DragracerNpain

Colleen,
I have about the same problems as you have. I am a 33 year old male that has been suffeering with this God awful pain that anyone could ever imagine and then multiply that by 100x and that is the way my back has felt like at times.

I have a problem at my L5/S1 vertibrae called Spondililothesis (I think thats the way you spell it), anyway, it is that L5/S1 has a slippage up to 3 1/mm. From L5 and up has shifted forward and S1 and down has shifted towards the rear. Whenever I bend forward any llittle bit the slippage increases to about 4mm.

I have been to 20 differant Doctors, Specialists, a Neurosurgeon, a few Family pratice docs, a couple of Chiropractors, Sports Medicine, A Piece of Crap For A Pain Clinic at HealthSouth in Birmingham, AL., a PHYSCO Doc, and now have a wonderful PM Doc that has helped me tremendously, a Nurse Practictioner that is in with my Pain Doc at U.A.B in Birmingham, Al.

I have had to quit work back in August of 2002 because of my Increasing pain. I had resulted into buying pain meds off the street because the docs would not prescribe me hardly anything at all. I finally got in with this Pain Doc back inn Sept. of 2002 where I was put on Methadone 10mg 2x a day. After 8 months of that dosage I was then raised by 1 more tablet a day making that 3x a day. I have used Lidocaine 5% adhesive patches on the tender areas. I have now developed all of the symptoms of having Fibromyalgia (FMS). I have an appt. in 3 days with a doctor that is a specialists with FMS and treats it with herbs.

I am hoping that my ppain doc will start me out on the Duragesic Patches in a month or so. My Neurosurgeon has talked me out of surgery 3 or 4 times WARNING me that I would be in much more pain after 75% of all back surgeries, but yet he would not prescribe anyting over a Flexiril for pain.

I have cut 95% of my life away from the outside world because I can't get out of bed for 2-3 weeks at a time. I would suggest having an MRI done on your back, maybe a bone scan, X-Rays standing straight up, bent forward at an angle then at 90*degrees and then bent backward.

I hope the best for you and always be honest with your docs don't be afraid to ask for something by name without feeling guilty. I will try to keep you up to date on what all of my diagnoses turn out to be.

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DragracerNpain

Pain suxx !