I am copying most of a message below sorry for repeating but I feel I am falling down a well with my pain etc.
If you can tell me your experience with the progression of your symptoms so I have some idea what is going on I would greatly appreciate it-
HERE'S what I wrote before:
Hi, sounds as if you might be able to help.
I have 3 spinal fusions and a long history of chronic pain. It seems like a short time ago but it must be about 6 years ago I started to wake up on incredible pain, stiff and spasmed. I spend my nights up and down trying to fight the sleep that leaves me like that.
I fight chronic depression with hard work -as hard as can anyway. I try to "take a deep breath and run" at the beginning of the day trying not to think of what is going on with my body. I have been on most of the NSAIDS and slow release morphine now. My pain doc wanted to put machines in me and when I didn't do it- dumped me. I do not take antidepressants because I get very useless feeling and afraid I do more with the pills than I think they were made for.
My question for you is that recently my injured joints and areas around the injured joints have become even more painful and some of them swollen and very tender. The arthritis doc didn't even leave his chair when I came in a few years ago and said I had Osteo arthritis. What in God's name am I to do!?? I can't understand what will happen next. I rest the most affected joints and now each other part is getting progressivivly weaker. Any stories on the progression of the problem and if it could be anything else- and if you could help??? Please??sk

hi ~ i don't have any answers or even suggestions for you. all i can offer is some companionship as i am in this same boat and also don't know what to do to help myself. i have been trying the anti-depressants so far without luck. sometimes i think the depression is worst of all - one therapist (one i have some respect for) suggested i try focusing on what i could do rather than what i can no longer do. well i can offer the knowledge to you that you are not the only one in what seems a terribly lonely boat. G-d bless, I'll pray for you too.

Hi Lilah,
Yep, yep, yep. I feel like such a baby sometimes. I will be going OK and then I get overwhelmed by the depression and more than that the pain.

Then I go over board because my family has justput me in the place where they do not have to deal with it if I am not complaining so they have told me they do not want to hear about it cause they already know. AND does that help -no- because then they go on like nothing is wrong and mum can do everything for example drive them everywhere without notice, keep up with the house work etc. and who suffers if I don't overdo to try to keep up- me because they never stay home long enough to suffer the consequences of having to watch my home go down hill. I am not telling you anything new I know but It is a downward spiral and you know that when someone accesses you for your injury they never compensate for these things- or at least not here. I say I give up (cry uncle) but it doesn't help in the long run. Thank God for all of you cause not long ago I was going to pack it in. I am trying to focus on doing some work from home with my animal behaviour consultancy, I hope this works. Want to be my Canadian "connection"? LOL,sk

In all fairness it is terribly difficult for folks who love you to admit there is something seriously wrong. I know my daughter is having a hard time accepting it even though she is grown and lives with her own family now. It does sound like some therapy might help all around there this is very difficult to deal with. canada? you confused me there.

Scottie,
People that do not live w/chronic pain that cannot be seen do NOT understand it. I live w/it too. I am very young looking for being over 50, am slim, etc. People think everything is just fine, because I learned years ago not to talk about it if someone doesn't ask. I the various problems DDD, spinal stenosis, osteoartritis. Sometimes I actually go for a month and don't hardly notice it but right now everything has kicked into high gear and when that happens I lay low. I do believe antidepressants can help. You have to find the right one thru trial and error. Because Pain = Depression. I take prozac, got off it for several months and found that I needed to get back on it. Also, my son who is 26 and has some problems has got me doing meditation tapes w/headphones. They are helping him trememdously because when you tense up it accentuates all the pain. So we need to do whatever we can because frankly my doctors don't really care and I've run the gamut of doc's. You might look at www.dr.waltstoll.com (http://www.dr.waltstoll.com) (I think). He has a lot of good idea's and my son turned me onto him. Also, look at Dr. Andrew Weil's website. He's an M.D. that also uses integrative medicine which is something most MD's here in US aren't into YET, but I believe eventually med. schools will have to start teaching it because people want it.
Good luck. I know how you feel.

I understand how you feel. I have osteoarthritis and severe osteoporosis. I have been trying to do the weight bearing exercises that are essential for helping osteoporosis, but my osteoarthritis has stopped that, now I have to face the fact that bone fractures will start happening frequently. What is keeping me going is the fact that I love life, even though it is so very painful to live. I am not sleeping very well or very much, and am concerned that depression will take hold, but I try to enjoy some hobbies to keep my mind busy. It is not easy to exist with constant pain, but I am trying to make it. I'm never sure of what will happen to me next. I hope this has helped. I know reading posts from people that are having pain as I have, has helped me survive.

hi scottie - hope today is being a little better for you. i know that when the weather heats up here things get a bit better for me until the rains start that is. have you considered therapy (family and individual)? it might help alot - i know i have been trying to find a decent therapist to help me deal with all this. it is just so unbelievable to go from being able to do it all to not being able to do much of anything that my brain is still in shock. anyway i have an appointment thursday to see a new therapist and can only hope that they have some experience in helping folks with chronic pain. with me it was the realization that it had gotten alot worse and more constant combined with the new medical findings of problems which weren't going away or going to get any better that really pulled the rug out from under my feet. anyway i hope you find some way to make things a bit better for yourself in your household - let me know how things are going *hugs* i know exactly how tuff it is when you can't even do the basics without alot of problems

Lilah,
I noticed that you are from Arizona. I actually mentioned to my husband today that maybe we could consider moving there because of the dryness and that maybe that would help with the osteoarthritis, spinal stenosis, degenerative disc. disease, etc. I have run the gamut on meds, doc's, p.t., etc. Do you think living somewhere dry would make that much difference? Here in OK we have lots of humidity and it can be any time of the year.

I have found that the climate helps some - for me though anywhere with a steady barometer would probably be the ideal and that just doesn't happen so even here there are times of the year which are more difficult than others but there are rather long expanses of time (weeks or months) of a pretty much steady barometer and that does help alot.

Originally posted by scottieK:
I am copying most of a message below sorry for repeating but I feel I am falling down a well with my pain etc.
If you can tell me your experience with the progression of your symptoms so I have some idea what is going on I would greatly appreciate it-
HERE'S what I wrote before:
Hi, sounds as if you might be able to help.
I have 3 spinal fusions and a long history of chronic pain. It seems like a short time ago but it must be about 6 years ago I started to wake up on incredible pain, stiff and spasmed. I spend my nights up and down trying to fight the sleep that leaves me like that.
I fight chronic depression with hard work -as hard as can anyway. I try to "take a deep breath and run" at the beginning of the day trying not to think of what is going on with my body. I have been on most of the NSAIDS and slow release morphine now. My pain doc wanted to put machines in me and when I didn't do it- dumped me. I do not take antidepressants because I get very useless feeling and afraid I do more with the pills than I think they were made for.
My question for you is that recently my injured joints and areas around the injured joints have become even more painful and some of them swollen and very tender. The arthritis doc didn't even leave his chair when I came in a few years ago and said I had Osteo arthritis. What in God's name am I to do!?? I can't understand what will happen next. I rest the most affected joints and now each other part is getting progressivivly weaker. Any stories on the progression of the problem and if it could be anything else- and if you could help??? Please??sk

Hi Scottie,

Since you have had trauma to many bones, it would make sense that osteoporosis can be present and causing
pain. If you have not had a "Dexa Bone Scan" to look
for bone loss, It might be the wisest thing at this time. If bone loss is detected, taking bone rebuilding meds like Nasal Calcitonin, Itravenous Pamindronate Infusions and the slower acting fosamax..
can correct the osteoporosis.

If you need some facts on this, just do a search on
"Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy" especially id you are having neurolgical symptoms in the area, like burning, tingling hair loss etc. (I know you don't have a hairy back. http://www.healthboards.com/ubb/smile.gif ) ... or do you?

Have a pain-free weekend

Ron