June 2014 – Page 3 – BACK PAIN BLOG UK…

Question

Looking at myself looking ill is not something I like seeing. So, come hell or high water, no matter how rough I feel I ‘always’ make the effort with how I look. I honestly think that it helps you deal with your illness.

It’s not the first time that someone has said how well I looked ‘considering’ I am ‘supposed’ to be in so much pain !!!! I’m not really sure ‘ how I am supposed to look’, but it’s not very nice when someone says that to you.

At the end of the day, people in chronic pain have to get on with their lives. We don’t walk around with a message across our forehead saying ‘I’m in pain’, and we don’t want everyone making a fuss. But, why would you say you are in pain if your not?

It’s actually the other way around with me, the minute I’m pain free everyone knows about it and I enjoy life to the full while I can.

cassie's engagement 006

I have finally got the results of my last MRI scan of my spine.

Starting with my lumber spine, apparently the disc above my fusion is obviously in a bit of a mess but at the moment it is not impinging on any nerves.

My thoracic spine has not altered at all from the last MRI, which means that the good news is that the two that are bulging slightly are not causing any nerve damage.

They found that the disc under the fusion in my cervical spine (neck) isn’t so good and has some slight nerve impingement. They said that any type of surgery for this would only be advised if I cannot cope with the pain anymore.

They think I am in a lot of pain at the moment as my pain killer (tramadol) has simply just stopped working for me. I’ve been on that pain killer for over 10 years now so it didn’t surprise me.

I am now being referred to a Professor of Medicine who will look at different drugs I could try for the pain and I am also going to have a different type of injection when I go for my next session.

I wasn’t surprised with the findings, but I was surprised that it ‘wasn’t’ the bone spur that was causing all the pain in my cervical area. Hopefully, a new set of drugs will do the trick.