Hello, I just wanted to introduce myself. I have been reading some posts and this definitely seems like a great place for help as well as understanding. I suffer from chronic pain due to spondylolisthesis, spinal stenosis, and fibromyalgia. I had a lumbar fusion L4-L5 and laminectomy in 2009 so that I could re-gain the use of my right leg. It did indeed help my leg but never helped with pain. Now the sciatica is back as well as the excruciating back, hip, and leg pain. Some days I can handle it just fine, other days I want to just give up and stay in bed and cry. I guess that's it for now and the notice at the top will stop bugging me to make a first post lol. I hope everyone is doing well.
Nina
The following user gives a hug of support to Ninabeena: Karlee1010 (02-19-2013)
Nina - saw your post this morning and just had to laugh - Your good sense of humour will help you cope with your chronic pain condition! Thank you for the giggle.
Welcome to this board - continue to post even if people don't answer right away. Sometimes the pain simply leaves us with no energy, you know? So for now, welcome, and keep us posted on how you are doing.
__________________ Wishing you peace and comfort,
Paddy
Nina, welcome to the site...I'm pretty new here myself and have found that there is a lot of support, sympathy, and information from the members on here. You are certainly not alone with chronic pain. I'm sorry to hear that you are hurting so bad. I had an anterior/posterior fusion of L5/S1 with a laminectomy and discectomy (it was a revision from a previous fusion the year before...or I should say, from a previous lack of a fusion the yr before) . There seem to be a number of us on here that have had fusions done and continue to suffer, sometimes worse after. I found out I am by far not the only one that has tremendous hip pain, something that wasn't a factor at all prior to surgery. Is all the pain you are feeling now new? Or is the back pain the same but there are added symptoms? I have added symptoms myself. My hips and legs were new an issue and now they are a major one. My dr has explained that they levels above and below a fusion end up taking on more work than they were ever intended, and more pressure. So due to that happening, I have developed a disk bulge at L4 ..this in turn causes some of my leg pain. I also sympathies with you about waking up in tears and having days when you want to stay in bed and cry. With chronic pain there is usually some form of depression that follows. I will sometimes have horrible dreams about being in pain only to wake up to find out I'm clutching my hip and furrowing my forehead with tears dripping out the sides of my eyes...definitely not a dream. There I times I want to stay in bed but there are also times I have to stay in bed. I am on Zoloft for the depression that has come hand in hand with chronic pain. What does your dr say about what's going on with your pain? Any new tests he'll do? Do you take any medication and are you getting any relief from it? The lack of sleep, good sleep is also very taxing on your body. Hope you find some relief through your dr and maybe some comfort from this site knowing your not alone . Best of luck to you....and yes , a good attitude is better than any medicine .
