Still In Back Pain See Post #13

[Anikaca77]

Hi All-

I went to see the back surgeon today since I've been having so much pain recently and I figured they would do another set of x-rays since it's since May since they took the last and first shots.

Well they didn't. Which was fine I figured although I think it would have been handy to have a current x-ray done in case I did cause some damage.

I arrived for my appt at about 11:20 a.m. my appt. was schedule for 11:30 a.m. and when I checked in they told me I needed to update a form for them that I did back in May. So I was sitting there filling out this form and the nurse called my name so I went back there with the form since I wasn't finished yet.

I told the nurse I wasn't finished and she told me that was ok to just finish it before the doctor came in.

I told the nurse that my sciatica pain has gone away but my back pain has increased this past month and it's been very painful. I gave the nurse a calendar that I made out with my day to day description of what type of pain I've had and she said she would give it to the doctor.

After waiting about 40 mins. to see the surgeon, this isn’t that big of deal except that I heard him talking with the nurses down the hall for most of those 40 mins. and them laughing so I was a tad irritated.

So the surgeon finally came in to see me and the first thing he said to me was "You're doing much better." It through me off and I said no not really and he's like well your sciatica pain is gone so that's really good and I'm thinking yeah because I've lost 60 lbs. and it wasn't your chiro that helped because my back pain has been really bad lately.

Right away he's like you don't need surgery yet. You are too young which is fine I don't want to go through surgery by any means but I just wanted a caring surgeon or at least one who would look at the calendar that I made up, oh yeah he brought in his summary of my last appt. in May with the nurses note on the top saying sciatica pain is gone but back pain remains.

I was so ticked that he didn't even bother to look at what my life has been like this past month.

He asked me, are you not able to do the things you once were? and I was thinking yes at certain times but I told him it's hard to but I force myself to do them. He's like do you feel your quality of life is being affected and I said sometimes.

The other kicker is that he didn't even bother to touch my back to see if it felt swollen which I think it is and all he had me do was touch my toes and bend a little backwards.

He's like well you have good flexibility and normally people with bad spondylolisthesis can't do that without pain. I was just getting more and more ticked off at this doctor at his attitude and the way he was rushing this appt and not giving a crap it felt like.

He wanted me to try physical therapy again and they can give me some things to do at home and I can get that info from my sister. I felt irritated too about that form I had to fill out at the beginning of my appt and do you think he even looked at it to see what symptoms I was having or anything like that. It just seemed like he was in such a rush and that I'm too young for surgery which I agree I am but I need something and not just here's more pain meds and I'll see you in 6 weeks.

Needless to say I didn't reschedule an appt and I've had nothing but problems with the secretary's that answer the phones, they are always rude and not profession.

I'm going to be searching for a new surgeon one that hopefully will give a crap.

I'm sorry I just needed to vent this out. Sorry this turned out too be so long.

Melissa




Here is some info as to what's going on with my back. (I wrote this on a spine yahoo group that I belong to so it might sound a tad funny).


Jan. 08 I had x-ray done due to the pain in my back and nerve
pain in my leg. Once the x-ray was done it showed that I had
spondlolisthesis so they sent me for MRI of my back.

Here are the results from my MRI in Jan. 08:

Grade 2 spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1 associated with a posterior
spondylosis.

There is estimated 7 mm anterolisthesis with significant to severe
right and to a lesser extent left foraminal stenosis at L5-S1.

Mild right central disc herniation of L4-L5 with a small, extruded
fragment creating a moderate localized impact upon the right L5 nerve
root.

Minimal broad-based disc bulge at L3-L4 of doubtful clinical
significance.

I had a CT Scan done on 2/6/09 and this is what they said:

There is a mild change of Degenerative Disc Disease with small vertebral body osteophytes.
There is disc space narrowing at L4-L5. There is evidence of bilateral
spondylolsis of L5 with Grade 1 to 2 Spondylolisthesis of L5 on S1. No vertebral
compression deformities are identified. The sacrobiliac joints appear intact.
Slight spurring is seen along the supermedial margins of both iliac
bones.

I've seen a pain management doctor and he did three steroid injections and the
third one didn't take so they told me they could no longer help me with the back
pain and I needed to set up an appt. to see the surgeon.

I set up an appt. for May 15, 2009 to see the surgeon and my husband and I went
to the appt. and he told us everything that he would do and the recovery time
was about 2-3 months. Right away after being off for surgery in March I couldn't
take off that much time from work and I was still able to stand and do things so
we decided it would be best to wait until after I've lost all the weight I want
to and see where we are at then.

The surgeon said he had no problem doing the surgery on me because my back can
only be fixed with surgery but I may want to hold off as long as I can because
my L2 and L3 are already showing signs of Degenerative Disc Disease and he said
that when I fix my L4 and L5 that will put pressure on my upper spine and in
about 10 years or so I'd need another back surgery to replace that.

The chiropractor guy I've been seeing has been helping with my nerve pain but
just 2 weekends ago I must of done too much lifting and now I'm still paying for
it. On Saturday, Sept. 5th I was lifting probably lifting a tad too much that day. Then on Monday, since I was off from work my mom and I went back to visit
my Grandfather, he lives about 1 hr. and 45 mins. away and on Monday evening, my
back felt sore but it wasn't too bad. On Tuesday, Sept. 8th I woke up and I had
the worst back pain, I've ever had. I could barely walk and sitting at work hurt
so badly.

I ended up leaving work at 2 p.m. on Tuesday because I couldn't take the pain
anymore and I called my chiropractor to see if I needed to see the pain
management doctor or who I should go and see and they told me to keep my appt.
with the chiropractor and when I went in on Wed. Sept. 9th and the started me
off with the Tens unit and I had to sit up for it because I couldn't lie down.

When the chiropractor came in he told me I had a lot of inflammation and my back
felt really warm.

He told me to keep ice on my back and he wanted to see me on Friday. He did a
few adjustments on Wed. Then Friday came and I was walking better but the pain
was still there and he told me to rest over the weekend and that he wanted to
see me back on Mon., Tues., or Wed. so I have a follow-up appt. on Wed. with him
and I think this time I'm going to talk with him about what I can do or who I
should see or what not.

Last night I was running the vacuum cleaner and I got this pinching and pain in
my back and this morning I'm super sore again and I don't know if a back brace
would help with certain things or what but sometimes just sitting here at work
and trying to move my spine really hurts.

[Karen]

I am sorry you are having such trouble. Be persistent, and work with people you trust to find a doctor that can both help, and who cares. You need to be your own advocate here, and while that's just adding to the stress which I am sure adds to the pain, it will be worth it in the long run.

Do look around, there are more places that specialize in pain management and a lot of work is being done in that area.

You'll be in our prayers.

[Laura's Babies]

Some doctors just should not even be doctors. They tell us to be sure to tell the doctors everything but they don't tell us HOW to MAKE them listen! Even if they do, they just brush you off anyway.

I would find another doctor but don't get your hopes up that the next one will be any better. I tried that and got one even worse... except for my eye doctor, I did do better with that one.

I find when it comes to pain, they can't see it, touch it, have it show up on any test, therefore, it isn't really bad, you just want drugs.... It seems to be all about the money these days.. "Oh? You not feeling better? Ok, come back in 3 months... That will be $157, pay the receptionist as you leave..... NEXT!

[K9karen]

Too bad you don't live closer to Phila., 'cause i LOVE, WORSHIP & ADORE my ortho. He primarily does spines. The patients in the waiting room call him "Saint Sutton". He's amazing, compassionate, caring, concerned. I commented on his bedside manner, and he said he was just a normal person. Yeah...doing extraordinary stuff. He gave me my life back. The problems I have now have nothing to do with where he operated. It's just a continuing degenerative problem sneaking up and down my spine. He won't operate unless necessary. I just had an epidural and he insists I him call 2 weeks later. He has patients from all over. His reputation is unbelievable.

I feel for your pain and the situation you had. Listen, I've changed my primary doc because he's a jerk. I looked around until I found a gem. It's my body and money. I would (and have) freaked out . I hope you find satisfaction.

[moosmom]

Melissa,

Look for a new surgeon is a very wise move. Doctors always overbook their appointments. I give my doctors a 15 minute margin from my actual appointment time. I refuse to sit in an cold examining room. Don't get me wrong, emergencies come up. But to force someone to sit, IN PAIN (I also have sciatica and it's excruciating) for that long a time is just plain wrong. I have no problem getting up and walking out. I've done it before and it gets their attention REAL fast when there's one less paying patient to see.

I always call my doctor's office to see if he's running late. He usually is, so I plan ahead by bringing a book (doctor's offices never have any good mags to read) along with my mp3 player.

Melissa, I feel your pain, believe me!!! Tell your old surgeon you want a copy of your entire file (it is YOUR file and you are entitled to it by law) and find one that will listen to you and what you've gone through.

I went to a doctor to manage my anti-depression meds in Michigan a few years back. She was reading a file and said, "So I see you're having problems with sexual disfunction."

I said, "Whaaaat????" She said, "Yes, you're on such and such meds and your main complaint was your sexual drive." I said, "Um, NO"

It turns out she was reading another patient's chart (DUH!!) I ran (not walked) to the nearest exit, after requesting my entire file.

[pomtzu]

Melissa...

Sometimes it's better just to go to the top, and leave these local doctors alone.

I know it might be a distance for you to travel, but maybe you should check in to a reputable orthopaedic center or university teaching hospital. After 2 different local surgeons left me nearly crippled, I sought help at the Univ of Md Hosp Spine Center in Baltimore. It was nearly a 2 hour drive from here, but I had nothing to lose, and without the help and surgery I received there, I would have been crippled to the point of being in a wheel chair for life - or worse. This is an excellent place, and I'd be glad to give you more info if you want.

There is also the Rothman Institute in Philadelphia, and Penn State Hershey Medical Center (which I believe is closer to you) with a wonderful orthopaedic department. And in cases such as yours, sometimes a chiropractor just makes matters worse.

Don't let it go too long before you do something, since the longer you wait, the worse it will get, and it can be potentially crippling.

Good luck and keep us posted.

[Daisy and Delilah]

While I was reading your story, I had to check and see if you were from Florida. It sounds exactly like most of my doctors here. My doctors didn't/don't seem to care unless it involved big money(surgery)for them.

I'm still plagued with alot of problems that are practically crippling me and all of them have written me off. Write the rx's, pass the buck, bla bla bla. They all seem to be the same. A person is left with disabilities that keep them from leading a normal life and just because they say, "you've been treated", that's what everybody believes and stays with. God forbid they should ask the patient how they really feel. In these cases, who gives the doctor such authority to always be right and have the last word? If the doctor/s are worthy, I have no problem with them being in charge. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be the norm in alot of areas.

If anybody wants to know what's wrong with healthcare in this country, this is one of the big ones. The doctors are complacent, uncaring, money hungry, arrogant, and take no time to learn about their patients.

It's such a shame that you took such care in keeping records about your own health issues and no one had enough respect to listen to you. I am so sorry and able to relate completely. You look forward to that doctor visit for weeks, only to find out they didn't seem to be as interested as you were.

Wow!! This hits close to home.

[Anikaca77]

Karen-

Thank you so much for saying a pray, I appreciate it.



Laura-

Thank you for taking the time to write to me. I hope the next one will be better, I recently had to travel out of this area to get diagnosed with endometriosis (a surgeon here in my area did a laparoscopic in 1998 and they gyno took pictures which I never saw till recently and when I went to see a doctor in Hershey he came in and told me that I have endometriosis and it’s right here in this picture) and I was so mad I can’t even tell u how upset I was at that point because the surgeon who did my surgery never believed me).

The surgeon I saw yesterday wanted me to reschedule in 6 weeks and I just told the appt. secretaries that I will have to call in to schedule.



K9Karen-

I wish I could travel to Philly, but it’s about 3 ½ hours away and that would probably mean taking a full day off of work, which at the moment I can’t do.
Your ortho sounds like a great person. If I can’t find anyone that I feel is good enough I will have to contact you to get his name and number.



Donna-

Sciatica pain is excruciating, mine has gone away for now which is really great but this tailbone issue is the worst. I was tempted to leave but I was looking for someone to listen to me and understand how bad my pain has been this past month. Luckily, I did get a copy of the x-rays they took and I may get a copy of the other papers but I know they will charge me for them of course.

I would have run out on that doctor as well. I can’t believe that. My co-worker had a similar issue with one of her kid’s doctors. I understand doctors can get very busy and emergency’s pop up but coming in the room and acting like my pain is all gone is just insane.

Thanks for writing!



Pomtzu-

Thank you so much for writing to me. As you see what I wrote to Laura, I had to go to Hershey Medical Center in order to find someone who will listen to me and he treated me like a person and I was really glad I made that trip.

I’m so glad you were able to find help. I don’t know what it is about local doctors at all; I may try at least one other doctor around here maybe before going to Hershey or someplace else.

I wish I wasn’t so far from Baltimore but I may end up considering it if nothing semi-locally comes up.

I don’t think the chiropractor helped my condition really and I’m not going back to him. I’m looking at some spine doctors and trying to find one locally if possible if not I’ll look at Hershey.

Thanks you for taking the time to write to me.



Daisy and Delilah-

I’m so sorry for all the troubles you’ve had with doctors as well. You couldn’t have said this any better “God forbid they should ask the patient how they really feel”.

I had one person from a yahoo group tell me that whoever suggested keeping a track of your pain is clueless and I was just like are you kidding me, well that was me because I kept a track of my pain with the cramps I was getting with the endometriosis so I could inform the doctors that I was having pain almost every day otherwise I might of said that it wasn’t around too much or something like that.

Thanks for writing to me. I will say some prays for you.


Melissa

[Lizzie]

Melissa - I can't imagine the pain you are in most of the time with endometriosis as well as back pain; I'm not sure I could live with that combination. How on earth do you manage to work and do cat rescue in spite of all that?! I sincerely hope you can find a doctor who cares, and who knows what she/he is doing.

We have to remember that doctors are simply people, although they don't like being told that. I remember being sent to a head and neck surgeon because I was having a strangling feeling across the front of my throat all the time, no idea why they decided on that kind of specialist. Anyway, he became convinced it was my thyroid in spite of multiple tests weeks apart telling anyone with enough little grey cells that it wasn't. At my last appointment (years ago) he said I needed to swallow some radioactive stuff that would show that I had hyperthyroidism. I looked at him in disbelief and asked why I'd swallow something radioactive to show that I didn't have something we already knew I didn't have! He looked at me paternally (although he was a bit younger than me) and said "Don't you trust me, Lizzie?" I said "No, why should I?", and I'll never forget the expression on his face.

I have a horrible way of dealing with late doctors, or vets, if I believe they are just wasting time. I walk out of the room and into the waiting area where I pace up and down. When the reception people complain I tell them that I can't bear to be confined in a small space. I was kept waiting an hour in the reception area once with a form they had told me to fill out. By the time they showed me into a room I'd folded the paper so many times out of irritation and boredom, they could hardly open it out to read. You are far more patient than I.

Lots of good luck vibes being sent your way.

[Catty1]

Copy paste and print this, write over the "Phil" at the bottom, and send this to some of these medical idiots!

[Anikaca77]

Lizzie-

Thank you so much for taking the time to write to me. Luckily since I had surgery in Aug. my endometriosis pain has gone away for the most part, I still get some cramping but it's gotten much better.

The cat's help in many way as I'm sure you are aware.

Thanks for the good vibes

Melissa

Melissa - I can't imagine the pain you are in most of the time with endometriosis as well as back pain; I'm not sure I could live with that combination. How on earth do you manage to work and do cat rescue in spite of all that?! I sincerely hope you can find a doctor who cares, and who knows what she/he is doing.

We have to remember that doctors are simply people, although they don't like being told that. I remember being sent to a head and neck surgeon because I was having a strangling feeling across the front of my throat all the time, no idea why they decided on that kind of specialist. Anyway, he became convinced it was my thyroid in spite of multiple tests weeks apart telling anyone with enough little grey cells that it wasn't. At my last appointment (years ago) he said I needed to swallow some radioactive stuff that would show that I had hyperthyroidism. I looked at him in disbelief and asked why I'd swallow something radioactive to show that I didn't have something we already knew I didn't have! He looked at me paternally (although he was a bit younger than me) and said "Don't you trust me, Lizzie?" I said "No, why should I?", and I'll never forget the expression on his face.

I have a horrible way of dealing with late doctors, or vets, if I believe they are just wasting time. I walk out of the room and into the waiting area where I pace up and down. When the reception people complain I tell them that I can't bear to be confined in a small space. I was kept waiting an hour in the reception area once with a form they had told me to fill out. By the time they showed me into a room I'd folded the paper so many times out of irritation and boredom, they could hardly open it out to read. You are far more patient than I.

Lots of good luck vibes being sent your way.

[phesina]

Melissa, I am so sorry you have been getting this awful runaround from doctors when you need some Real ones ("First, do no harm.") on your side. Prayers and good wishes that you find the right ones shortly. You shouldn't be suffering so much for so long, both physically and emotionally.

Here's a candle: http://www.gratefulness.org/candles/...ng&cid=9284559

[Anikaca77]

Hi All-

I see it's been a few months since I wrote about my back pain which I think is a good sign in some ways.

I still battle with morning pain almost daily until my joints get going. But lately, last weekend I spent most of the 2 days out in my car trying to trap a cat.

I'm going to get her at some point I hope.

Anyway, I think it was Wed. morning I started noticing my right buttcheck was hurting more than usual and that night, it was terrible trying to sleep. Last night hurt as well. Normally when I get back pain if I lay down the pain seems to go away, instead now the pain gets worse when I lie down.

I called my regular doctor today to get an appt in to see if they think I did anything worse to my back, I have degenerative disc diease and spondylolisthesis.

Right now I'm so tired at work I just want to sleep but of course I can't but I may end up leaving early just to try to get some rest if I can.

I was looking at setting up an appt. with Karen's doctor out in Philly and I may do that soon because the one local doctor I just won't go to anymore. I know there is no easy answer for back pain and I don't want to have surgery at all for my back but I need to be able to rest.

Melissa

[Karen]

Perhaps a trip to Philly would be well worth it, to get good treatment and relief. Finding a trustworthy doctor for back pain is sometimes a difficult process.

[Medusa]

I feel for you, Melissa. When your back hurts, it throws your whole body off and then everything hurts. I do hope that you get some relief soon. The squeaky wheel gets oiled so don't clam up. Keep yakking until someone listens.