I still plan to fight the pain!

[Spoon36]

Hi, new to the forum and really need help. I had my first laminectomy at L5-S1 around 1999. Around three years later I developed viral mmeningitis and encephalitis, due to my children having chicken pox. After a week in the hospital, and four spinal taps (in concession), they could not get fluid due to scar tissue, I walked out with severe back pain again. Please understand I blame no doctors for the problem, just noting history. Several MRIs were done showing nothing wrong. I had five epidural steroid injections which seemed to make my back worse. I tried acupuncture with no relief, and over a six month period lost the feeling in my entire left leg. Finally a myelogram was done, and immediate surgery was performed to remove what the surgeon described as, the removal of disc equaling the length of his pinky finger from under the nerve root. I was able to feel almost all of my leg when I woke up.

Now we move to present day. I’ve always been an avid duck hunter, a soccer coach (the wonderful under twelve girls I had the privilege to coach winning the state championship this year), and very active with my children (practicing, playing, and running 5K races). Just before Thanksgiving, Lost my Grandmother and the best dog (a lab) I ever owned on the same day. While burying my beloved pet I had a disc fragment at L5-S1. Surgery was done on Wednesday before Christmas, and then I was sent to a pain doctor for the annoying leg pain I’ve been dealing with for years, due to the nerve damage caused before the second surgery.

Long story short, I started down the road of jumping through hoops to have a neural stimulator placed in my back for the leg pain. Leg pain is nothing compared to what I’m dealing with now. I had a real bad day about a month ago. I went to the emergency room with back spasms coming about every thirty seconds. It took injections of muscle relaxers, Demerol, and Dilaudid to get spasms under control. This was some of the worse pain I’ve ever experienced. Now I have a bulging disc on the right (pain), and I cannot stand for over fifteen minutes without my left leg going numb to the knee, with excruciating leg pain, followed by a level ten back pain on the left. The only way to stop this pain is to squat till the numbness and pain go away (about five minutes). After an episode with the left I usually have to hit the pain killers hard for the rest of the day.

I’m looking for the best course of action. I may be stupid, but I believe the left side problem is due to the decreased interspace from the, basically sandwiched disc, and the right side pain is due to the new disc bulge.

Results of MRI Wednesday 18, 2012:
“On the T2 weighted sagittal sequence there is diminished signal in the L5-S1 intervertebral discs indicating water loss with narrowing of the interspace. There is a minimal disc bulge at L5-S1 and no HNP, spinal stenosis, or other abnormality is identified. Degenerative disc disease and previous surgery.

Can anyone lead me down the right path. Sick of drugs and pain. Sorry for the long history.

Thanks folks.

[Harrison]

Hi Spoon.

Wow, I am so sorry about your challenges -- but so glad to see that you endured! And no, you're not stupid at all: you know your body and you are taking actions to get well. I think that's pretty darned smart.

I hope we can support you in your next steps. Pls PM me if you need any help with the community, adding your signature, etc.

Peace and better health to you in all the days ahead!

[Spoon36]

Thanks. The ADR is really making me think. I'm going to talk to the pain Doc and see if there is hope for it.