians can tell), while others needed an Oscar for their performance. Some were simply trying to get out of work; some wanted to be put on disability so they didn't have to work; some needed a work note; and some were just looking for drugs.
I once had a Quasimodo-like man present in excruciating pain. After I performed the appropriate exam as well as a series of bogus tests that we throw in to weed out the malingerers, I determined that he was full of crap. Immune to his persuasive whining due to my pediatric and child-rearing experiences, I sent him on his way without the Valium and Vicodin he requested. The clinic was located next door to a large grocery store, and I just happened to see him loading several fifty-pound bags of dog food in the trunk of his car about a half hour later.
"Glad to see you are feeling better," I called out. He, of course, flipped me off. In the event that he returned to the clinic again, I made a little secret mark on his chart that indicated his drug-seeking behavior. And you thought that only DaVinci had secret codes...
Related Topics: Video: Can A Massage Improve Your Health?, Exercises to reduce low back pain
Technorati Tags: back pain, aging, arthritis, davinci code, chronic pain
Bad backs seem to run in our family. My brother has a bad back and 27-year old RN son recently underwent surgery for his back. About seven years ago, I was heading for the OR myself after my right leg went numb and I developed a foot drop. A foot drop occurs when there is nerve compression - your foot will flop down as you walk, seemingly out of your control.
I blame the exacerbation of my back symptoms to my long commute at that time. I had accepted a professorship at a college about a hundred miles from my home. With this lapse of judgment, I also accepted a five hour daily commute to my virtual desk job. It didn't take my back long to rebel. Obviously, as soon as my contract was up, I accepted a position closer to home. Now that the price of gasoline is twice what it was a few years ago, quitting this job was one of my better life decisions.
At that time, we lived in a home that required little maintenance. It had a small yard that I could mow in ten minutes. It was relatively new and did not need painting, and it was small enough that it limited my acquisitions. With the five kids now off to there own lives, we could not let well-enough alone, so we sold this home and bought another in the Sierra foothills, about a half-hour from our jobs. It is a beautiful property with a fantastic view, however, it requires every spare minute of my time to maintain it. I spent yesterday painting my garage/warehouse, laying more sprinkler lines to enlarge the lawn so that I can have more to mow, putting up a new shed, and tending my vegetable garden that cost more than the vegetables it is likely to produce. And, my back is killing me (again). This time, I have back pain for a different reason.
I guess my back has been troubling me since my car accident in 1976. I was stopped in bumper-to-bumper traffic in my daily commute when I was rear-ended by another, bigger car. Tragically, I had removed my seat belt momentarily to pick up a cassette tape that fell on the floor. As I was rear-ended, my car slammed into the vehicle in front, ejecting me through the front windshield, not something the body is intended to do. To make a long story short, I ended up with some permanent neck and back pains that still trouble me. Now that I am older, degenerative arthritis has come home to roost as well.
So, my high-maintenance house is a double-edged sword. It provides me with some seriously needed exercise, and the opportunity to experience periodic back pain on a regular basis. When I would see adult patients in the clinic hunched over with back pain, I would tend to judge them against myself. I figure if I could go to work, THEY can go to work. If I am not on disability, they are not going to get it either. Back pain, like many of life's misfortunes, are partly in the mind of the beholder. Sure, my back hurts, but so what.
When I worked in an Urgent Care clinic, back pain complaints filled my day. Many had true, honest-to-God pain (yes, experienced clinicians can tell), while others needed an Oscar for their performance. Some were simply trying to get out of work; some wanted to be put on disability so they didn't have to work; some needed a work note; and some were just looking for drugs.
I once had a Quasimodo-like man present in excruciating pain. After I performed the appropriate exam as well as a series of bogus tests that we throw in to weed out the malingerers, I determined that he was full of crap. Immune to his persuasive whining due to my pediatric and child-rearing experiences, I sent him on his way without the Valium and Vicodin he requested. The clinic was located next door to a large grocery store, and I just happened to see him loading several fifty-pound bags of dog food in the trunk of his car about a half hour later.
"Glad to see you are feeling better," I called out. He, of course, flipped me off. In the event that he returned to the clinic again, I made a little secret mark on his chart that indicated his drug-seeking behavior. And you thought that only DaVinci had secret codes...
Related Topics: Video: Can A Massage Improve Your Health?, Exercises to reduce low back pain
Technorati Tags: back pain, aging, arthritis, davinci code, chronic pain
32 Comments:
Terrific articlle, Dr. Moser! Personally, I go to an acupuncturist every week to keep me comfortable. I am 81 years old and my back, which used to be just beautiful, is now looking scoliotic. Sue Shapiro
Thank you, Sue...I appreciate your comments.
Thank you so much for your article. I have just recently finished with three epidural spinal injections. I have bulging discs from my neck to my tailbone with some resting against my spinal cord causing neuropathy. I am feeling much better now. Surprisingly I have very little pain in my low back anymore. This is pain I have lived with since I was 10 years old. Before they could treat it like they do now. Most of the pain I still have is in my right leg, the neuropathy. But it also is beginning to resolve as the injections of steroid begin to take effect. It is so important to realize just how complex the back really is and how we as humans really take advantage and misuse it. Just don't get me started on the people who come into the ER looking for drugs! I am a coder/biller for a large ER and I see it all the time. It sure makes me angry, but you did the right thing!
I enjoyed your article, Dr. Moser. I was diagnosed several years ago with fibromyalgia, but I rarely tell anyone, because most folk believe it's "all in your head", or they just flat don't want to hear about someone else's pain. I worked as an LVN for ten years, after 15 years as a newspaper editor, and am now sort of "retired" back into freelance writing. While I've never visited the ER for back or limb pain (although it is sometimes quite severe), I have gone for cluster headaches, when they became so severe I could no longer function. The sad fact is, since I'm female, many doctors consider my complaints less serious than my male counterparts, and immediately tag me as drug-seeking (without benefit of an interview). This is especially true since my asthma prevents me from taking NSAIDS, which most physicians recommend for headaches. (I took the Torridal once, just because I was too tired and in too much pain to further argue, and required intensive assistance following a severe asthma attack that followed.)
As healthcare workers, we must draw a line, but we must also carefully examine those standing next to the line. We could be wrong at times, and no one deserves to be in pain all the time.
I enjoyed reading your article. A big part of back pain for those of us who have ongoing back problems comes down to choices: do I want to make the 6 hour road trip to a friend's wedding or spend the weekend doing serious house cleaning and renovation knowing that I am going to feel the fruits of my labor (literally) in my back by Monday or do I want to live my life afraid to do things lest they increase my back pain? It seems like I, like you Dr. Moser, would fall under the former rather than the latter. However, sometimes life teaches you that you need to slow down to keep that aching back from becoming something more dangerous. I'm a 23 year old female who is currently recuperating from my 4th lumbar spinal operation. Each surgery was classifed as "emergency" as I have personally experienced both foot drop and cauda equina syndrome. Obviously, I've become quite educated about my condition (congenital spinal stenosis aggravated by bulging/ruptured discs and spondylithiosis) over the course of the past few years, so I've learned to differentiate those benign aches and pains from signs that something is seriously wrong. Unfortunately, with my insurance, I'm forced to see a primary care doctor first for a referral to a neurosurgeon. I've moved around quite a bit for my schooling over the last few years, so my primary care doc tends to be whichever urgent care clinic or student health center can see me first (thankfully, I've never been in bad enough shape to resort to the ER, although I've been close). Perhaps it is my age or the fact that I'm female, or it may even be the burn-out that goes along with professionals working at these centers who are seeing so many back pain complaints, but whatever the case, I have been completely blown off because I was thought to be too young to have back problems, treated as a drug seeker, and treated as if I was malingering because I was experienced enough in back injuries to know what sensory and motor deficits go with which level of the spine and the tests that go along with diagnosing a particular level. So, some care must be taken when judging who is legitimately injured and in pain, and who is faking for personal gain. Since you were kind enough to share your personal experience with back problems, I can guess that you are the type of physician who would be highly unlikely to misjudge someone in my situation, but I would hate for another professional to read your article and think that there isn't any grey area in separating the legitimately injured from the fakers. With the dawn of internet websites such as Web MD, people are becoming more educated about their health. Some use the web to diagnose themselves (correctly or not) but I do think that some doctors feel threatened by this phenomenon. I've been in primary care settings where I have been frustrated because I've felt like I knew more about what was wrong with my back than the doctor did. However, for a while I was scared to speak up and ask for the diagnostic tests I needed (reflex, sensory, and muscle strength testing were some in my case) because I felt the need to "play dumb" so the doctor wouldn't become suspicious of me. Experience has taught me a lot, as four surgeries tend to do, and I've learned that I have to be the biggest advocate for my own health. If that means pushing the doctor to run more tests or really listen to my symptoms and medical history, so be it. I didn't intend this post to be as long as it is when I started it, but I guess the take away points are the following 1) If you are one, like myself and Dr. Moser, who tends to stay active despite the pain, be sure to learn to listen to your body and separate the simple aches and pains from the pain that signals a more serious injury 2) As a professional, take time to really listen to a patient before labeling him or her as faking back pain. Back pain patients can and will defy the norms, something I, as a 23 yr. old psychology graduate student with 4 prior back surgeries can attest to 3) As a patient, you have to be an advocate for yourself, as your life literally depends on it. Educate yourself about your condition, the doctors in your area, your insurance plan, etc. just make sure you are getting your information from a reliable source. At 23, I may not have much life experience, but I have had a great deal of healthcare experience and I hope some of these comments might be helpful to others experiencing back pain.
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Very cute and entertaining story but doesn't do anything for helping me to find information about my personal back pain. So I guess this article is a bit of a double edged sword.
I too work at and urgant care clinic, and see a lot of fakers, and so true about drug seekers, and work notes. We see a lot of work comp. too so, you get the lazy fakers who enjoy the light duty restrictions and the free vicodin that their work comp ins. pays for. Anyways, like your brother I have been a nurse for 10 yrs. now and work long shifts with little or no lunch breaks. My pain used to be just typical achy back, legs, and feet, but as I have gotten older my back pain is constant and has gotten so bad I can't bend over w/out using my leg or the wall for support. I seem to be addicted to ICY-HOT at night just to help my back relax, since muscle relaxors weren't helping. And since I dont want to be addicted to them or vicodin, which only took a total of 5 one every 3-4 nights, when the pain was really bad. And that was just left over from a previous c-section. So to top things off my pain continues to get worse because of constant bending due to having 2 toddlers under the age of 4, so the term "take it easy" unfortunatly doens't apply to me at this moment. God-willing I will never give up!
When is it time to seek medical attention from a reglar MD instead of a chiropractor? I have had a bad back for years a year ago I could not even stand straight I went to a work chiropractor and he took exrays and showed me I had 2 bulging disc L-5 and L-7 If I recall. To my opinion he made it worse, It took twice as long to heal (or pain to go away) and his pounding treatments hurt worse, now a year later my back is out again but in a differnt way it seems, now I have a problem with sitting for a long time (after about a half hour, mainly driving or just sitting on the couch) my lower back just kills me, I have burning , searing, numbing, and all kinds of pain in myback, seems creases of my hips, and upper legs. My drive home from work is usually ubearable, I have a half hour drive to and from work, my right legs gets very irritated and I will actually start pounding on it with my fists just to be able to make it home, I have made coushins and pillows for my car and couch for the most part they help alittle but we just took our annual trip to canada (a 14 hour drive) it was the most excruciating drive I ever had, but after a half hour of standing or walking the pain is gone ,(unless like at work when I have to stand in one place for awhile)My question is will they be able to find anything wrong if its not hurting at the appointment?
my problem is that i have been to 4 different doctors with x-raysand they all have given different opinions.2 labled me a druggo and the other two said i needed surgery and put meon oxycontin now i do lots of back strengthening excercises but find i need the oxycontin to get me threw the days i have found a happy equilibrium and now anm scaredthat they will take me off my prescription i nhave 2 kids to support and would prefer to keep taking itv so i know i can go to work everyday
marty772004@YAHOO.COM.AU
i have had three childre all under 5 at the moment. with my first child i had an epidural and ever since then my sciatic nerve and lower back hurt constantly every day.i can't sleep on my right side for more than 30 min at a time.the only good doctor in my town you have to have a referral and the er thinks every one coming in there is looking for drugs what can i do?
anonymous,
Try visiting our Back Pain Support Group to ask your question.
Thank you.
I've been trying to find out what is causing my lower back pain since I was sixteen. I've been to a host of doctors, most of whom are at the Cleveland Clinic. No one can or seems to want to help me. I'm 22 and some days my back pain is so bad that I can't move, stand or even get to the bathroom. I've been offered drugs, but no practical solution. Physical therapy and chiropractic haven't helped. There has to be something that can be done. I'm young and healthy and athletic (hence the inadequacy of physical therapy). Back pain can be a really frustrating problem, especially when people are constantly assuming you just want drugs, and you just want to know what is wrong so maybe you can find a way to get out of bed in the morning.
Thanks for the info on epidural steroid injections. I have been going thru physical therapy and I am feeling much better, but the doctor now wants me to try the injections. Hopefully, it will relieve the remainder of my pain, thanks again.
I am a 44yr old mother of two. I ruptured my first disc when my oldest, now 13, was only 6months old. since then I have had the same neuro surgeon, he is a wonderful doctor and respect and admire him very much. at my last visit to him he basicly told me there was nothing else he could for me. I was maxed out onmy meds and hedidn't quit know what else to do with me. My pain can be so bad on a daily basis that at a leve of 1-10 my daily level is at a 7 or 8, and that is with medication.I can not use epidural blocks, they do not work for me. After my back fusion 5yrs ago, the doctors put me on an epidural block so I wouldn't have any pain. Well the only thing that happened with that was that my legs went numb, but I could FEEL EVERYTHING IN MY BACK, IT WAS LIKE HAVEING NO MEDICATIONAT ALL FOR THE PAIN. It took my over 36 hours to convince the DOCTOR ON CALL that it was not working before they finally gave mea morphine drip. Morphine is THE ONLY MEDICATION THAT HAS EVER WORKED FOR ME. But I can not get it perscribed for me. So I live practically bed bound, I can not walk more then 100 feet before my back cramps and spasms so bad that I MUST SIT DOWN or I will fall. I also have recently had problems with my bowls and urinary leakage, that I can't help but think that they are some how conected to my and the atrophy that I have. I do not go to the ER because I know that they would take my history and then automatically put me under the drug seeker side. I don't want that lable. I have an apptment with my OBGYN this week and I am going to try to enlist him as a new pair of eyes for my and ask him to be an advicate for me. Maybe with his fresh eyes he can come up with some answers for me. He can communicate with my surgeon and my primary and maybe they can all come up with some new direction I should begoing. If anyone out there has any ideas for me please share.
With your back fusion, Did you ever have the hardware removed. I have spoke to many that have experienced alot of pain with the hardware. After they had it remove dthey have had great relief.
For those occasions when the back goes into spasms, try using a TENS unit (Transcutaneous Electrical Nerve Stimulator)that will stop the spasm immediately and reduce the associated pain. These small units are readily available online (try LGMEDSupply.com)at very reasonable cost and can be carried or even worn under clothes. I purchased the LG7000. Check with your chiropractor and/or physical therapist for instructions on use.
"I figure if I could go to work, THEY can go to work."
That's rather insensitive for a doctor tio say. Not everyone has the same level of pain tolerance. What may be tolerable for you may be intolerable for another. I love jalepenos but my girlfriend can't handle them. Her eyes and nose run, and her lips blister. Thankfully patients have choice and can find a more sympathetic doctor.
don't know where to start, I am diabetic, type II. Recently I am having low back pain that radiates down my right leg kinda lingers in my knee...fearing neuropathy...went to doctor for help/he said I just have a pinched nerve gave me prescription for Ibuoprofen600 mg antiinflamitory it dulled my pain but did not remove it...it got stronger still fearing neuropathy; I decided to go to ER for relief...they did X-ray said I had a dislocated disc and I need to have a MRI...these are very expensive, HELP ME what do I do for my pain? I am not a drug seaker but really need relief I can't sleep
don't know where to start, I am diabetic, type II. Recently I am having low back pain that radiates down my right leg kinda lingers in my knee...fearing neuropathy...went to doctor for help/he said I just have a pinched nerve gave me prescription for Ibuoprofen600 mg antiinflamitory it dulled my pain but did not remove it...it got stronger still fearing neuropathy; I decided to go to ER for relief...they did X-ray said I had a dislocated disc and I need to have a MRI...these are very expensive, HELP ME what do I do for my pain? I am not a drug seaker but really need relief I can't sleep
Your article was very appropriate about the fakers and I would add to it; those who have little or no courage. Sometimes one has to deal with pain.
I am a 70 year old man that is lucky to have survived two open heart surgeries for an aortic valve replacement, developed allergies to to penicillin and heparin. I take coumadin (blood thinned from 2.5 to 3.5) and a real surgical risk. Oh, I also had a pacemaker that required a week in the hospital because of bleeding.
I refuse any pain meds for my back which I have 3 disks in my lower back that are causing numbness in my left leg. I have some prescribed but I also am taking Constulose which is damaging my liver. So pain rx is pretty much out. Only when the pain stops me from getting out of bed will I consider using it. I have a lot wrong with me but the good Lord is still keeping me going, for some reason. Oh, by the way, I just finished (this afternoon) digging 4ft. of ditch (I still have about 10 more yards to go) today to bury some underground electrical wiring.
I do what I can no matter how long it takes!
HI, MY NAME IS AMANDA AND I A M 27 YEARS OLD I HAVE BEEN IN SEVERE BACK PAIN FOR ABOUT A YEAR NOW. WHEN IT FIRST STARTED I WENT TO MY PRIMARY AND HE JUST SIAD OH YOU HAVE A PULLED MUSCLE HERES SOME FLEXERIL AND SOME TYLENOL THREE. WELL AFTER A MONTH OR SO I KNEW IT WAS DEEPER THAN THAT I KEPT GOING BACK TO HIM AND HE KEPT SAYING IT WAS MUSCLE RLEATED AND HE WOULD JUST OFFER THE SAME MEDS, AFTER A FEW MORE VISITS I WALKED IN HIS OFFICE AND JUST BUST OUT CRYING TELLING HIM THAT I WAS IN UNBEARABLE PAIN...AND THATS WHEN HE SENT ME TO THERAPY AND PAIN MANAGEMENT. THE THREAPY ONLY MADE ME HURT WORSE. SO I QUIT THAT JUST AFTER A MONTH AND SEEING PAIN MANAGEMENT ONLY HELPED BECAUSE SHE GAVE ME STRONGER MUSCLE RELAXERS(ROBAXIN)AND PAIN MEDS(VICOPROFREN)THE ONLY WAY EITHER OF THEM WORK IS IF THEY ARE TAKING TOGETHER AND ONCE THEY WEAR OFF THATS IT IM BACK IN PAIN. SHE TOLD ME SINCE THE OAIN MEDS WERE NOT WORKING THAT GREAT SHE WANTED ME TO GET INJECTIONS SO WITH MY INSURANCE I HAVE I AM FORCED TOSEE A NUERO SURGENT BEFORE I CAN QUALIFY FOR ANY INJECTIONS SO I WENT TO SEE HIM LAST WEEK AND HE GAVE ME A SCRIPT FOR ME TO GET AN MRI OF MY LUMBAR SPINE AND THE WHOLE BOTTOM OF MY SPINE. SO HOPEFULLY THEY DO SEE SOMETHING ON THE MRI B/C IM TIRED OF BEING IN SEVERE PAIN ALL THE TIME I HAVE TWO CHILDREN FIVE AND SEVEN AND ITS HARD WHEN ALL YOU WANNA DO IS JUST LAY IN THE BED ON A HEATING PAD 24/7 I USE ICY HOT LIKE EVERYDAY ONLY PRVIDES RELIEF FOR AN HOUR OR SO I HAVE HAD A COUPLE OF TRIPS TO THE ER MYSELF AND EVERYTIME I GO THEY SAY THE SAME THING ITS MUSCLE RELATED AND THROW ME 10 PERCOCETS AND TEN VOLUME AND THATS ALL I GET FROM THEM. I JUST HATE MY LIFE RIGHT NOW BECAUSE I CANT DO THE THINGS I WANNA DO AROUND THE HOUSE AND WITH MY BABIES I HAVE TO MAKE MY BOYFRIEND MASSAGE ME EVERYNIGHT B/C I CANT AFFORD TO GO TO A MASUSE AND EVEN HIS BACK RUBS DONT BRING RELIEF. I CRY A LOT JUST BECAUSE IM IN SOO MUCH PAIN ALL THE TIME AND I DONT UNDERSTAND WHERE IT CAME FROM OR WHY I GOT IT I USE TO BE NORMAL AND HEALTHY UP AND UNTIL ONE YEAR AGO THE ONLY MEDICAL PROBLEM I HAD WAS HYPO-THYROIDISM ANDS THATS BEEN CONTROLLED BY ME ENDOCRINOLOGIST SO I ALWAYS ASK THE QUESTION WHY ME I WASNT IN A AUTO ACCIDENT OR I DIDNT GET HURT ON A JOB WHAT CAUSED ALL THIS PAIN IN MY BACK???SOMETIMES I CANT SLEEP I TOSS AND TURN ALL NIGHT AND I WKAE UP WITH THE PAIN AND NOW IT HAS MOVED INTO MY CHEST LIKE RIGHT THERE WHERE UR BREAST BONE IS IF I MOVE A CERTAIN WAY I CAN FEEL SOMETHING PULLINGIN MY CHEST IT HURTS SOOO BAD. THE ONLY THING I CAN THINK OF IS I HAD AN EPIDURAL WHEN I HAD A C-SECTION WITH MY DAUGHTER FIVE YEARS AGO I HEARD IT CAN CAUSE BACK PAIN LATER DOWN THE LINE IS THAT TRUE? I JUST WANT MY LIFE BACK AND TO BE OUT OF PAIN IM TOO YOUNG TO FOR MY BODY TO FEEL LIKE ITS 90YRS OLD
Hello I have numbness in both thighs all the time and my lower back is always in pain.but more interested in thighs I will always have back trouble.So any idel what it may be. thank you
I used to carry steel for a living 30 to 60 tons a day on a peice work system. Twelve years at the same place, never late missing only six days. I would be working like an animal and observe fellow employees walking around picking up garbage with a stick. I am ashamed to say I judged them. A year and a half later there I was walking around picking up garbage with a stick.. I had strained my back severly, it healed I then strained it two more times on this brutal job both times easier. I didnt stop though, I went on modified duty and thinking pain is only temporary I walked around findig things to do. The muscle spasms kept coming every two or three days along with and icepick feeling on the right hand side of my spine. I kept going though, I knew to stop I would seize up. In the end all I was doing was walking around picking up garbage. I couldnt figure it out, the walking was aggravating my condition with every step until I was in excrutiating agony.. This was four months after I went on modified duty. My doctor didnt believe me and I lay on my basement floor for five weeks loosing 15lbs of muscle. I was called back into work despite the agony, I could not sit I could not stand for more than a few minutes, I had nothing come up on my MRI. I eventually was given the oxyconten it saved me from ending my fricken agony the only way I knew how. This was severe muscle pain and now a year later I can walk further but still having problems. I fought this all the way down and I have been fighting it all the way back. The turning point was when I figured out that walking on the hard steel floor at work was what was vexing me all along. Diagnosed with chronic pain and my doctor wants to take me off the oxy. I fear for the future. What is a person to do in my situation. I was so close to ending it. I had and still on occasion have an icepick in my back, I am only 40% of the man I used to be and when she takes away the oxy I dont know what will happen to me... At one time my doctor did tell me I was using the drugs for euphoria, she had me on 20mg a day which was a pitance and I just couldnt take the agony. I asked for more, I realized that I just couldnt lie here, after five weeks I saw my muscles evaporate but I couldnt for the life of me walk without that fricken icepick. I started self medicating and I got myself to a heated pool and did excercises with the older ladies in order to get some muscles back..
If it wasnt for me having two young daughters this would have been done and over with.
Imagine how it feels to get worse and worse for no apparent reason, send em back to work... they dont give a rats petuue about you as long as their comp doesnt go up.
You are a doctor surely you know that you have an easy job physically. Surely you dont believe that your pain is the worst there could be...
Until they have a machine to measure pain you better be dam sure you are right.. After five weeks in intense pain I was activly trying to find where my wife would have put my life insurance policy, this was a major undertaking so was everything else.
The not so funny part is that Drs. will never say I Dont know, they will even think it psychological before they say I dont know.
They want quantitive proof of my ongoing problems but they dont care what my chiropractor oesteopath or physiotherapist say.. My back was a solid block of muscle for four straight months, that is not in my head and yes I did get emotional who wouldnt.
There is no easy answer, even people with prior drug problems can come into agonizing pain.
Surely there has to be a way. Dont tell me that you can judge somebody that you dont know in a ten minute appointment.
I cant seem to find anything on here to tell me what is goin on... i wounder if any of yall can.. i have bad sharp pains in my tailbone when i sit or when i arch my back. i didnt fall or anything no injuries... can anyone tell me something.. i know ur probaly thinkin go see a doctor. i am worried to do so. i have three kids. i am worried on what they will say. so can someone help please!!
i just wrote about my tail bone hurting my name is jennifer...well i ment to add in there its been goin on for 2 1/2 years now same place alll the time. please can some one help?!
I am 44 yrs. old and have had 4 back surgeries. 3 of them were discectomies and the 4th was a spinal fusion. I can take pain pretty well, but even I have to take daily pain medication to stay at work for 8 hrs. daily. Having something to do everyday is also keeping me going. There is nothing wrong with taking pain medication when it is needed. I know that I wouldn't be able to keep going daily if I didn't take something for my pain. I am also on Lyrica for nerve damage. My right foot is on fire all of the time. I can't wear a shoe without the Lyrica. Lyrica causes several side effects, such as weight gain and rashes, but doing without is not an option. I will have to have my fusion extended within a few years because of disc degenerative disease. When that happens, I don't know how much longer I can work, but until then I will keep going. Please if you have to have any type of spinal surgery, have it done at a specialized spine center. My last one was done by 2 very respected spinal surgeons and I will go back there for any more surgery.
yes, my comment is im having lower back pain it started 7 yrs ago and it has gotten worse it started as a small protrution and has goten bigger and wider and sometimes i cant move at all im 47 yrs old and sometimes feel 80 please if you can can u tell me wat is wrong wit me
for who ever wants to listen i was in infantry in the usmc been to bosnia haiti of course persian gulf, but what I'm trying to say is we often carried heavyloads on our backs. I got out of the usmc became a correctional officer herniated my L3 L4 discs hurt like hell. that was in 2004. No I am or was a communications tower climber we climb anywhere from 200-1500ft with gear on.I injured my back when i was working in md the dr wanted to do a fusion and something else i said no he gave me the gloom and doom speech but i live in NH. Ive had mri's here and doctors say theres nothing wrong? To top it all of now my left foot is completely numb cant raise or lower it what is this from? I have to see a neuro surgeon get an emg but do nerves die its been 3 weeks Ive been fallin on my foot lol still numb but hurts and cant move it any suggestions feel free to email me nogoodsn@hotmail.com
also forgot to mention i have spinal stenosis degenerating discs nogoodsn@hotmail.com
Something I noticed that you did NOT address in your article was that in some areas of the ountry 99% of the Drs have "god complexes" and feel threatened or indignant that a patient might actually be trying to be an active participant in their own healthcare. Also, most of those drs assume you are a drug seeker, or that you are simply a hypochondriac. It took a long time for me to get a rheumatologist to even give me a diagnosis other than fibromyalgia, and recently when I was seen by him, I told him of my back pain induced by severe muscle spasms. He proceeded to tell me it was probably just fibro pain, but when he checked the tender points, not one of them were applicable. This surprised him as evidenced by the look on his face, but he pursued the issue no further. My point being simply this, I amj tired of physicians who think they are gids, and refuse to do further testing because of cost issues. To me, that is violating the Hippocratic Oath. More Drs need to spend time in the position of patient before they are actually allowed to become physicians.
I had a tumor removed from my spinal cord (T12/L4). My back healed up nicely but my left leg is numb, painful and a limp. I have been on just about every type of medication imaginable. Hate that feeling, so now all I take is extra strength bayer plus stomach protection. It only helps a little. My leg is extremely sensitive to the touch, it twitches all the time and I have severe cramps. To make matters worse, I leak urine throughout the day, so I wear pantie liners. Major problem: Vodka shots w/corona is the only thing that gives me "complete" releif, but then I pee a lot, and the next day I'm right back in pain again. Cramps, limping, sensitivity and severe pain. I need help without using liquor. I go to therapy 4 times a year for 4-6 weeks, that seems to help a bit and so does walking. Is there anyone out there with my condition? I cannot get up without wearing Rika shoes and socks, being barefoot kills me. Help!
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