[3nigma]

Greetings:

I discovered this site yesterday after coming home from yet another visit to my current spinal surgeon who has been trying his best to take wonderful care of me.

I am a 48 year old gay man on disability since 2005 from a near death experience with community acquired MRSA (Staph Infection), at which time it was discovered I had both lungs full of infection, right buttocks had a cyst, left testicle had a cyst, right thigh had a cyst, and spinal cord had a large cyst attached in the lumbar region. Emergency laminectomy performed to remove cyst, and a 6 week hospital stay followed on constant IV drip vancomycin.

Fast forward to 2011. I experienced severe shoulder blade and arm pain upon waking one November morning. Three months later and the pain finally subsided. I should make you aware this was near Thanksgiving time (onset of cold weather). When the pain subsided it was beginning to warm up outside.

December 2012 the pain returned one morning upon waking. I finally sought medical care three weeks later and discovered by means of MRI abnormally large herniated cervical disk C-6, C-7. Had a surgical consult and was prescribed 18 sessions of physical therapy, a cervical epidural and a prednisone dose pak. I could not afford the $40 co-pay per PT session so once again toughed the pain out and once again it began to subside to a more tolerable level once warmer weather returned.

November 2013, third verse same as the second and first. Severe pain right shoulder, arm down to the finger tips. Classical radiculopathy aka shooting pain down the arm...stabbing, burning and pins and needles. This time I waited only three weeks and went to see a family MD who prescribed a large quantity of prednisone (three weeks of dosage) and narcotic pain pills, and referred me to spinal surgeon. Spinal surgeon ordered epidural. Two weeks later a second epidural to no avail. New MRI ordered which I had Monday. Bulge has moved and is significantly larger, pain is intolerable and cannot be treated conservatively so we are in the process of getting permission from artificial disk manufacturer for my usage of their product as well as insurance approval for the surgery. Pain is so unbearable and nothing helps and family members offer little understanding nor support so I am turning to this forum in hopes of meeting some good sympathetic new friends who may actually understand what I am going through.

Thanks so much for listening to me vent.

-SD