• chiliedogg@lemmy.world
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    116
    ·
    10 days ago

    For those of you who haven’t experienced crippling back pain, it is more intense than you can understand.

    One time, I had to be dragged across the house on a blanket by my aging father to get to the power lift chair because I fell down trying to get out of bed.

    Another time, I had a flare-up and had to lay in the bed of my truck while a friend drove me home because I couldn’t bend my leg to get in the car.

    I’ve shit myself rather than try to get up and go to the bathroom because of the pain.

    And yes, the insurance company tried to deny the epidural I received that probably ended up saving me from eventual suicide.

    That one injection in my spine has kept the sciatica from affecting my legs and within 24 hours my life had changed.

    And it took an extra 4 months because the insurance company at first denied it, then approved it, but only for a 2-day window so I couldn’t schedule the procedure, and I ended up having to go to the Board of Insurance twice.

    4 months where I’d get flare-ups that made putting on pants an hour-long process. 4 months where I couldn’t visit friends because I didn’t want to risk getting stranded at their house unable to walk. 4 months where I could barely work because sitting at the computer was nearly impossible.

    I hate violence, but if I’d have met one of the insurance company heads during those 4 months, I might have shot them.

    • Shapillon@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      22
      ·
      9 days ago

      As someone with crippling migraines, I am never ever questioning how debilitating someone else’s pain is.

      • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        8
        ·
        9 days ago

        I used to get those too when I was younger. I don’t envy you a bit there. I haven’t had one in over 20 years and the memory of them still frightens me.

        • prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          3
          ·
          9 days ago

          I’ve had exactly one migraine and at every spike of it I remembered those stories of people who shoot themselves because of pain and was sad in the moment (but happy after) that I didn’t have a gun cuz I’d have absolutely used it

          • chiliedogg@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            9 days ago

            I would get blind spots in my vision about an hour before migraines would hit.

            My plan if I ever see them again is to take my pistol to the truck and lock it in the hidden gun safe before going back inside and waiting for the migraine to hit.

            • Shapillon@lemmy.world
              link
              fedilink
              arrow-up
              2
              ·
              9 days ago

              I usually don’t get the blind spots before the pain sets in. My signs are muscle contractions in the neck and/or face and sudden sinus congestion on one side of the face.

              I’m glad I don’t have the codes to the gun cabinet lol. I’ve broken two fingers by punching a wall repeatedly once. (actually twice…)

      • RBWells@lemmy.world
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        6
        ·
        9 days ago

        I get migraines - not as bad now, post menopause and on low dose daily HRT that seems to prevent most of them.

        But absolutely the worst pain I’ve ever felt is migraine, and I’ve had unmedicated childbirth, broken bones, plenty of injuries, IUDs put in, nothing has even approached the pain level of a migraine. I used to not understand when the doctor would ask how bad it hurt on scale of 1-10 because it exists outside that scale.

        Back pain I think is similar, but probably its own sort of hell because it immobilizes people.

        • Shapillon@lemmy.world
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          4
          ·
          edit-2
          9 days ago

          That part about the pain scale is spot on. HRT and adequate anxiety and pain medication have made mine less common and intense too. I don’t know how or why though.

          Imho the weirdest thing about migraines is when you’re 4 to 5 hours deep and suddenly your brain goes out in a bang. The pain subsides for a bit and you feel that weird euphoric feeling.

          The third pain that can compare to that according to what I’ve heard is tooth ache. Although I’m blessed enough to never have had any issues in that department.

          • RBWells@lemmy.world
            link
            fedilink
            arrow-up
            3
            ·
            9 days ago

            I think it just smooths out the ups and downs; birth control pills made mine so much worse, I didn’t realize it until I had to stop them, and it made me very wary of the HRT but it is the opposite effect somehow. Anti anxiety probably same, the main trigger I have now is relaxation - if I am busy or stressed, then it eases, I will wake up with a headache. So I’d imagine if the stress itself is interrupted and the intense relaxation also, that would help.

      • Aviandelight @mander.xyz
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        5
        ·
        9 days ago

        I’ve experienced migraines of all severity levels since I was a teenager. I have a top 5 list of the worst migraines I’ve ever experienced. Number 3 was the one where my husband found me sitting at the kitchen table with a spoon in my hand completely out of it. When he asked me what I was doing I told him I was considering gouging my eye out. Number 2 was the three days I lost to absence seizures. I actually called out of work twice within a few hours because my autopilot is strong and my brain was gone. I almost lost my job for that one. Number one was the time literally crawled through the house on my belly for the phone and gave up in the living room before passing out. All I can remember of that one was laying there feeling my heart beat in my fucking eyelashes for what felt like ages. That was the one that made me go see a neurologist. I would never ever not believe someone’s pain experience.

    • CitizenKong@lemmy.world
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      20
      arrow-down
      1
      ·
      9 days ago

      Whenever I read about the US healthcare system I wonder why it’s CEOs are not gunned down every single day.

      • granolabar@kbin.melroy.org
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        7
        ·
        9 days ago

        Well either federal government cancel their job with single player of some form or they will will keep getting gunned down. They literally radicalizing people every day and some of these people are smart and capable.

        Boardrooms, not classrooms.

    • Binette@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      12
      ·
      10 days ago

      I legit experienced it only once and it wore me out so fast. Hope everything is better and you recovered from the experience 🫂

    • Sauerkraut@discuss.tchncs.de
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      9
      ·
      edit-2
      9 days ago

      I hurt my back doing construction. The company I sacrificed my back to wouldn’t cover the cost of my physical therapy. The pain has got me in trouble at other jobs too. I was in the lab and bent over to pick up something that fell on the ground only for my back pain to flare up again. The pain was so intense it took everything I had just to stand up again and then I could barely move. My coworkers and supervisor were very annoyed that I could barely move when there were criticals that I was working on.