Please Help Me If You Can

Updated

In early 2007 I had surgery to remove two discs in my neck and to have a procedure done to open up my spinal canal due to severe stenosis and they cut two vertebrae open and inserted bone grafts to keep them spread open. They also inserted two plates and four screws to keep everything aligned. The surgery helped a little for a year or so but I still had constant pain but in 2012 the pain again became so intense and would move up into my head and down my spine that most days I could not get out of bed let alone go to work. When I was able to go to work the pain was so bad that I could not focus on anything else and my performance suffered greatly. I also have advanced arthritis spurs in my neck and down my spine and this is at times is crippling to me. They tried to remove some of the spurs in the surgery but there were too many and they couldn't make a dent in the forest of spurs. My problem is that in 2012 I was finally referred to a pain specialist who looked at my MRI's and read my charts and started me on a medication plan that worked of 6 hydrocodone 10mg and 1 oxycodone of 10mg per day. I was able to go work everyday and play with my grandkids and have a quality of life. After a year the doctor retired and I was accepted by a different doctor who changed my treatment plan to two 20 mg oxycontin and three 10 mg oxycodone per day. On most days I can function and continue like I did before though there are times when I must leave a little league game early due to the pain or not attend at all. This doctor moved out of state and referred me to a doctor who doesn't understand the severity of the pain or the impact it has on my quality of life. There were times I thought of suicide to get away from the pain. This doctor was convinced that he could take me off all my medications and perform a nerve ablation and my problem would be solved never to require medication again. I agreed and I had a shot a month for 4 months and then a major treatment that was supposed to last a year.

These were very expensive and I maxed out all my credit cards and they did no good at all. The doctor told me I was wrong because science has shown that people with my problems were cured with these shots. They did me no good at all. I was able to find another doctor who agreed to see me because he has been treating my daughter for 7 or 8 years due to a 5th C-section surgery gone wrong that caused all the muscles in her stomach to separate and surgeries to correct it have been unsuccessful. She had told him about me and I began seeing him last December. He was very supportive the first 3 or 4 months and kept my medicines the same and would not increase them but at least I could make it to work most days and only miss a few grandkid activities a month. But two months ago he also said he was going to take me off medications and give me the shots. I told him of my previous experience and it is also in my medical records but he insisted saying I was on too many narcotics of too high a dosage and it was my imagination that the shots didn't work. I have one and a half years until I can possibly retire and I cannot afford to lose my job for attendance and low performance and I told him that I would do anything but I absolutely must make it to work for the next year and a half. He would not discuss that. I told him I would have another surgery if that would help. I am willing to try anything at all to overcome this but the shots do not work. He is also of Indian descent and is convinced I am wrong and science is right. I don't care if they take me off the pills. I will try anything but the shots do not work and I cannot miss anymore work or miss out on my grandkids lives. What can I do? I appreciate any advice you can give me.