I'm 19 and I have chronic pain following a laminectomy and wallis stabilisation at L4/L5 and L5/S1, and well as another herniation at L3/L4, following a car crash.

I'm on a high dose of strong opiates. I can barely walk and my life, at 19, has pretty much ended.

Please, I need any suggestions on what I can do. Physio rehab has ended, I can't afford alternative therapies such a chiropractors, and I'm out of options.

My doctor said that if I'm still this bad in 5 years I will have to have a fusion.

Lucy.

This car accident you were in, was someone else at fault? If so, you could have your medical paid by their insurance. I wish I had better suggestions for you. Try to stay positive, things will get better.

I've had back surgery, and will have to have another one day in the future. All I can tell you is get some good exercises like your P.T. and do them at home. Building up the surrounding muscle is important. WATCH the painkillers, though helpful and euphoric at debilitating times, they are very habit forming. Before you know it, you'll be hooked, I was. Withdrawals suck, so be careful. Especially the OXY's. The more you take, the more you want/have to take, your body builds up a tolerance to them. I wish you all the best.

Someone else was at fault, but the insurance companies only gave me £1400 because they wiggled out of it with some pathetic excuse.

I'm on loads of painkillers - I'm routinely overdosing on them because the dose is not sufficient for me to be able to live normally. I think I might be hooked, but when my doctor sat me down about this to talk, we decided screw it, it doesn't matter because I'll be on these forever.

Thank you both for your replies :)

Lou.

Hi lucy,:)3 yrs ago I had slipped disc too my doctor gave me an epidural stroids injection and I can say it really helps.although from time to time I have back pain but its tolerable.why don't you ask your doctor about this?

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Originally Posted by JSONJADE

Hi lucy,:)3 yrs ago i had slipped disc too my doctor gave me an epidural stroids injection and i can say it really helps.although from time to time i have back pain but its tolerable.why dont you ask your doctor about this?

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I did these too and know of other people who have had success with them also. You should ALWAYS seek the opinion of another doctor, ask the doctor about these, spinal injections, They sound painful but are not bad at all. Concerning the insurance money, don't sign anything( I hope you haven't already), I don't know about the UK, but here they're responsible, they know it, and they try to pressure you into signing a release for a ridiculously low amount. Call a lawyer/barrister now. You'll probably have back issues for a long time because of someone else, THEY are responsible. As far as the overdosing, dude you're going to kill yourself if you don't get your depression under control. Don't let this kill you, go to a counselor now. There is always an alternative. I know, I was in your shoes. I'm better now because of good medical treatment and prayer. I'm not a JESUS freak but have relied on GOD to help me before I killed myself. I was at the end of my rope, but I'm here now. You said you might be hooked. It sounds like you already are, don't let that term scare you, it's what you do now is what's important. Controlling your dose is job ONE. Yes, you may have to take narcotics for a long time, but you don't have to be on the edge of death while doing it. Please take some of our advice: go to counselor about your depression, talk to doctor about injections and overdosing, find a barrister about your case, try talking to the GOD of your understanding, and live to be an old man. I've prayed for you already, and will again later. May GOD keep and help you through this difficult time. Remember, this is not the end, it may seem like it, but it is NOT. Feel free to contact me via private message, I'll give you my E-mail address.

Sorry, Looking back I see you're female. I'm sorry for the assumption. Please let us know how you are doing.

JSONJADE -
I've had an epidural injection, it was before my operation and had little effect. I'm having another one on the 10th though, so fingers crossed!

jmjoseph -
I've already signed the insurance papers, this was a while back. Looking back on it , I should have pushed a lot harder but I can't change anything now.
I don't want to die (mostly), I just have to take that many pills to be able to live. Seriously, on lower doses I can't do a thing. I'm a full time uni student, with no support from my parents, I work too and deal with everyday life (which is difficult enough), so being inactive is not an option for me. Sheesh, this is hard.
Thanks for your prayers, they're appreciated.


How long did it take for you guys to get better?
Thank you both for your advice :) Very few people have been sympathetic or offered advice, I'm actually crying as I write this because I don't talk to people about this - and its nice to


x x x x

You cry as much as you need. You can always write in and I'll respond. I had a microdiscectomy 4 years ago and I'm doing fine now, as far as back trouble goes. But, I'm recovering now from core decompression surgery on my right hip. I was on crutches for 4 months solid, and the pain was horrific. But I'm off pain killers altogether now thanks to Suboxone ( look it up, you may need it one day). I'm hoping you can manage your pain soon, but for the time being WATCH THE DOSAGE. Talk to your doctor about putting you on something else. Here we have Duragesic patches, Oxycontin, etc. We have a tendency to get "immune" to lower doses and weaker drugs. Trust me I feel your pain, I've cried myself dry, feeling full of despair. However, I looked around and saw people that were in much dire circumstances and it put myself pity in check. Live day to day, and stay strong. Praying for you,

JMJ

I'm sad to find you people, someone else like me. 1996 spinal fusion, and I just starting feeling the pain again it helped for more then 13 years. It wasn't something I would look forward to but I didn't want to live like that any more. I have things wrong with my neck and they give me nerve blocks and they are great, they can last up to a year. The first one only last about 7 months but the last one worked for about 11 months. No medication could take that pain away from my back it was too bad. It even made me have to pick up my legs with my hands to get into the car at times. They say if it gets too bad you can lose the use of legs or wherever you are affected from your back.Mine were the sane Ls that you have. The nerve blocks were for my neck- called radio frequency nerve blocks. Maybe you can look into them. I can go on an on, but I'll just say good luck! I feel for yous!