19 Year Old Male. Scoliosis Progressing.

[asccbodypro]

[QUOTE=JDM555;118668]Well, my back started to hurt more and more. Now the lower left side hurts as well. Most likely from my posture or walking? I had a lidocaine shot. , then he will try Botox....

You are in my thouhts....I can't imagine having to deal with your pain at such a young age. I was very lucy that my scoliosis didn' flare up again until my thirties. I never had the Lidocaine shots but used the Lidocaine Patches prior to my surgery but now they they offer no relief. Have you ever had an epidural injection?

I had my Epidural Steriod shot last week in my neck and while it has helped with my migraines I'm still having pain, numbness, in my Traps and tingling/numbness in my arms and hands......not constant in my arms though. I asked the doc who did my shot if the pain clinic did Botox shots and he said that a Neorology does the procedure. It is my belief that I would greatly benefit from Botox shots so hopefully they will at least refer me to the Nuero to see what they have to say about it. You mentioned getting some cardio in and while it's difficult to get going while your in so much pain it's does help. Even if you start off very slow you are releasing all those feel good chemicals and hopefully that will ease some of your stress. Hang in there, I know it's not easy.

[jrnyc]

hey John
i do not know how botox would work for inflamed muscles...
it freezes muscles so they can't contract...
that is why TV stars love it..their foreheads cannot frown or move at all...
just about every TV journalist uses botox!

i hope you find something that helps, so you can avoid another surgery....
but i do think surgery to remove bolts or other smaller hardware is pretty quick and simple...no?

jess

[Elisa]

I know I'm coming in late on this discussion but I am feeling so bad for you John that you're still really struggling with pain and are getting so frustrated with it all. I don't know anything really about pain meds or shots etc. so I'll leave that up to others to comment on but was wondering if perhaps you could lessen the courses that you're taking and focus on half-days? It must be so draining on you to have a full schedule when you're not feeling your best.

[JDM555]

Yeah. My back is feeling very stiff and my left side is very sensitive now. Kind of brings me back a few weeks to where I had a hard time walking because every so often I'd hit a very sensitive spot and end up feeling severe pain. When I was getting in or out of bed, I felt it in my left side just a bit. I hope it goes away, I don't need pain in the left side of my back as well.

Thanks for all the comments, I hope something works for me too because I'm exhausted from this pain. And I'm thinking of switching majors or taking less classes for sure, but I hope it all works in the end.

[jrnyc]

hi John
i am so sorry to hear of your continued pain...

regarding your college...would you consider taking a part time class load, or a semester off for medical reasons, which i believe they would grant automatically (with a doctor's letter)...?
unless you truly want to change your major, i would hate to see you give up on a dream....
perhaps your major involves something physically taxing...?
otherwise, maybe you could wait to make such a drastic decision until you and your surgeon figure out how to deal with what is causing your unrelieved suffering....?

just a thought....
only because most people do not make good decisions when they are in pain...i know i sure don't!

you remain in my thoughts and prayers until you are feeling well again...

jess

[BendyBill]

Sorry you're having such a rubbish time at the moment, man. I second what Jess has said. Have you gone through the motions with your college regarding your operation and subsequent pain? I'm not so sure about the rules over in the US but over here in England you can extend deadlines on medical grounds or even deffer the year.
Apologies for coming in late into the conversation - I'm new here. Tried to gen up on your past posts but I have probably missed something!
Hope things ease up soon, mate.
B

[JDM555]

hi John
i am so sorry to hear of your continued pain...

regarding your college...would you consider taking a part time class load, or a semester off for medical reasons, which i believe they would grant automatically (with a doctor's letter)...?
unless you truly want to change your major, i would hate to see you give up on a dream....
perhaps your major involves something physically taxing...?
otherwise, maybe you could wait to make such a drastic decision until you and your surgeon figure out how to deal with what is causing your unrelieved suffering....?

just a thought....
only because most people do not make good decisions when they are in pain...i know i sure don't!

you remain in my thoughts and prayers until you are feeling well again...

jess

I wouldn't say I'm giving up on a dream lol. I was thinking of switching from Mechanical Engineering to Software Engineering. I'm still not sure. They are both very demanding and time consuming majors, so I'm not sure what to do. I'm just tired of school and the stress caused by it and classes and the pain I'm in. I'm just tired. Best way to describe it is...as if you have a long day and when you get home, you have a great night rest and wake up the next day refreshed, but with me, I don't wake up refreshed, I still have the crappy, exhausted, stressed, and tired feeling from the previous day. No matter how long I sleep, my body is exhausted and tired.

Sorry you're having such a rubbish time at the moment, man. I second what Jess has said. Have you gone through the motions with your college regarding your operation and subsequent pain? I'm not so sure about the rules over in the US but over here in England you can extend deadlines on medical grounds or even deffer the year.
Apologies for coming in late into the conversation - I'm new here. Tried to gen up on your past posts but I have probably missed something!
Hope things ease up soon, mate.
B

I will talk to my counselor and see where he/she points me regarding disability. I might take a break, and I might simply find something to do about my schedule so I don't have 2-4 3 hour lab classes. Thanks for the comment, no need to apologize for coming in late, any comments are welcomed.



The lidocaine shot is doing mild pain relief. I still feel very stiff and tight and have pain in my left lower back. Sitting down however, it seems to have lesser effect than before? It's sore, but not painful. Maybe went from 7-8/10 to 5-7/10 depending on what I'm doing.

[jrnyc]

well, glad to know it is still in the field you most enjoy..
it sounds like a tough field!.

college is stressful, under the best of circumstances!
i went to grad school while i worked full time..i got 3 graduate degrees in NYC...i still do not know how i did it....i slowed down my first graduate degree while being treated for Lyme disease....but i still finished it! so i know you can do it...it just might take a little longer...you have to accommodate your back as long as it is...not cooperating...

try to believe, even in the worst moments, that it will work out...
i believe things will get better...it sounds like it is going to take a lot longer than planned....and i hope you stay with the doctor who helps you the most...

thoughts and prayers stay with you...

jess

[debbei]

I will talk to my counselor and see where he/she points me regarding disability. I might take a break, and I might simply find something to do about my schedule so I don't have 2-4 3 hour lab classes. Thanks for the comment, no need to apologize for coming in late, any comments are welcomed.

Hey John,

Maybe you could schedule fewer classes per semester, and then take longer to finish than the normal 4 years? At least for a semester or two? It might be easier on you. I really feel for you, when I started work and was having terrible back spasms, at least I could come home and lay down; I didn't have homework to worry about.

[mbeckoff]

I hope that you get some relief from pain soon. I know exactly how you feel.


Melissa

[mgs]

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . .I think the effort you put forth, day in and day out, is nothing short of valiant.

I do have a question about mechanical engineering, though. My oldest son just graduated with his degree in Mech Eng in Dec, and it seems that a lot of his daily work involves a lot of walking around the plant (parts come in from China, and when the factory workers find them incompatible, he steps in). . .is this level of walking around the usual for a mechanical engineer? If so, is this something that you can do - comfortably - long term? My next son is majoring in nuclear engineering. From what I (so far) can tell, this seems to involve lots less moving about. It seems like the same might be said of softwear engineering. Are these considerations that you've given proper thought to?

[JDM555]

well, glad to know it is still in the field you most enjoy..
it sounds like a tough field!.

college is stressful, under the best of circumstances!
i went to grad school while i worked full time..i got 3 graduate degrees in NYC...i still do not know how i did it....i slowed down my first graduate degree while being treated for Lyme disease....but i still finished it! so i know you can do it...it just might take a little longer...you have to accommodate your back as long as it is...not cooperating...

try to believe, even in the worst moments, that it will work out...
i believe things will get better...it sounds like it is going to take a lot longer than planned....and i hope you stay with the doctor who helps you the most...

thoughts and prayers stay with you...

jess

Yes. It will take longer. The schools are horrible. Overcrowded, Budget cuts, horrible teachers, etc. You pay more for horrible service. Best way to sum up the State Universities in CA. Garbage. So that with my back pain with me being undecided is a bad mix.

Hey John,

Maybe you could schedule fewer classes per semester, and then take longer to finish than the normal 4 years? At least for a semester or two? It might be easier on you. I really feel for you, when I started work and was having terrible back spasms, at least I could come home and lay down; I didn't have homework to worry about.

Yeah. I might do fewer classes, but I'm already behind. At this rate it will take 3-4 years to graduate. I guess it's not a matter of time anymore, just want to graduate period. Yes, it's not just homework, it's tests and quizzes that really stress me out. I had 4 midterms within 3 days and I was going crazy. They were all hard classes, so it was hell. I hope something works out quick. Thanks again.
John

I hope that you get some relief from pain soon. I know exactly how you feel.


Melissa

Thanks a lot. I don't know if you can describe this type of pain, but I wish I can just give someone else my pain and stress for a week to see what I'm going through. I can't even describe the pain.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again. . .I think the effort you put forth, day in and day out, is nothing short of valiant.

I do have a question about mechanical engineering, though. My oldest son just graduated with his degree in Mech Eng in Dec, and it seems that a lot of his daily work involves a lot of walking around the plant (parts come in from China, and when the factory workers find them incompatible, he steps in). . .is this level of walking around the usual for a mechanical engineer? If so, is this something that you can do - comfortably - long term? My next son is majoring in nuclear engineering. From what I (so far) can tell, this seems to involve lots less moving about. It seems like the same might be said of softwear engineering. Are these considerations that you've given proper thought to?

Thanks again Mgs. I'm actually not to sure about mechanical engineering in the sense of the walking aspect, but I thought it would be sitting in a desk or on a computer designing things or machinery. I don't mind walking around a factory, but when it's walking up and down stairs and walking long distances in the cold, that's when I have to walk like I'm 65 with recent hip surgery lol.
Software was something that just made more sense to me. I enjoy it as well, and I'm really attached to the computer. My specific chair at home is the most comfortable place to sit in. So with software, it's more sitting that running around and such.

And awesome about your kids, both are engineers. Should be very proud of them, it's a hard major that requires a lot of brain power. Haha
John

[jrnyc]

that is such a shame about the CA colleges!
years ago, they were excellent, at a very reasonable price!
my father and his brothers attended UCLA way back when it was so hard!
i have cousins who attended there about 2 decades ago...
sounds as if things have gone downhill!
i hope you still have a few good ones left!

my nephew just got his B.S. from Sacramento State....i don't know how great an education he got..he was very glad to finally graduate, though!

i hope things get better for you, John!
it is really consistency that counts...
i took 5 years for my first graduate degree, as i was being treated with IV antibiotics at the time, and couldn't go any faster (while working full time!)
i gave up a scholarship to switch to a slower program...
but i finished! that is the important thing...to go every semester even with a few credits, rather than giving up...
perhaps if you take one semester for medical reasons, then go back part time...?
if it is too much for you now, i doubt that pushing harder will help...no?

jess

[JDM555]

Well, I decided to gym a little today to see if it would help my back pain/stiffness. I was 50/50 on going, knowing how much pain I'm in simply by sitting around, let alone doing cardio and light weights.

Just walking in to the gym made me feel embarrassed like I didn't belong there. I did 20 minutes of light cardio on the bike, and the whole time I was just depressed thinking about all the hard work I put in the gym and how now it's all gone. I see people in the gym I saw a few months ago and they are improving, while I'm not. In fact, I'm losing weight. I don't know if I even want to go back.

Doing only 20lbs for a back row, I felt like my spine was going to snap, literally. After the set, I was paralyzed in my lower back. I couldn't move, and I had to slowly move back to get off the chair. My spine was so tight, like it was concrete, no flexibility whatsoever. And as I tried to force it to be flexible so I can back off the chair to stand up, I'd feel a crack. As if you were trying to bend concrete, it would crack under a certain amount of force. That is how my spine felt. I was in immense pain as I walked to get a drink, and bending over to get a drink felt like I had a 150lb weight on top of my back. Just walking and sitting now, I'm in more pain than before.

I have no idea how I'm going to sleep tonight, or even walk tomorrow when I wake up from being so sore. Just thinking about all this and the pain I'm in, and how the lidocaine and cortisone aren't bringing me any relief, and how school seems like a mess, and how many things don't seem to be working, I just don't know how to deal with it. I actually started to tear up from the pain I've encountered tonight. I hope that doesn't make me sound girly or something, but It's like I keep pushing against this wall, and no matter how many times I try, it's not budging. Nothing seems to be working.

[JenniferG]

Hi John, I've only just come back into this thread and I'm so sorry to learn of your continuing severe pain. I wish I had some answers for you because I know this is getting you down so much, which is hardly surprising. Do you have plenty of support from your parents and/or siblings? Tears are very natural in the face of constant pain and frustration. There's nothing girly about it. We would all cry in the same circumstances. This has gone on a long time and as a young man, with much to look forward to, it must be terrible.

Have you had an MRI? Do you actually know what's causing the pain? Would you consider seeing another scoli surgeon? Sorry if this has been discussed earlier. Don't give up John, I am certain there is an answer for you, it's just a matter of finding it. Do you feel you're getting reasonable help from your surgeon and GP? My first thought when someone has been through this surgery, done everything right, followed instructions, followed up with further testing and various treatments, and still has no relief, it's time for a new surgeon. Perhaps it just takes a pair of fresh eyes?