well i am a newbie to this board and here is my story in a nutshell so as not bore veryone with the details of why i am so very unhappy and rightfully so....last sept 02 i was in a nasty car crash and i was a passenger which i was stuck from this drunk who came out of a liquor store parking lot and drove right into traffic without stopping to look as i guess she was in a hurry to get home a drink her bottle, well the crash resulted for me to have back and neck surgery wherebythey took bone out from my right hip and put it into my neck at the C 5-6-7 level and fused my neck. they cut me in the front of my neck and the backside also and on my hip, well they put lots ofhardware into my neck 11 screws and 4 plates and now i am in constant pain but the doctors are fearful that i will get addicted to pain pills so they quit giving me them and now i take anti depressants but they d o not help the pain and torment i have with nightmares and reliving the crash all the time. i cant turn my neck past 11 or 3. the rest of my back hurts also but i duuno if i want anymore operations as i believe i will die from all this pain. prior to the crash i was healthy and had no limitations whatsoever, now i am invalidated by ssi as i can not work due to all this and right torn rotator cuff carpul tunnel etc, they tell me to wait 6 mos for an answer, what am i supposed to do until then live on air? tell me somebody what can i do i tryto pray but that dont pay my bills- mistyone

I am so sorry to hear what a crap time u r having...I am so angry at that other driver!!!!!! God!!! Some people have sh** for brains!!! Have no realisation that their actions may hurt someone....or cause permanent damage. U r a strong person..it is obvious!! Did u feel urself that u were addicted to these pain killers? Please tell us more how u r coping..right now I am still speechless..XX

thanks for your interest.....i am now housebound because of the daily fear i have about stepping outside and getting into my car. since the bad crash i have tried getting into cars again but to my dismay, have had since then 2 other people crash into me and can not afford to have these screws and plates loosen up as they have a chance of sticking into my spinal canal to further hurt me. when i told my shrink that i went ape sh-t on a guy that hit me in a parking lot by backing into me he said perhps you ought to stay away from cars for a little while until things calm down for you. i fear that i will be doomed in i get into another car again and feel like a magnet for car crashes...i fear i am doomed to die from an auto crash.....mistyone

that is so horribe. i'm sorry.
do you have post-traumatic stress disorder? http://my.webmd.com/content/healthwise/77/19136

yes i have it all. ptsd/depression-aniexty panic ...agorphorbia.... what ever else is in the dsm4...my life is a mess from one anti depressant to another and none ofthem work for me anyways anymore. mistyone

hi mistyone.

you've had a hard time of it

i have a metal plate in my head & like yourself i have pain. when the pain was bad i used to smoke marijuana. Ia appreciate that that is contraversial. that said it works. its far better than the opiate pain killers as it aint addicitve. marijuana is also relatively easy to get hold of, and in some places in the states you can be precribed it.

As for your monetary afairs, you should contact your local social security office and explain your circumstances. failing that ask your doctor for advice as s/he will know.

best wishes

First of all, you have the right to not live in pain. I would try different doctors until I found one that gave me something -- a Fentanyl patch, for instance, you can't abuse it like you could an Oxycontin pill. Not that they even have the right to deny you Oxycontin if that's how bad your pain is. But it's just ridiculous . . .

As for the SSI, that, too, is a nightmare, but can't you get emergency food stamps and money in the meantime? (My city/state does offer emergency stuff until you are approved for regular government checks.)

As for drunk drivers -- it's not about them having **** for brains (I'm responding to someone else's post now), it's about people not taking responsibility for their own addictions including alcoholism, and us all as a society not forcing them to either 1. stay sober or 2. if they can't stay sober, then they have to WALK or get SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS SOBER to take them where they need to go. Why isn't the person who caused your accident paying your expenses, BTW? Is it still tied up in court? That person should be covering you financially at least partially.

Oh no so sorry about your accident and your fears, My aunt had the same problems she flew her car of a interstate bridge no she wasnt under influence or speeding, she told me a while ago so I cant realy remember all the details but after that she was in one car wreck after another. I am sure as bad off as you are you have tried everything but she takes a Ativan everytime she gets in her car and bless her heart she drives no more than thirty miles per hour but it took her a long time to get over her accidents and still panics all the time. Have you heard of Celexa I was put on that once because it helps with multipal disorders. Another thing is I have never even been in a car crash but I am only twenty-Five years old and panic severly when I have to drive somewhere, but Celexa helped me overcome all that and I can drive almost anywhere now but if I dont know my way I refuse to drive there. I would'nt even get my license until I was seventeen, I was terrified and before I went on Celexa you couldnt even have gave me a 2,000 dollar shopping spree at the mall because I would refuse to drive five minutes away to the mall. Crazy huh.
I hope you get relief because thats a terrable feeling.
Good Luck and I hope you get the strenght to overcome this.

mistyone,

i feel the same when it comes to pills. i hate them all. i am on celexa. i have no idea if it is working. my gf seems to dislike my attitude, so i guess it is not working.

anyways, there has to be some medication or some type of therapy that can assist you with your thoughts...

seek and you shall find...