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I am 44. I am fused from T4 to L2, at age 10. The surgeon told my mother that someday I would have terrible back pain and also develop Osteoarthritis as a result of the fusion. My old internist (since moved to a new state) discovered severe Osteoarthritis in 2004 in my shoulders and neck (my neck is now curved in the opposite direction that it should be). At that time the pain in these areas was chronic but mild, more an annoyance. A year or so later I had a bad fall on my hip and after that I developed chronic hip pain (this is also my longer leg due to the fusion). After that fall I started falling more regularly. I would be walking and just BAM go down without warning. The same internist did x-rays. No break. He figured the pain was from my Sacroiliac joint in my hip and started giving me cortisone injections. They helped and I stopped falling.
Long story short: I moved out of state in 2006 after my divorce. My insurance ended in 2007. I did work for about 4 months in 2007 but had to quit from the pain. I haven't had insurance since. I can't work at all now, sometimes can barely do housework. Last September I applied for SSI. I was denied but hired an attorney to do an appeal. He says I have an 85-90% chance of getting approved but said to expect it to take at least another 18 months.
What I want to know: does anyone else have this problem with the Osteoarthritis? I go to a free clinic and the doctor there says there is absolutely nothing she can do for me. She says I obviously need an orthopedist, x-rays, MRI, etc. I can't afford any of these things so I am just sitting and suffering while waiting for the SSI. Meantime, my activities are now about 75% more limited than they were. I have recently discovered that I can't go to more than 2 appointments a week for various things. I can only walk or stand in any combination for about 3 hours a day because of the pain.
My right hip is constantly swollen and I can't lie on that side. My right leg gets severe sharp pains in my knee and foot. My lower back goes into such terrible spasms that sometimes I can't even sit because it pulls my lower back too much. My neck hurts so much that I can't stay in one position for more than 20 minutes or so. Once recently I met a friend at a coffee shop and we stayed for 2 hours. I was so stiff that I could barely drive home afterward and when I got home I collapsed on my bed in tears. Does anyone else have similar problems? Is anyone else in this much pain? My clinic doctor says the pain will probably get worse! How is that even possible? I can't imagine that. Ugh. Anyway, is it normal to be SO exhausted from all this pain? There are days, like today, where I sleep 12 or more hours because I am so tired just from moving my body around the day before to do normal things like cook and clean. I feel like such a freak of nature!
Long story short: I moved out of state in 2006 after my divorce. My insurance ended in 2007. I did work for about 4 months in 2007 but had to quit from the pain. I haven't had insurance since. I can't work at all now, sometimes can barely do housework. Last September I applied for SSI. I was denied but hired an attorney to do an appeal. He says I have an 85-90% chance of getting approved but said to expect it to take at least another 18 months.
What I want to know: does anyone else have this problem with the Osteoarthritis? I go to a free clinic and the doctor there says there is absolutely nothing she can do for me. She says I obviously need an orthopedist, x-rays, MRI, etc. I can't afford any of these things so I am just sitting and suffering while waiting for the SSI. Meantime, my activities are now about 75% more limited than they were. I have recently discovered that I can't go to more than 2 appointments a week for various things. I can only walk or stand in any combination for about 3 hours a day because of the pain.
My right hip is constantly swollen and I can't lie on that side. My right leg gets severe sharp pains in my knee and foot. My lower back goes into such terrible spasms that sometimes I can't even sit because it pulls my lower back too much. My neck hurts so much that I can't stay in one position for more than 20 minutes or so. Once recently I met a friend at a coffee shop and we stayed for 2 hours. I was so stiff that I could barely drive home afterward and when I got home I collapsed on my bed in tears. Does anyone else have similar problems? Is anyone else in this much pain? My clinic doctor says the pain will probably get worse! How is that even possible? I can't imagine that. Ugh. Anyway, is it normal to be SO exhausted from all this pain? There are days, like today, where I sleep 12 or more hours because I am so tired just from moving my body around the day before to do normal things like cook and clean. I feel like such a freak of nature!
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