status report
because a number of people have asked….i am feeling ok. starting my 5th week of pain now, and despite numerous visits to various doctors and bodyworkers (and numerous $$), condition not really getting any better. working less and doing more to address the pain, so most of the time it’s not too bad, but as soon as forget to think about my posture or sit at my desk, or even here on my couch with my laptop, for too long it hurts again in less than half an hour. man it reallysucks someone who is as addicted to the internet as i am can no longer sit at a computer without it hurting.
if i’m not sitting, the pain isn’t super bad, just constant. i think at this point i feel more depressed mentally that my whole life is going to be out of whack for longer than anticipated. i’m trying to make lemonade (vacation! visit family!) and thinking short time that is easy, but thinking long term (what will i do for work?!) is deflating.
i feel like i’m in a kind of intense independent study re: my body. reading about symtoms, causes, treatments. relearning musculoskeletal system. spending hours at the gym, strengthening my upper body. chiropractic has been quite informational but has been little to no help. latest theory is that i have a disc out of alignment and it’s causing nerve pain from the center of my spine up and across my shoulders, kind of in butterfly pattern. next week i’m going to a regular MD to see if i can get an MRI, and maybe even some drugs! maybe i’m an idiot for not trying drugs (muscle relaxers? antinflammatories?) in the first place, i dunno. but this problem has been reoccuring so i figure an investigation into the root cause is prudent.
so that’s the status update. thx for everyone who’s had suggestions, recommendations, advice, or shared their own personal anecdotes wrt back pain or pain management in general. i apologize that this has dominated a lot of personal conversation (in person and online), but it’s dominating my life at this point, so really, it’s all i have to talk about.
Filed in autobiographical, me myself and i | Tagged with pain management |3 Responses to “status report”
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I have disc on nerve issues but lower back, with the pain down the leg. Drugs did nothing for me, so I went to a pain management doctor and the injections there have done wonders; to the point where I have avoided surgery. It is not for everyone but my goal was to avoid back surgery at all costs, being fairly young (at the time 30).
In my instance the herniated disc does not bother me but when it gets swollen, it presses on the nerve; and that is what bothers me. So the injections reduce the swelling and it works. I get one to two injections a year and has brought back my quality of life.
Best of luck Amy, as I know constant pain is just as much if not more of a mental battle as the physical one. I would investigate and explore
Best of luck! I’m sorry to hear that you are in pain so constantly — I hope that something changes soon or that doctors can provide you with some relief!
Really sorry to hear this. So many people we know have chronic back problems; it’s such a curse
I have former coworkers who use standing desks to address various back issues. Three even made treadmill desks (you walk very slowly, all day!)