parenting through pain - Bennie

[Guest guest]

Dear Bennie,

Thanks for your encouraging words! I appreciate your kind comments.

Each one of my days seems like a marathon that is unnoticed by all.

I did not have instrumentation removed. I had a laminectomy/

discectomy 12/06 that completely was worthless. It never helped my

leg pain at all. At the time, my MRI's showed lots of issues, but my

neurosurgeon never took the time to correlate the herniations and

issues to where my pain was. If he had, he might have realized that

the discs that were herniated the most were nowhere near the nerves

that were likely to cause my pain. I think he should have fixed L3-4

instead of L4-5 and S1-2. The MRI " s showed L3-4 had issues but not as

large as the others, so he operated on the others. He didn't touch

L3-4. So I never got one days' relief from pain. Unfortunately, the

laminectomy left my spine so unstable that now all the vertebra are

falling down and all nerves are pinched. Now I do have issues at all

three levels. I can trace my nerve pain from the spot in my back,

through my hips, running down the outside of my leg and branching

across my thighs to my knees and down to my ankles. It is bilateral

pain. I suspect this is the femoral nerve, not the sciatic, but I

could be wrong.

My only option at this point is a fusion. I was told not to do that

unless I was headed to a wheelchair. I don't have a year for recovery

as I have 6 children! I am going for one more neurosurgery consult

this next week just to see if there is something smaller I could do -

like the microdiscectomy I thought I was getting!

I have tried all medications possible, 41 different epidural

injections of different types/places. Nerve ablation, stimulator

trials where the impulse could not talk to the nerves where my pain is

located. Tried even the pain pump trial which was a hospital

disaster. Living right now on Opana and Lyrica with Lunesta for sleep.

All this from catching my 6-year old from running off a cliff. She's

the same child that just flooded the house and caused $20,000 worth of

damage. KIDS! We also have had a car accident and other issues along

the way, each of which has contributed to my issues.

About special needs, my youngest is a little on the Aspergers/Autism

spectrum. We have put daily intensive work with him, including speech,

occupational, physical therapy. This has brought him along so well

most would not even notice his issues. Praise God for that.

What issues did you encounter with your child? Did you work with

special needs kids? It's a whole 'nother level of effort for sure.

Most days I can't believe the load I carry here but I keep believing

that what God requires, he also enables, so I carry on. Plus I keep

repeating my chant, " They grow they grow they grow! "

What is your history?

Anne