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joo1 · 11-03-2008, 03:18 PM

can you help, years of back problems and in chronic pain, taking much medication including morphine durogesic dtrans patches, fentanel lozenges, morphine sulphate etc
disc operated on in 1999, tail end of coccyx removed in 2007, under pain management clinic at hospital,
I NOW HAVE PAIN IN BOTH ELBOWS ( ANY IDEAS WHY?)no swelling no rash no redness just severe pain in the joint on the top, (not on the inside of the elbow)
i'm worried if i can't use my stick i will end up in a wheelchair.
any advice as to why i have pain in my elbows, more pain in my right than the left,. also tingling in my little fingers and the one next to it, pain in my other fingers but not my thumb, at least one part doesn't hurt.
Any advice would be helpful
jo

BrittleBones · 11-04-2008, 03:02 PM

Hello and welcome to the boards. You haven't told us very many details about why you underwent disc surgery or what kind of surgery it was. What levels were affected? In many cases the tingling and numbness in your extremeties (including your fingers, etc.) can be caused by pressure on a nerve in your spine. For example, I had surgery about 7 months ago to fuse severl vertabrae that had broken due to osteoporosis. The surgery seems to be a success, however during the past 2 months I've developed pain and tingling in my arms from my shoulder to my elbow and down to my fingers. A quick CT scan revealed that I have a compressed disc at the lower cervical level. I am going to have an epidural steroid injection to see if that helps. So, if you can provide a little more information about your diagnosis, maybe others will have some helpful comments. Memere (KathyMac)

stepbystep89 · 11-05-2008, 04:10 AM

I really don't know about why you are experiencing such pain, but I may be able to provide some advice on the way you feel emotionally.

There are psychologists who specialize in counseling people to deal with chronic pain. Before I went to see one of these professionals, I really didn't know what to expect or if it would even help me.

I ended up getting some very valuable tools.

You may want to look into it.

Good luck!

Step

joo1 · 11-06-2008, 08:31 AM

thank you Memere for your message. this is the first time I’ve ever been on a forum in my life. What you have told me is very interesting. Hope your op has helped you a lot and you will be able to have some relief from pain. sorry to here you have osteoporosis. i didn’t realise you could have your spine fused due to your condition. I’m not very clued up and thought your bones crumbled. I’m glad that there is an operation for you.

the reason i had my op was because of discs bulging on L4/L5 L5/S1 and pressing in the sciatic nerve loss of bowel and bladder control lead to emergency discectomy. since than i have chronic pain in my back and bone spurs growing along the spine. last year i needed a op on my coccyx as i couldn't sit down. Most of my days i was bed ridden. i am on so many pain killers i rattle. Being doped up relieves my pain but my quality of life has gone. (I now have a Stomach ulcer caused by yrs of using declofenic, but no anti acid tablets we prescribed.)

To sleep i take muscle relaxing drugs and sleeping tablets, and quinine. I suffer with sciatica and have awful cramps. First thing in the morning i am pinned to my bed with my back seized and find it difficult to breath (with my chest raising up and down). Cant move without oral morphine, but now I am finding it unbearable to hold the bottle. The pain in my elbows and hands is always worse in the mornings along with my back as I have stiffened up over night. I have tried many treatments over the past 5 yrs on my back. Epidural injections, facet joint injections, gangleon block acupuncture physio etc all giving me little or no relief. I’m told surgery (fusion)is out of the question as my whole spine is affected I have degenitive disc disease, and bone spurs in my back, pressing on the nerve.(and scaring)
My new condition I did not relate to my thoracic spine but I was told that this might be the problem I have now. I have become very depressed ,mainly because I lost my job due to ill health after 16 happy years.does anyone know much about this problem (elbow pain), as i am going back to see the chronic pain specialist and it would be useful to go armed with some info.

thanks
jo

joo1 · 11-06-2008, 12:36 PM

step thanks for the reply. Something else to consider. I do get very depressed about my spine, but I know may people are worse off than me.
cheers
jo

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