I coughed lol

hi yes couple of years ago while in work I coughed and had horrible pain in lower back. after tons of tests and phyiso I ended up having spinal fusion which only give two weeks pain free and returned not in one leg but both. it's nearly two years since the op and I'm still unable to do normal activities, the pain in my back and legs is sickining and the medication makes me sleep. The only comfortable position is anything not weight bearing so I lay down a lot.. I had another mri which has shown no change since the op. why,? can someone explain I don't know what else I can do I know something is still wrong x

[jaffa7]

Oh sunny - i feel for you. I had a similar experience - dodgy back off and on over the years, but then a stupid every-day movement , and 6 years down the line i am now unable to work and my hubby is my full time carer.

This by no means it will be the same for you though. Have a look at this link, which helps to describe what Chronic Pain is spine-health.com/glossary/c... . When the body gets damaged, it sends pain signals to the brain to make us aware of the injury and stop and further injury, for instance, if you burn yourself on the iron, its the pain signals sent by the nerves that cause you to pull your hand away from the iron. Thats putting it simply. That is also an 'acute' reaction. It settles down as time goes on and the injury heals, until there is no more pain. With chronic pain, and amputation, the nerves continue to send the pain signals long after the initial injury has healed. The nerves 'misfire'. There is also a now-recognised issue called Failed Back Surgery syndrome - where surgery has failed, and possibly made things worse.

Some meds can help - you are probably already on the usual - opiates and either gabapentin/amitriptyline/pregabalin. Maybe a muscle relaxant too. What you really need though is a referral to a Pain Management Clinic, if you haven't already been. They will be able to explain and teach you to manage the pain, and its the best thing I ever did - incredibly effective. There are Pain Clinics, but they generally deal with the med side of things.

It may sound scary - all that above info. BUT - it really does not mean that you will end up having to live your life in appalling pain. What I have written is only a possibility for you, and there may well be a different pain problem that has not yet been properly dealth with. So dont panic. However, you need to urge your GP to refer you on to a pain clinic or similar x