I was involved in an auto accident on September 24, 2006 and fractured T6,T7, & T8. My Dr. at the Spine Center has me in a "turtle shell" till mid Feb. He said he would do surgery if I was in my 40's or 50's, but they didn't know long term effects of the cement injected into the vertabres. (I am 33) He said the pain should not be bad at this point. :rolleyes: {good thing this isn't his spine!!}
Can anyone tell me how long to expect this pain? Will my life will ever be back to normal? Will these sleepless nights and depression leave soon?:(
I need everyones prayers.... (my husband too, for putting up with my grouchy self:eek: )

Sorry to hear your problems and pain. If your pain level is higher than it should be or is not being well tolerated by you, you need to speak up to your doctor and let it be known as such.

These doctors usual generalizations and everyone is different. If your pain is not being managed and you are undermedicated they either need to change your meds, or add to them to make you more comfortable.

Let the doctor know what your pain level is without medication and also what it is on your current medication regimen. That might help them to gauge things.

Being normal again? Hmm. that is hard to say really. You could heal great and have no real serious identifiable problems going forward, or this could be a constant issue going forward.

Sleepless nights and depression are extremely common with all of this. You should also discuss this with your doctor/surgeon. They can provide you with something to help you get some much needed recouperative sleep and if the depression is getting the better of you.. they can also treat that as well.

Majority of us on this board and otherwise that have endured back trauma and other debilitating injuries, really gets to us all emotionally along with the physical changes. But when it gets so bad that it delves into a deep and darker place than normal and doesn't quickly turnaround.. it's worth reaching out for some help. Nothing to be ashamed about at all, it's perfectly normal to be saddened by the trauma of it all.

Take care and be proactive about your body and healthcare. The doctors can't properly treat you unless you let them know exactly what is going on. Then if you still aren't getting the proper care, then you need to move on to another doctor.

I hope you are out of that turtle shell soon and that your bones are heal well. All the best to you. Take care. Tammy:wave:

Thank you Tammy!
I appreciate your reply.... it was very helpful!
Thanks again,
Ginger

Ginger, I too was in a turtle shell. Lived with that puppy for almost 4 months. I even had to shower in it for the first 5 weeks. One thing you need to be aware of..after you come out of the shell, you will be weak. You trunk muscles have been supported by the shell, and they have become lazy. You will need some type of rehab to help those muscles regain their strength. Just something for you to tuck away for the future.

Hang in there, we all suffer degrees of pain, depression, anger, etc. And no, don't be surprised if your life alters because of this. It may not, then again you may have to live with some restrictions such as not BLT for a long while. The secret is to treat this as a game and try to figure out how to out wit the pain and restrictions while not hurting yourself.

Pleae take a deep breath and know that you are not alone and there are wonderful, knowledgeable people here who help. Tammy is always a wise voice of wisdom to us all....