I developed Adhesive Arachnoiditis during the course of two spinal surgeries & six failed epidural steroid injections. I went from being at the peak of my career to spending nearly every waking moment on my daybed in my family room overnight. #RealPainStory #PainAwarenessMonth 1/
2/ My daughters lost the active Mom who attended every school performance and recital, that one took them for hikes & travelled to a number of locations every year. Without treatment, I couldn’t take them shopping, go to the movies or even stand long enough to braid their hair.
3/ Without treatment, my husband lost his active wife, his date to countless funerals, weddings & family functions. Instead of taking care of my aging Mom & cooking her meals, she stepped in to play chauffeur & drive me to my appts. I had to use a scooter on good days to shop.
4/ Without treatment, I could no longer cook for my family or sit long enough to eat a meal at the dining room table. I was a prisoner in my own body. It felt like there was a live wire in my right leg & as if someone had taken a hatchet to my spine. The pain was UNRELENTING
5/ I was no longer able to go out on the boat that I’d finally bought a few years prior to my injuries, after searching for one for years. We almost sold the boat that year, but I couldn’t give up hope that someday, with proper treatment, I’d get back to the hobby I enjoyed most.
6/ And then I found a doc to treat me. Not in the city or state where I reside, home to some of the best medical facilities in the world, but across the country. With proper treatment, I was able to enjoy a meal at a restaurant for the first time in nearly a year. I had HOPE!
7/ In the 4 years since I received treatment, I was able to eventually walk through the entire grocery store again. I’ll never be able to work again, but my days are no longer spent in complete and utter agony. The pain will always be there, but with medication, I can LIvE again!
8/ I can pick my daughter up from school and go shopping for a homecoming dress. I can braid their hair, though they’re now old enough that they braid their own. I can walk short distances on a beach again and sit for brief times - long enough to eat a meal or work on a craft.
9/ But like so many, every day is spent in fear. Most days, it lingers in the back of my brain but others it’s at the fore. What happens if my care is terminated bc of the misplaced a war on pain medication? It’s one of several treatments, but all are necessary for me to LIVE.
10/ Without treatment, I would once again be relegated to my daybed, unable to truly live. Countless others have been lost in this ridiculous, misplaced war on pain medication. Let’s continue to fight for them, for us, and for those who may join our community in the future.
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