chronic spine pain

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Spine Surgery Anxiety 😵‍💫

I have a major spine surgery quickly approaching this Friday 3/3/23 and l'm extremely anxious. I just had a different type of spine surgery 6/22/22. Something just feels different this time and I can't seem to wrap my mind around it. I keep having nightmares that I’m going to wake up from surgery paralyzed. I didn’t have nightmares or anxiety before my last spine surgery. It makes sense and it’s valid, but it just seems odd to me. In total, this will be my 13th surgery, I’m generally not anxious about surgeries or procedures (colonoscopies and endoscopies every 1-2 years for the last 29 years). It definitely doesn’t help that I’m also in a Crohn’s flare currently. Getting to the bathroom quickly can be very challenging after spine surgery, I learned that from the first surgery. Sitting on the toilet is very uncomfortable/difficult also.

⭐️❤️Any words of encouragement would be greatly appreciated, I'm having trouble escaping/controlling my mind right now.⭐️❤️

Photo is of myself with my awesome Service Dog Onyx, he makes living life much easier for me. 🐕‍🦺

I've had some difficulties finding groups that are active here, so I'm not even sure where to post or where this post will end up. I'm not giving up on finding people to connect with though.

#MightyTogether #SpinalStenosis #GeneralizedAnxietyDisorder #ChronicPain #chronicbackpain #Arthritis #DegenerativeDiscDisease #PanicDisorder #MajorDepressiveDisorder #CrohnsDisease #InflammatoryBowelDiseaseIBD #ChronicSpinePain #Anxiety #Insomnia #Nightmares #PTSD #ObsessiveCompulsiveDisorder

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Hope For Great Doctor Found! Sharing positive doctor experiences

Hello warriors,

I wanted to put this out there because I feel like we have all had our fair share of doctors who don't listen to us or go to the easiest solution that may not even be the problem.
But what about the good doctors and people here who need hope they will find one? What prompted this was how my new doctor went out of her way to help me.
I have had chronic pain since I was a kid. I couldn't get my parents to believe me and a suffered until I found an okayish doctor at 22 who told me it was fibromyagia and treated the pain with gabapentin which was a life saver, but that is where he stopped. Every issue I had was fibro to him. I could have broken my leg and he would say fibro, but because of insurance I was stuck with this guy for 4 years before my insurance changed and I had to get all new doctors. I was afraid no one would treat me finding a primary was a nightmare, but I landed in my current PA's lap and she is AMAZING. She did labs and found autoimmune markers in my blood tests, she listened to my pain/numbness, got me tested and sent to a neurologist who is now getting me injections and physical therapy for my bulging disc, a podiatrist who is getting me incerts for achilles tendonitis/plantar fasciitis.
Yesterday she called me to let me know about my positive GI bleeding and I told her the GI doctor I was referred to said she could not get me in for 3 months... for a GI bleed! She called them and less than 5 minutes later the GI doctor calls me back and scheduled me for 2 weeks from now. 3 months to 2 weeks with her going out of her way to call them to get me in.

Have hope, good doctors are out there.
Please share positive stories if you would like.
#ChronicIllness #ChronicPain #Undiagnosed #Undiagnosed autoimmune disease #ChronicSpinePain #Fibromyalgia #StayStrong

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Another day another obstacle crushed!

Hey all, I hope this is appropriate to post here but I just wanted to do a little horn tooting and thought you'd all get it :)

So anywho, I have hip dysplasia in both hips and degenerative disc disease in my lower spine and just oh so many more wonderful pain causing issues! Since I no longer know what life without pain is I use to wallow pretty badly. I was diagnosed with a lot of this in my early twenties and pretty much just gave up. Gained a ton of weight, and as a 5'1 tall woman i got up to 260 pounds. In July of 2021 at 37 years old I finally decided to get up and start living again for so many reasons (though that's a much longer story) and at my last weigh-in I was 160. Today, even though the pain was at a solid 7, I pushed passed my normal failing point and completed a 7 mile walk. Currently of course I'm wrapped in a heating pad and using all my other soothing tactics and everything hurts but at the same time? I feel amazing! #HipDysplasia #ChronicSpinePain #warrior

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1 Month of PT to Avoid Surgery

My neurosurgeon is hoping to avoid having to operate on my bulging disc in my thoracic spine. He’s giving me until March to try physical therapy, but if I don’t improve or get worse, he recommends we schedule surgery then. Operating on the thoracic spine is much more complicated than other parts of the spine and higher risk.

I’m scared, but at least there’s something I can do. #SpinalFusion #myleopathy #Arthritis #ChronicSpinePain

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Spinal Degeneration at 26

Hi everyone! I’ve just been diagnosed with lumbar spondylosis and spinal degeneration and I’m 26 years old this year. I’ve been told that the level of degeneration to my spinal disks are quite severe and the doctors are shocked that it happened at my age. Also, I have some minor levels of slipped discs at L4/5. I know it’s pretty common at later life stages but I’m still trying to wrap my head around it. I’ve been told that I’ll have to make long-term adjustments to my lifestyle, and given that I’ve had very frequent occurrence of flare ups in the past, it’s very likely to happen again. I’m on medication and painkillers from the recent episode (which was hell), but we might have to review epidural steroid injection and surgery as a last resort. So I just wanted to ask anyone has experience with anything similar at this age as well, and how do you keep it under control as much as possible? And does epidural injection and surgery hurt (I’ve never had surgery before and the thought of it freaks me out)? #BackPain #ChronicSpinePain #AnkylosingSpondylitis

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Questions on Epidural Steroid Injection

Has anyone ever had to do Epidural Steroid Injection? If yes, did it hurt? And what are some of the side effects?

#ChronicSpinePain

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For sale - spine #Scoliosis #HarringtonRods #SpinalFusion #ChronicSpinePain #ChronicPain #Humor

I often post my spine for sale on Facebook, or offer to trade spines with friends and family. I know it’s totally impossible, but I have a weird sense of humor.

The truth is that I hate my spine. Body image … How it affects the daily life … how it changed my career choice.

Anyway, I was given the Harrington Rods in 2003 … when all the research I’ve seen shows that people quit doing that procedure in the 90’s. The rods are slowly corroding, and it’s just a matter of time before my body doesn’t work anymore.

People tell me to take medication… but I can’t. I’m a suicidal addict (11 years sober this November!), and although I don’t know how much time I have left to “live,” I know I want to have as much of a full life as possible.

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Why dose pain make you feel moody

Why dose pain make you feel so moody not have no energy! sleepless nights and make you just go into a ball and cry.
Why dose pain take away so much out of you.
You want to be in to bed for days or even forever.
Feelings and emotions creep up on you.
Somedays you got this and others days it’s overwhelming .
I wish there was a magic pill or wond. I just want this to go away.
I hate feeling like I got my life sucked out my me and I’m just waiting to die.
When your in pain 24/7 you feel like what I’m I doing here..
#ChronicPain #BackPain #ChronicSpinePain

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