How long have you been "sick"?

[biffnoble]

One also wonders how many years significant disease can be in situ and causing disability. An imminent doc said my disease had been at the serious level he observed in my MRI's for only a few years, yet I believe the pathology had been there for decades with deleterious effects. One finds Dr. opinions all over the map on this one.

It makes it so much harder to cope with disease when the physical and psychological overlap is unclear, unproven.

When will medicine get all the factors integrated?

[biffnoble]

There is a disease continuum.

From congenital lifers, to short term trauma patients.

The obvious relevant parameters are: pain and dysfunction.

Look at the word: disease, dis-ease. A state of sickness, un-ease, a state of something wrong.

From looking at the posts of lumbies and trauma cases it's easy to see how psychic affect can differ so much from case to case. Lumbies seem to be more upbeat than cervies particullarly the lumbies that "fell on their a**". One both envies & is thankful for their return to wellness.

I think that a disease state can be systemically "sickening". Furthermore, all the psychotropic drugs, AD's, etc. can't mitigate or offset the deeply destructive psychic effects of profound physical disease. Not even pain meds can hide the wrongness of illness from the host�s awareness, conscious or otherwise.

So I guess the only answer is mechanical repair. Hoping the cure isn't worse than the disease.

With all my heart I wish the top docs had insight into this and could offer some explanation, hope. But they're mechanics, they don't deal with the spirit that inhabits the diseased corpus. And I too wouldn't give it a second thought if mine wasn't one of those diseased corpuses.

[Rein]

Speaking as one of those "diseased corpi", I feel extremely lucky I wasn't on either end of that continuum; either those who went through an MVA less than 5 years ago or those who've been suffering for 14-20 years. Yikes! I think my pain levels, although bad and disabling at times, are (since I figured out what exercises and equipment to use) manageable. I feel optimistic about the eventuality of my obtaining a procedure which will give me at least a fighting chance to have my life back again. 18 months seems like a drop in the bucket compared to some on this forum. I shudder to think of others here who have really nasty co-morbidities or end up with complications post-surgery, and count my blessing daily.

One thing that has occurred to me, from reading other's stories, is that my disease, although the onset of which appeared to present approximately 18 months ago, may have been coming on for at least two decades prior, without my being aware. I think of all the days and nights I spent working, enduring a painful back and assuming this was just normal, especially since I could recover by the next morning and go back at it again. Could I have been contributing to the ultimate downfall of one of my discs? Is there some chart somewhere that says how old you have to be before you stop lugging really heavy weights with one hand, unbalanced? Working on your knees with your back doing all the support for hours on end? Humping pallets of 5/8th plywood from the ground up onto construction of buildings? 40 lb. bundles of shingles on one's shoulder up 30 ft ladders to the second floor roofs of buildings? I think back to all the things I did over the years that really hurt at days end and wonder if there might have been a better way...

[letteski]

I can really relate to this post. At 41 I have been lugging around a garbage can full of PE equipment average 50lb in and out of 12 schools a week for the past 10 years. It has wheels on it thank goodness but when its time to leave I hoist it up into the van by leveraging it off the front of my lumbar spine to get the bottom of the bucket up to the back of a full size van and then push it up and into the van to head to the next school site to do it all over again, 3X per day.

I have taken many tumble on the hill as a ski instructor for the past 20 years. The nail on the head was the fall off the latter 12 feet on my a......onto a cement slab.

A disease is a progressively worsening condition. It happens over time. We just might speed up or slow down the posses with what we do or should not do. In my case I believe I was destined to be in this situation sooner then later.

[cervie queen]

I was riding "shotgun" in a car on my 21st birthday. That car was going too fast, failed to negotiate an "S" curve and went off the road at approximately 60 mph and rolled three or four times ending up on the roof. When I realized that the car was going to crash, I put my head on my lap and covered the back of my head with my hands. In 1963 we probably didn't wear seat belts. I can't remember. Anyway, that was the start of my serious neck problems and my neck bothered me for almost 40 years. In college I was capt of the ski team, the field hockey team, played intermural basketball, softball and golfed during the summer. My job during summers was swimming instructor and lifeguard. In 1997 we were rearended at a stopsign and the neck problems jumped to a whole new level, resulting in a four level fusion. One year later, the screws had penetrated to the next level, the original hardware was removed and one level added at each end of the original fusion to make six levels. That is not the end of the story. The second surgery caused vocal cord paralysis that still is not totally resolved five years later. One of these days I'll get up the cojones to see another doc about what is going on just south of my six level. Someone has left their knitting needle in there. As for the lumbar, Dr. Bertagnoli wants to do a two level fusion at L4/5,5/S1 and ADR at L3/4 and possibly L2/3. I waited 36 years in neck pain before I had surgery. If I wait that much to have back surgery I'll be in my 90's. But that would mean 70 years of pain......

[letteski]

cervie queen
No one can with stand that much pain. You deserve gold hardware sprinkled with diamonds.
Paulette

[Mariaa]

Oh crap. I could say so much here that I can't even sit to type it. Pain. Mind Body connection..
I wish I were better and I struggle to maintain a positive outlook and continue to hope and pray that one day I can be.. meanwhile life around me continues and unfolds and there is so much beauty & serenity out there/out here/in life.. wherever. I just want to be part of it as much as I can!
Oh yes, I'm one with long standing back pain issues, over 20 years and newly found cervical pain now for about 2-3 years~

[Poncho]

Hummmm - Well, I think I'll just answer the question - or try to....

I think that my "spineyhood" resulted from a combination of congenital and trauma related issues. Back problems run in the family & I was involved in a car accident when I was 19 yrs old (back in 1989). After the car accident, I began to notice some lumbar "flare ups" intermittently throughout my 20's. Then, when I turned 30 - all h**** broke loose. I ruptured a disc at L5-S1 while attempting to pick up a bottle of ibuprofen off the floor (ironically). Fell over and couldn't stand up. (December 1999) - At that time I ended up getting a semi-emergent micro-d.

I did well after the micro-d for about 18 months and then L4-L5 tore (Sept 2001)... This happened at work thus making me a work comp patient. This was the beginning of my experience living life in chronic pain.

After lots of research, trial and error & meeting/talking to other spineys on message boards like this - I eventually came to a decision and received ADR (May 22nd 2004).

Even though, I have found relief from most of the physical pain I endured since Sept. 2001 - The symptoms that I experienced every day of my life during this period are unforgetable!!!

I hope and pray that history will not repeat itself with me, but only time will tell. - Keeping fingers crossed (thinking of the worst things that could happen but also hoping for the best )while trying to live life again.

[Poncho]

Cervie & Maria,

I feel like a "weenie" comparing my history to yours.

[letteski]

Me too Poncho........Thanks for filling in the blanks for me. I will keep my ibuprofen in a safe place!

Paulette