I have been dealing with the chronic pain and inconvenience of spinal stenosis for 5 or
more years. At first it was just a pain in the hip and aspirin would help, but the pain kept
getting worse. I went to the doc and had x-rays of the hip and the hip area was fine, but
the pain kept getting worse. Went to see a specialist and had mri's of my lower back done.
The spinal stenosis was diagnosed and I took the shots to the spine, 1st worked for about 6 months,
I thought I was 30 again. I felt great but the pain returned and the subsequent shots helped less
and less. At this time I was put on a pain management course taking hydrocodone 4 times a day.
Well the pain kept getting worse and the script went up to 7.5's 4 times a day as needed.
Insurance companies changed so doctors changed and the pain was to the point that when I slept
I could literally feel the pain bleeding over into my dreams. Now we are talking about pain that when
you woke in the morning you are praying for a pain index of 5-6. Every type of pain you can imagine.
Dull throb, sharp throb, a throb in the hip and a needle a moment later in the knee, numbness in the calf
feet and toes, burning in the calf, well I think you can get some of the picture. But the pain NEVER stopped.
I started drinking more and the pills didn't help at work, so we went to m/s contin 30 mg twice a day.
Well last May (14) I was slated for surgery and that was postponed because my liver was fried from the
acetaminophen and liquor. I ended up going to the ER on Oct 2014 in what was a deadly situation.
I spit up some blood that morning around 6:45 by 8 am I was in the ICU with people I have never
met literally fighting to keep death away. My wife was told it was fifty/fifty whether I would see the next sun.
I was in ICU (Esophageal Varices) for 5 days with 2 more weeks of forced restraint to a bed (they did
not know if my mind would return) and told my wife to prepare for me not being mentally functional.
I left on Oct the 8th and did not return home until Nov the 1st. It took a few more weeks for me to
sort out reality from what had gone on in my brain while I was at hospital and I am still not the same.
I have quit drinking mostly, I was drinking a gallon a week of whiskey. Now I have less than 3 drinks a week.
I am still taking the morphine and the surgery is set for Monday Aug. 3 at 7:30 am. This is the procedure at
hand:http://www.mayfieldclinic.com/PE-Dec...m#.VbpsCjDbKM8.
I am a blessed man.
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Originally Posted by studmuffin
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