Pins and needles

Hi - In 1999 I experienced a severe prolapsed disc and required emergency surgery as I was experiencing bladder hesitancy. Two weeks later same thing and another op was required - didn't recover well and hey presto a year later required to have emergency lamanectomy (part of disc removed). Nearly 10 years down the line and I am still having difficulties - back and leg pain, burning, pins and needles,muscle spasms, stinging, nerve damage - and the list goes on. I am now registered disabled and had to give up my job a couple of years ago. I had to visit a clinical phychologist for several months to learn to cope with the pain I experienced on a daily basis and this has helped slightly - as does discussing the problem with people who have gone though the same thing. I have also been diagnosed with Fibromyalgia which I think is a result of all the trauma I encountered. I have my good and bad days and try to stay positive but what I would say is listen to your body and don't give up pestering the consultants. I was lucky enough to have a GP who supported me all the way and that is half the battle. Difficulty now is if I have any recurring problems I am usually told it is the result of my surgery and they do not investigate any further - the right support is very important and family and friends can really make a difference as can the proper medication which is basically trial and error. I am finding now that I keep a lot of my problems to myself as I think everyone is fed up listending and a site like this could be a god send.

Hi Gail,

I am so pleased for you that at last the day has come and you can get back to work. Now all you need worry about is what to spend your wages on, although I'm sure that the family will have a few ideas.

I was wondering, do you still hear from Mandy? Is she still going into King's next month?

Best wishes

TFU

Hi Jackie,

It seems like you have had quite a battle over the years. It must have been hard giving up your job. You'll see from the posts here that most people (me included) are/were very keen to get back to work after surgery. After all there is only so much daytime TV a girl can stand, right??

You are right about not giving up pestering the Consultants. When I think about the amount of energy that I have expended trying to keep things moving along, and I'm not done yet. I don't know where I find time to be ill!!! At least you have a good GP to support you.

I hope this is a good day for you, hotly followed by a good weekend!

TFU

hi all

well done my first shift and all went ok had one quite heavy call but i managed, AND went swimming again yesterday and managed to do 1 width, ok not a lot but last week couldnt even manage that! and no pain this week with it so im pleased but not being to complacent, got a few hours tomorrow from 8 til 11.30 then a few days off, the only thing is i,ve got no money coming in! i have to phone the benefits agency on monday to see if i qualify for the back to work bonus, its only £40 a week but better than nothing til i get my wages (28apr!)

hi tfu yeh im still in touch with mandy and we try to chat most days, she had to have repeat bloods done before they give her a new admission date, i,ll tell her you were asking after her, hope all is well with you? ok gone off the subject now but thats me!

gail

hi jackie

i hope you find this site friendly and informative as i have over the last year, i understand where your coming from with regard family , i have a brilliant hubby who does an awful lot but theres only so much moaning from me about the same thing he can take lol, i,ve had a cervical discectomy and i still get pain or should that be deep aching? not really enough to take pain meds just enough to remind me i still have to be careful, looking at this and other sites i think theres an awful lot of folk who suffer post-op maybe from scarring who knows but seems like your one of the unlucky ones. you can notice from my previous posts that i was so eager to get back to work life can be pretty boring when you at home and unable to do most things(been there myself) thats where this site saved my sanity lol, medicine is improving all the time lets hope that soon there will be something to ease the pain and debilitating effects of this condition fingers crossed anyway. gail

Hi Gail

Just wanted to say well done u on managing to get back to work :bubbly:

Remember not to overdo it and remember to look after yourself first :nurse: .

Glad u made it back and long may it last

Well done

Russ :cheers:

x

Hi Gail,

Well done you!! :magic:

Just remember to take it easy and work within your safe limits..it's great that you're swimming too.

Yeah, it's a killer financially going back to work when you're in the \"no benefits, no wages \" limbo...could work give you an advance of a week or two to tide you over if the Benefits Agency cant help? Are you in a Union who may have a \"fund\" for which you may qualify? Maybe Occy Health may have some advice on where to turn...or the CAB? It's hard as you are probably using your car for work so maybe work could advance you a fuel allowance, may be worth a try.

Anyway, keep up the good work and look after yourself.

Take care,

Jules xx :D :D

Hi Russ,

Glad to hear having the injection was uneventful :D Hope it's worked and is giving you relief from that horrible pain.

Take care,

Jules xx :D :D

Hi Guys

Just a quick update on the off chance that one day I can look back at all these postings as just a memory and not an everyday way of life...

So at this moment in time I dont think I have any real relief from the injection, the \"pain\" from the injection has worn off & now the normal aches and pains have set back in but going by my last round of injections over a year ago, it took between 7 - 10 days to kick in, so I am forever hopeful :-)

Will keep u updated as always ( Oh and its TEN MONTHS today I gave up smoking, how cool is that :dragon: )

No Regrets Russ

I am still alive - just.

No change in anything, and in fact I have been told by the new GP that they can not do anything for me.

Looks like I am stuck with this for life. Just waiting until I become actually crippled because of it because I will become very rich overnight from the malpractice & negligence law suit that I will proceed with against the NHS.

Not heard anything back from DLA either, so not holding any hope up there, & I have tried to call them numerous times, but not having a landline & calling them from a prepay mobile phone is very expensive. Even the letters have stopped as well.

Looks like my marriage is well & truely over now as the wife is now looking for a place of her own with the kids. I don't blame her either in all honesty as I would rather be on my own at this time so I am not a strain on anyone.

Hi Darren,

Good to hear you're still with us! I'm sorry to hear about your problems with your wife and kids, it's a real strain on others as well as us sufferers, hopefully it's only a temporary thing, I think you need someone to lean on now and then, it's harder coping with all this on your own.

I can't believe there's nothing else they can do for you, have the Doctors certified you as being Disabled if they cannot do anymore for you, if so then you can get some financial help if nothing else. I couldn't claim DLA because I could walk 800m and could dress myself, it's a complete joke, the whole system is anyway. Do they think that we want to be in so much pain and discomfort with financial worries and all this through know fault of our own.

I'm still in a bit of pain after my 2nd Op, I can't do very much without my back aching. I'm finding the physio quite difficult. I have to go back to see the Consultant in 5 weeks time, hopefully I'll feel better. I just want to get back to normal and get back to work as my Mortgage Protection stops paying out this month, and I can't claim a bloody thing. It makes my blood boil I'm a genuine case and I can't claim a penny because of all the scroungers claiming when there's bugger all wrong with them.

Keep posting Darren to let us all know that you're still ok, I know it's hard but try to keep your chin up, take care of yourself.

Angela

[quote:8a407727ac=\"Angela (Teesside)\"]Hi Darren,

Good to hear you're still with us! I'm sorry to hear about your problems with your wife and kids, it's a real strain on others as well as us sufferers, hopefully it's only a temporary thing, I think you need someone to lean on now and then, it's harder coping with all this on your own.[/quote:8a407727ac]

It's permanent I am afraid.

[quote:8a407727ac]I can't believe there's nothing else they can do for you, have the Doctors certified you as being Disabled if they cannot do anymore for you, if so then you can get some financial help if nothing else. I couldn't claim DLA because I could walk 800m and could dress myself, it's a complete joke, the whole system is anyway. Do they think that we want to be in so much pain and discomfort with financial worries and all this through know fault of our own.[/quote:8a407727ac]

I changed GP surgeries because the old surgery doctors told me the exact same thing. The new GP's are even worse! They won't certify me disabled either until I am basically in a wheelchair as they say that it can be sorted later on in life if it gets worse. It is an absolute joke that they can hypcritise themselves in the same breath & get away with it.

[quote:8a407727ac]I'm still in a bit of pain after my 2nd Op, I can't do very much without my back aching. I'm finding the physio quite difficult. I have to go back to see the Consultant in 5 weeks time, hopefully I'll feel better. I just want to get back to normal and get back to work as my Mortgage Protection stops paying out this month, and I can't claim a bloody thing. It makes my blood boil I'm a genuine case and I can't claim a penny because of all the scroungers claiming when there's bugger all wrong with them.[/quote:8a407727ac]

They tell me surgery is not an option until I am older. I am 33 now and they say that surgery for my condition is not considered essential until I am at least 50!!!!! Looks like InCap for me for the rest of my life.

[quote:8a407727ac]Keep posting Darren to let us all know that you're still ok, I know it's hard but try to keep your chin up, take care of yourself.

Angela[/quote:8a407727ac]

I will try to but it is hard to even care about my health if the so called health service cannot be bothered. If I could do something other than sleep or sit in front of the computer, I would jump at it at the present moment in time!!!!!

On a similar note, has anyone heard from Mandy recently? I haven't seen her on MSN for a long time. I miss having my chats with her

Anyone heard from Mandy recently? I haven't seen her on MSN for a long time now (whole of 2008 so far!!!).

Unfortunately this is the state of the NHS at the moment with their so-called lack of funding and debt (yet they can still afford to revamp wards which don't need revamping!).

I have given up with the NHS now & if I can find a way of not paying National Insurance in the future, I will not pay it as I am getting nothing back for my contributions other than ignorance & negligence from the NHS & Government.

hi russ

well done on the giving up fags brill, i gave up some 10 yrs ago now and although put on a bit of weight dont regret it (your catchphrase), any results from the injections yet? hope they work for you. gail