Re: dealing with back and leg pain

[Guest guest]

I don't know of anyone who's every dealt with 8 back surgeries till now so

probably there's no comparison. Personally I've never had a surgery on my spine

and won't unless it's an emergency.

Doc told me that if I didn't have that giant hemangioma on L1 they would

probably try to stabilize that area but no surgeon wants to deal with such a

bloody and unpredictable case. Only in an emergency. That vertebra has already

fractured and bled (talk about pain) and any time there's bleeding or more

fractures or inflammation I can't even begin to tell you how it feels.

There's two more hemangiomas in my thoracic area and I can tell there's some

damage going on there. I've lost 3/4 of an inch in the last year.

Without pain medication I wasn't able to deal with the pain very well, my

attitude was negative and I was frustrated with everything.

Jennette

________________________________

To: chronic_pain

Sent: Sat, January 1, 2011 10:41:16 AM

Subject: dealing with back and leg pain

I had 8 back surgeries last year and am still suffering from pain in the back

and right hip down the leg. how do other people deal with it? if any one as a

idea let me know please.

[Guest guest]

Dear :

My leg, back, hip and neck pain are constant, never ending misery with my

shoulders, neck and other joings playing counterpoint.  I take pain meds,  but

they only take away mayby about 20 to 30% of the pain and most of the time, even

on the meds, I'm between an 8 and 9 on the 1-10 pain scale.

As for dealing with it, I spend all of my time trying to keep myself

distracted.  Trying to think of something else.  I force myself to get out every

day, even if it's just to go to Starbucks and get a coffee or to the tiny

grocery store (where I have to ride their electric cart) down the street.  I'm

in a wheelchair most of the time, but can manage to walk a short distance like

from my car (I have a handicapped placard so usually don't have to go far) to

the electric cart.  I use a cane for that. The worst part is getting in and out

of my car.  I have learned to put both legs out first, so that I don't hurt

myself trying to push out with one leg. I figure I'm going to hurt anyway, might

as well get out.

 

Then, at home, I am usually sitting in a chair in my living room, either

watching TV or playing video games (we have an old Sega game and my daughter

bought us a Wii).  Later in the evening, I have to make my way up the stairs and

then I spend a few hours on the computer.  We have 13 stairs (with a landing)

between our main floor and upper floor (where the bedroom and the computer room

are).  Since the stairs are so hard for me, I usually do all my 'computing'

right when I get up in the morning, or right before I go to bed.  That way I

only have to go down the stairs and then come back up once a day. 

It took me a long time to be able to accept just sitting, and I went through a

mourning period for all the things that I can't do anymore.  I was so upset at

the idea of never getting to do this thing or that thing.  Ironically, bowling

was one thing that I hated the idea of losing out on.  Then we got the Wii and

it's got a great bowling game.  I hadn't bowled in about 20 years, but the game

is very realistic.  You're supposed to stand up and pretend you're

really bowling, but after a great amount of practice, I can do it sitting down

with an over hand motion. Same with the other games.

I try to never let my mind be inactive.  I try very hard to never let myself 'go

there' meaning concentrating on the pain. If I sat and just thought about how

bad I hurt, I'd never be able to get out of bed or go or do anything.  Instead,

I think of the things that I'm going to do, or I concentrate on what I'm doing

(like typing right this second).  When I lay down to try to go to sleep, I

listen to books on tape (CD) so that I'm never without distraction.  They help

to shut up the 'worry loop', too. 

 

As others have stated here, you have to take it day by day, hour by hour and

even minute by mintue.  Sometimes it all falls apart for me and I lose any and

all pain control.  Those are my really bad minutes, hours, and days.  Usually

I'll take another pain pill and sit here at the computer playing addiction

solitaire or something like that until it passes enough for me to cope again. 

I'm actually doing it right now.  I had a terrible night.  Up every hour or so

because of my back, right hip and leg.  I took my pill about 30 minutes ago and

am just starting to feel it (maybe that's why this post is so long...). 

Anyway, that is how I cope.

I hope this was helpful.

- PA

wrote

I had 8 back surgeries last year and am still suffering from pain in the back

and right hip down the leg. how do other people deal with it? if any one as a

idea let me know please.