Back Pain and beyond

I've been experiencing and dealing with back pain for six years now. I made my first complaint after a fall at work, had an x-ray done, put on non-steroidal anti- inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). For the next several years my pain came and went. It would recur and switch sides, from left back pain to right back pain, but consistently remained mid to low back pain. I complained several times to my physician and each time I was simply told to rest for a couple of months, ice/heat the painful areas, do physical therapy, take anti-inflammatory meds and be patient. I never really let the pain stop me until it was so unbearable that I couldn't walk without feeling pain. The discomfort was consistently present but flare-ups would only come every couple of months, yet I continued to work through the fit. Then in November of 2007 when all of a sudden I hit my right knee underneath my desk and as I tried to stand I found myself unable to walk. Suddenly a sharp excruciating pain shot down my right leg. It was the worst, most intolerable pain I had (and have) ever experienced. I managed to limp to the ladies room taking in shorts breaths along the way. I called my husband to tell him about the incident, but unfortunately he couldn't leave work. Besides I had the car, and there was no one to drive me to his job. After about twenty minutes or so. I went to my supervisor and explained that I had to leave because of  back  pain and leg pain. I managed to get to the car, but I couldn't find any way to sit comfortably. I had to call my husband and asked him to leave work early and come drive me home. Thank God he only had a short walk from his office to my job. The following morning I immediately phoned my physician who, without hesitation, prescribed me Oxycodone. It was a temporary fixed that I welcomed. The only problem it caused was drowsiness so I had to wait until the end of  the work day to take one. The following week I made an appointment  to see an orthopedic specialist. Prior to the visit ...I had an MRI done and found out that there was a disc herniation, and for that he prescribed a pain medication Ultram, but the Ultram did have its side affects. I experienced anxiety, sleeplessness, lightheadedness, and weakness. The doctor also suggested I receive an epidural-steroidal injection directly around the area of the herniation. The shot was quite painful, and several days after the shot I felt worse than before it because the area was so tender from the medications in the shot. The pain finally decreased significantly, the leg pain was at a minimum and the back pain was tolerable. As soon as I felt the pain worsening once again, it was time for another shot. The shot did help, but didn't completely take the pain away. The pain finally came back. My primary physician referred me to a pain management specialist. I scheduled an appointment to visit the clinic and meet the doctor and his staff. After a brief explaination of my symptom, he got on the computer to view my MRI. Sevearl years before the  injections from the Ortho - I was involved in 2 no fault motor vehicle accidents. The car incidents included muscle spasms in the neck and upper back area, increased neck pain with movement. The pain specialist discussed those issues with me as he reviewed the MRI report and sent me back to see the Ortho doctor. I was back at square one! I couldnt believe what I was being told, but I did as he advised and went back to see the spine specialist. The results revealed that I was walking around with a broken neck and I needed surgery. Three weeks later I had a c5-7 ACDF surgery with titanium plate and screws. I had to wear the s-l hard neck brace 24/7 for 3 months. It  was, noticiable and extremely uncomfortable.

Three months after the surgery, I had a fall that caused a screw to come loose. I had a CT scan, I'm still waiting for the results. It can be nerve-wracking, but well worth the wait.