As rare as we all know Thoracic Radicular Chronic Pain is it was so very nice to hear that I'm not suffering this extreme pain alone. So many I read about here suffer in the same way I do. This is what I was looking for, and am so happy I found this. My story began five yrs ago when I was assaulted and nearly killed by an X-boyfriend, he broke three of my rib heads T5-T7 along my spine and two hairline fracture on two of those ribs. I started with three years worth of Chiropractic treatment, messages etc. trying to avoid the Medical medication avenue. Nothing ever provided relief by any substantial manner, in fact the Chiro. told me I needed to just accept that I would be in pain for the rest of my life. I thought I could handle that for a while as I had no choice being a single parent of two boys. The pain only got worse after wearing rib belts after the ribs healed, Well, it changed its pain symptoms more specifically. I ended up two years ago going to the medical field, got on pain meds, (Vicodine)and muscle relaxers. And sent to a Spinal Pain Specialist. We started by intercostal injections, the first one lasted almost two days. Then we did pressure point injections and nerve blocks, then spinal nerve root blocks, and two spinal catheter proceedures. Scan after scan after scan, PET, MRI, EMG, X-rays,and Motion Imaging Scans, they say I mirror the effects of a torn disc, but NOTHING shows that in all of these scans. A dislocated rib is another idea...hell I've heard them all, and I've exhausted even the avenues of the Specialists. I went to a Surgeon last week for a second opinion..not what I wanted to hear, that after five years this will probably NEVER heal. I asked for surgery (exploratory) anything to just stop the pain. We know I've got chronic degenerative nerve damage, burning and hypersentivity, and unmentionable indescribable as we all know pain during a flareup. I've got lesions at the T6 level. Radicular pain around to sternum, and down my arm. At my age of 31, my Specialist offered to send me to Cleveland or Virg. Mason to see them, but advised it wouldn't be minimal at ALL. I've gone from trying to cope with this, to being on Cymbalta, Skelactone, Xanax, Vicodine, because I can no longer emotionally handle the pain. I've slipped into this depression, and then when the pain is so high and unbearable I panic, what good could a hospital do when I'm seeing and have seen their surgeons already?? They give me a lot of Vicodine and expect you to take a limit of five a day...I won't go any higher than what I'm on now. They've tried putting me on Morphine, I HATED IT, and it took me forever to finish that, I refused and went back to the Vicodine. But, now the doctor tells me that I'm taking too many, then when I see her and explain, she understands and knows I take them because I can't cope and have no other place to go. I'm up to 10-12 a day, trying to cope, plus the Xanax to calm me down when I start to panic. Then now I panic because they say they can't prescribe pain meds when I take them as I need to. How do I explain and stop this pain? Its insane to say "only a max limit of five a day" when the pain level is at a constant 9-10. So we are now on Sept. 15th going to try a Spinal Cord Stimulator.
I've got a great job that I love at a Law Firm that is most understanding, its taken is toll there though too. One of our practice areas is med-mal defense for the Dr's, so in one aspect its nice bc a lot of the doctors are familiar with where and who I work for. But to be honest, I'm done completely done with this debilitating lifestyle. I'm married to an amazing man, have a beautiful home and two great children. If this Stim. doesn't work, I've found lately that I've gotten to the point that I'm so deeply depressed no matter what meds they give to help, that bad bad thoughts have started surfacing. And thats not good. Has anyone ever gone through all of this emotional trauma? These thoughts?