I'm 34 and feel like I'm 80!! To be brief.... my L5 disc broke in half and pinched my S1 to the point where my right leg and foot were numb and my rt calf was near unusable. I had the half of the disc that was pinching the S1 removed on 10-15-05 and the other half was left in. I received extreme relief from the surgery!
My grievance is, although I have regained muscle control in my rt calf, the calf muscle is still, to this day, so sore and extremely tight, despite taking anti-inflammatory & muscle relaxers,(Tramodol & Etdolac) aswellas stretching it on my stairs each day, that i can't even bare to massage it without bringing tears to my eyes. Also, I have muscle spasms continuously daily, but the ones I'll get at night that wake me straight from the dead, are so excruciating, I sometimes feel I may need to call 911. (which has not come to life as of yet)I received Gabapentin for the spasms around 6 months ago and see no effect.
Additionally, even though I received extreme relief from the pain of my S1 nerve being so tightly pinched, I still have chronic back pain. At times, I wake from my sleep feeling as if my back is "frozen" in place and I almost need assistance to slowly start to gain mobility. (I have tried all different sleeping positions and mattresses) I had a post-op MRI which my doctor said showed no signs of the other half of my disc slipping.
My doctor states that these things take time to heal and to continue with my medication, it could take years to fully recover. He did refer me for massage therapy which was denied by my employer due to the fact i continue to work and my pain is tolerable with my medication. (My doctor deemed me permanent & stationary on 7-06 and stated I could not return to my Banquet Serving position and needed to find another occupation. I voluntarily returned on modified duty 9-06 and am currently still there.)
My questions are...... (1) am I not getting the recovery care and therapy I require due to my injury being a work comp injury?? If so, how do I know? I'm thinking any doctor I get another opinion from is going to be through my work directory of doctors to choose and they have some unspoken rule of down-playing severity or treatment necessity.
(2) Is it common for recovery to take years and have to stay on all these medications to tolerate the pain until I eventually do improve or it becomes debilitating?
(3) Although I voluntarily returned to work on modified duty, I feel I'm doing more harm than good, but am unsure due to the fact my back aches if I stand too long, sit too long, or walk too long.
(4) I am SOOO DEPRESSED LIVING LIKE THIS EVERYDAY, and I am (sick of being sick). I used to work out, play volleyball, play with my kids, etc...., I don't even recognize myself anymore. PLEASE....Lead me in the right direction with any wisdom or references you may have out there. Thank you so very much for your time!!! ~Rhonda~
|