Note: This is a story that hopefully will provide information and warning to others as well as hopefully get some suggestions from others that have had similar experiences on where to go from here. BTW, this is going to be lengthy, so have your popcorn ready!

Three years ago right now, I was your average 24 year old male in good physical and mental health. I had a great job as a sales rep. at a great dealership making great money. I had jumped around in the business over the previous 5 years and landed a great job. I was in a fantastic financial position, had no debts other than a car payment and was living in a nice apartment.

Towards the middle to end of August of 2005, I started experiencing what I can only describe as pain like a badly pulled hamstring in my left hip and leg with some back pain. When I would lie down after a long 12 hour day, my back would feel as if it were being stretched apart (not in a good way). The severity of pain would be up and down, but was manageable with OTC medications.

Then at the end of September, at the end of a Saturday at work, I was standing in the middle of the showroom when my entire low and mid back "locked up" and the pain was like nothing I had experienced before. I called my mother hoping desperatly that she had some kind of pain killer leftovers at her house which she did (Darvocet). I went there after work, took a couple of those that evening. They seemed to help some, but the pain was really bad still. I dragged myself into work the next day only because we ran a skeleton crew on Sundays for a few hours and it was just myself and the used car manager there. I spent the afternoon between my office and the parts department where there was room for me to lie down from time to time. I informed him that I would not be in on Monday and would be going to see my Dr.

Saw the Doc on Monday and he ordered an MRI and gave me a prescription for Darvocet and took me out of work for at least a week when the MRI results would be in. When I saw him the following Tuesday, I hand no idea how much my life was about to change.

I was still in just as much if not more pain that when I had seen him and I had pretty much spent the week resting. He looked at the results and said "WOW, well I can see why you are in so much pain" I had a large broad-based herniation of my L5-S1 disc with significant nerve impingement. When he explained what that meant, I quickly understood the gravity of my new found situation. He sent me to see a very respected neurosurgeon in the area. He also gave me an RX for Vicodin, which at the time was a pretty decent improvement over the Darvocet.

I met the neuro a week or so later......clearly still in agony and not working. He informed me that I had what is called Degenerative Disc Disease and was more prone to having back issues. I was out of work UNPAID and was lucky to have had several banked commissions at the dealership so I at least got a few checks and also had some money in savings. The neurosurgeon reccommended that I start physical therapy ASAP in hopes of avoiding surgery. I spent 7 weeks out of work, worked my butt off in PT and at the end of the 7 weeks, went back to work feeling probably 80% back to normal. He actually discharged me as a patient in November.

All was well until 4 weeks later when after a snowstorm we were moving cars on the lot so it could be plowed. I was walking towards a car when I saw the reverse lights on one right in front of me go on so I went to stop in my tracks and ended up slipping on some hidden ice under the snow. I went down pretty hard. My left leg (the one with the pain and slight weakness) buckled as my right foot slipped out from under me. I caught myself initially with my left hand but as a 6'6" guy, it all happened so fast. I bumped my head, but not terribly hard. My lef and knee along with my wrist were banged up a little, but I got up and felt OK. I then went inside and sat in my office for 20-30 minutes when I started to feel that familiar burning in my back and leg and when I went to stand up, I couldn't. I finally got upright but needed medical attention. I had my dad come down and pick me up. Nobody at the dealership seemed to know where I had to go for a work related injury. I ended up going to a walk in clinic and being turned away and told to find out who my employer was contracted with. They got a hold of the office manager of the dealership and I ended up having to go to a particular ER.

The ER experience was your typical 5 1/2 hour wait. No good infor was received there other than the fact that I learned that I didn't have a broken wrist.

2 days later I saw my Primary Doc and he called the neuro and got me in with him right away. I was sent for another MRI. Meanwhile, I was attempting to handle the Work Comp claim on my own, but the Ins. Co. was not being easy to deal with because of the fact that I had a preexisting contition. I soon hired a lawyer as I couldn't handle the pain I was in along with Christmas coming up, along with the frustration of dealing with an insurance company at the same time. The funny part is that I had probably injured my back at work in the first place.

Anyhow, a couple days before Christmas, the neurosurgeon called me back and told me the bad news. When this MRI was compared to the last, they were relatively similar, there was more impingement of the left nerve root. He reccommended a surgery called a Microdiscectomy, which was relatively minor in comparison to other back surgeries. I would only be in the hospital for one night and should feel good enough to be back at work within a month or so.

By the day of surgery in February, I had been out of work for 2 more months unpaid while my attorney was fighting with the insurance company to get me some financial releif. They also did not approve the surgery, so I was incurring all the co-pays for Dr. appts, RS's and the surgery.

When I woke up from surgery, I was in pain, but it was mainly surgical pain. It was like magic, my leg pain was nearly gone. In a matter of a few hours, I was actually feeling better than before surgery. By the next morning, I was up and walking around, drinking my coffee, waiting to be discharged. I left the hospital very optimistic. They gave me a prescription for some more Percocet and Valium for the muscle spasms.

The day after I got home was my birthday. I was still in rough shape, but had a couple friends over and played cards for a while when I started to get the worst headache I had ever had in my life. When I would lie down, it would go away. I actually ended up in the ER on valentines day and was diagnosed with a CSF (cerebral spinal fluid) leak. Ended up having a blood patch to fix that and had to have a seroma drained a month later. After that I was feeling nearly normal. I was hitting golf balls within 4 months after surgery.

Unfortunatly, the relationship with my employer went south because of the whole Work Comp claim and I didn't have a job to go back to there. I ended up finding work at another dealership and was doing really well for a year. Every now ant then, I would have to take a Vicodin or two on bad days but I was managing pretty well and my life both personal and social was back to normal.

Fast forward to March of 2007 when out of nowhere my pain returned in full force. The back pain was worse than before. After another MRI, I learned that I had reherniated the same L5-S1 disc. I was taken back out of work, went back on Percocet because the Vicodin - even 6 or so a day wasn't helping much. I went through 12 weeks of PT and was getting no better. Sat down with the Doc last August and we decided that surgery was nessicary, but this time it would be a Fusion and was quite a bit more intensive. I had surgery in October of last year.

Now here I am 9 months later and I'm still as bad if not worse than before surgery.The worse being that I have less mobility. Also I had new right back and butt pain begin a few months after surgery. Had a discogram a couple months back and it came back positive as far as my L4-L5 being symptomatic and causing the right side pain. But the right side pain pales in comparison to the left side pain which is very similar to the pain that I have had all along.

As far as medication goes, I found out the hard way in the hospital after surgery that Morphine doesn't really help me much. We've tried a few different things as far as Meds since surgery going up and down in MG's of Oxycodone and as of May, moving to the long acting Oxycontin along with Percocet for breakthrough pain. The problem I face now is that obvuously I'm over 9 months post op and am still in terrible pain, but also that I have built up a pretty good tolerance to the pain medication. I'm currently taking 20mg OxyContin 2X a day and 2 5/325 Percocet a day. At first when we switched to this dosage, I was OK in that my pain didn't ratchet up or anything, but now, several months later, I seem to be hurting more and more by the day. I think the medication is becoming VERY inneffective at it's current dosage. I'm 6'6" and 230lbs, not a 135 lb woman.

I have been alternating Appts between my original neurosurgeon and another one that participated in the surgery. I last saw the other Neuro 2 weeks ago and he seems more worried about my current condition than my original Neuro in that I think he has less experience and hasn't seen as many unsuccessful cases that the other doc. My original doctor is more comforting and reassuring, saying it can take a lot of time with some people. My fusion has not fully taken yet. The newer Neuro mentioned the prospect of another surgery to not only redo the fusion at L5-S1 but also add one at L4-L5. He wasn't suggesting it, but more readying me for the possibility.

Anyway, I mentioned my pain and that I thought the meds were losing the effect on me. He pretty much brushed off the idea of increasing my dosage but I have no quality of life right now. I have a longer and better relationship with my original neurosurgeon. I've told him when I thought I needed less and I've told him when I thought I needed more and he is usually accomidating.

My problem is this: I do not like the long acting Oxy's. I always felt my pain was controlled better with the instant relief percocet when it was working. The problem was that they stopped working. I'll be seeing the original Neurosurgeon in a month and am really hoping to find some way to cope with my pain. I don't go out, I don't see my friends and I've had to go on Wellbutrin for depression. I hate to feel like I'm going into an appointment begging for more pills, but this pain is KILLING me outside and inside.

I've read some about larger dose instant release Oxycodone. I think that if I were given 4 of the 15mg ones a day, I would be a lot better off than I am now without jacking up the MG's by going to OxyContin 40's 2x a day. I don't know, I'm just so frustrated with everything. I haven't worked in over a year and am now experiencing new stiffness and pain in my mid back that I think is basically the stiffness working it's way up my back.

Just a friendly note to those out there that haven't run into back problems: Take care of your back!!! You don't appreciate how much you need it until it doesn't work anymore.

Also, if there is anyone out there that might be able to provide me with some information about medication options and how to approach the Doctor about upping or changing my RX. As you can tell by the disjunction of this post, I can't sit for long periods and am only somewhat comfortable when in a recliner or lying down. There may be more surgery in the future.....but I sure hope not. The fear that I have about increasing medication is that if I had to eventually go for another surgery, I wouldn't be able to acheive enough pain relief post op because of a greater tolerance. I'm just a mess over all this and I'm too young for it. I didn't imagine that I would ever feel like this.....even in old age and I'm only 27.

Any stories or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for reading my rambling.