Back Pain

[wonderdov]

25yr old male in Severe DAILY Pain for 5+ years at back of neck, daily headaches, pain in shoulders and shoulder blades. I only go to work and come home and lay down as the pain is so severe by the end of the day. I have missed a lot of work in the last 6 months due to pain/headaches. I recently detoxed myself off lortab 5/500 4xdy and duragesic 50mcg. I need help soon before the pain gets any worse. It is no more severe without the narcs than it was with them actually, and I am at least able to think clearer this week. I am in desparate need of answers as to what this pain is from and how can I resolve it. I have been to neourologists, spine specialists, had emg that was negative and been put on life-ending drugs to get me to leave them all alone. I look so forward to hearing your opinion and so need to get better so I can enjoy my 2 years old daughter and our child on the way. My poor wife has been through hell with me being sick all the time (5 years!) and it makes for a pretty boring life for her...I am in too much pain most of the time to think of doing anything. I do not drink alchohol nor do any drugs other than what is prescribed. My parents are very supportive, mentally and financially and I just want us to all get the answers for me to feel better!
Yes, I detoxed myself with the help of my family...something is very wrong and keeping me doped up has caused my employer to lay me off until I get this resolved...without hard drugs like duragesic. I just want to get better and they keep saying there is nothing wrong when I can FEEL and SEE (my ears turn red/purple by end of the day) that something is wrong...the MRI's show problems in the area I am feeling the pain...PLEASE BE ABLE TO HELP ME. On top of it all, I have no insurance and all these things have to be done with upfront payment...I need a better answer so I can do the things that are going to get the answers we need to fix it. No one will insure me and my current job is temporary as this illness has caused me to have a terrible absent problem...I am a good husband, love to work and love my family and I am NOT a slacker...I am in PAIN!

MRIs Done:
05/2004 Normal

10/2005 Showed Prominent fat pad of the soft tissues, Mild Spondylosis and 2mm disc bulges at the c3-4, c5-6, c6-7 (posterior)-no evidence of spinal stenosis or encroachments

08/07/2007 There is straightening of the normal cervical lordosis without significant listthesis. Vertebral body heights are maintained. There is eveidence of disc degeneration from c3 through c7. At c2-c3, no central canal or foraminal stenosis. At c3-c4, no cord compression or forminal stenosis. At c5-c6, mild diffuse disc bulge effaces the anterior CSF space but does not compress the cord. Right uncovertabral process hypertrophy causes mild right formaminal stenosis. No left foraminal narrowing. At c6-c7, centraldisc osteophyte complex effaces the anterior CSF space but does not compress the cord. Bilateral uncovertebral process hypertrophy causes only minimal foraminal narrowing. At C7-T1, no cord compression or forminal stenosis.
Impression: Minimal disc degeneration without cord compression

WE ARE BEING TOLD THESE ARE NORMAL RESULTS FOR A MAN OF 25 YEARS OLD! THEY ARE NOW SENDING ME TO A RHEUMATOLOGIST TO BE EVALUATED FOR ARTHRITIS RELATED DISORDERS. WE DO NOT FEEL THAT THESE TESTS ARE NORMAL AND THEY DO NOT SAY THEY ARE NORMAL BY THE RADIOLOGIST ACCOUNTS...
WHAT DO THESE TESTS REALLY MEAN AND WHAT DANGERS CAN I CAUSE MYSELF IN ACTIVITY BASED ON THESE RESULTS?

CURRENT MEDICATIONS:
Dicloflenac 1 twice daily
Phenergan PRN every 6 hours
Cymbalta 60mg once daily
Multi-Vitamin 1daily
B-6 1daily
Magnesium 250mg 1daily
Potassium 99mg 1daily
Magnesium and Potassium 250mg ea tabs 1daily
L-Tyrosine 1000mg daily (this one will be stopped in a few weeks...it is part of the withdrawal therapy)

[dblue]

Just want you to know that I replied to your earlier message and I hope you will find relief soon.

[kimbo]

hello, this is my first time on the forum and i sympathize with you. having neck disc degen. is not fun my husband has it and it caused neck pain, shoulder problem, numbiness and tingling in the arm and couldn't hold on to anything it also went down his legs. he went to my dr. and found out he has narrowing of the vertebres and bulging of the disc in his neck. they put a cortizone shot in his shoulder 3x and did therapy with a neck stretching machine and other main exercises which really helped and we were able to purchase the neck machine from the therapy office. i myself have osteoarthritis, spondolysis, spondolylhlist, narrowing of the vertebres, bulging, facets disease, diabetise, fibromyalgia, myofacial pain syndrome, i've had 3 surgeries on my left shoulder and 1 on my right, that nasty arthritis and i did have back surgery in 2005 and i have a cage with nuts and bolts and still have another bulging disc that is giving me trouble and my fibromyalgia is bigger and badder then i thought. the pain is unreal and stress makes everything worse or if you are really busy for a few days it takes me 2 to 3 days for me to recoop. long distance walking is a big challenge. reading your story maybe your vertabres are bone to bone and pushing on nerves that are causing you headaches. fibromyalgia has the 16 or 18 points that they use to diagnoise you, 2 of them are right on your shoulders. if you look on the fibro sites they show you all the points and some are on the sides of your neck. maybe this neck machine would help relieve some of the pressure in your neck. i take a few of the same meds. as you. i was blessed with a gene that was passed down from my family that is called HLA B27 most people that are diagnosied with rhematoid arthritis have been known to have this gene,it makes me proned to get what ever kind of arthritis if i hurt myself, infact i hurt my foot 4 weeks ago and it still isn't better. not sure where you live but my rhemotholgist is really good and he treats me well, my orthropedic surgerian that treats both me and my husband is the best also. maybe you need a new opinion. i use a chinese oil you can get online or at TheVitaminShoppe, they have a store and are online, i've recommened to a few other people that had alot of pain and they sware by it the name is KWAN LOONG OIL its a 2oz clear bottle and clear oil about 5 inches tall, you can use it anywhere on your temples, neck, jaws, legs, shoulders you get the point i actually put it on my scalp in my hair. sorry i wrote so much but sometimes it helps to talk about it. my body inflammation rate is 29 and my cousins is higher than that, my whole family has fibromyalgia, diabetics, rhematoid arthritis and etc.. did you take on some of your parents arthritis, or maybe inheritate osteoarthritis? if you would like the names of my doctors please let me know and try the oil it can't hurt and when i get a really bad headache because i get really bad ones also i take baby chewables aspirin, about 6, hope you feel better. i know its hard but one day at a time, don't give up, try to focus on the positive things in your life.

[aursmi]

Sorry to hear how severe your condition has gotten. Though I have absolutely no advise for you, I wanted to share that I feel I am going down the same path. I have muscle spasms and great pain that can go from my shoulder blades, to midspine, to neck. I can almost feel my back tightening and it tightens so much that nothing I do can possibly loosen it. After it has tightened, on comes the throbbing pain, like when you flex your muscles and dont ever stop. When I have tried massages, the pain is so great all over in the above stated areas; they usually help only for a couple minutes and then it comes back. I am highly active; I run, do weight training, and stretch nonstop throughout the day. Initially gp doctors were saying that it was my chair at work? I have changed that to an expensive supportive chair recommended by the doctors and that was over a year ago. I stretch nonstop throughout the day and workout 3-4 times a week. I eat very healthy and I am not obese. I had one gp tell me that I should go see a psychiatrist. I do get stressed here and there, but nothing has happened to cause this...and why now? I have gone through much more stressful things in my life. Regardless, it has been about 3 years now with this and I am scared. I have tried chiros, massages, and gp's and all say there is nothing wrong and there is no reason besides stress for my muscles to be that tight. The end result, I dont want to go anywhere or do anything. I take 6-8 Excedrin Migraine (only over the counter thing that works) to just be normal, and my stomach is all ripped up from it. I feel like my health has overcome me at 30, and no exercise, relaxation, or stretching can beat this. I have given up on doctors, and their solution is to give me more drugs. What about finding out what the problem is so that I dont have to take pain pills anymore and I can get back to my previously healthy life? Anyway, I hear ya and feel your pain (no pun intended).

[ddrsi]

Have similiar situation> Massge therapist say I'm to bad to fix and recommended and GENTLE Chiropractor. I don't like them or trust them, but I trust my massge therapist and she goes to him.
I tried the Dr. out and to my amazment he did create temp relief. I have C4-7 fused any many problems in my low back, yet I want to stay active. I ride a quad, coach little league, etc. and I NEED a excellent GENTLE chiropractor. I also found a comptent Physical therapist who diagnosed my lower abs we not even working.
Try a mild muscle relaxer like Valerien Root ( bad spelling) otc. Be careful not to exercise a muscle in a state of spasm to hard! it must get turned off. Be careful of MRI's. If it come to that, the only indication to see a specialist is foraminal stenosis.
Best of luck

[ddrsi]

Some of my research has suggests annulat tears. I have 3w/ a herniation in low back. If the tear allows the center liquids to reach to nerves in the outer disk, pain is the result. This can not be diagnosed!!! My MRI reveiled the damaged. Unfortunatly after trying to be treated by my pain DR. who was great with my neck. He did not offer4 any hope, not even surgical. I'm trying to keep core muscles as strong as possible w/ PT. this is the only option I could find. If u hear anything new please share .
THX:)
ddsri