If any of you out there in the blogosphere are suffering from chronic pain you have my sympathies but more importantly, you will have my encouragement and support. As a chronic pain patient myself I have endeavored to find solutions to my own issues and in so doing have been blessed with a body of knowledge and experience not otherwise available to non-sufferers or those new to the vagaries of chronic pain. Obviously, solutions will vary from patient to patient and the causes of chronic pain are innumerable so some of this will apply to you and other aspects will not. It is your job to pick and choose. Perhaps the best way to start is to begin with my own story.
I am a chiropractor by profession and thoroughly enjoyed the interaction with my patients on a daily basis for over a decade when I was suddenly struck with an injury that resulted in the herniation and fragmentation of a disc in my neck at the C5/6 level. The intensity of the pain and the complexity of the injury manifested itself quickly and within three weeks of the date of the injury I had lost the bulk of the muscles in my shoulder and arm and the bone was readily visible under the skin while my ability to use my left arm had been reduced to zero- also known as flaccid paralysis. Despite the best chiropractic services, this had progressed to a surgical emergency!
Using my contacts in the field I was able to secure the services of an imminently qualified neurosurgeon in whom I placed my full faith and confidence. As a matter of protocol, I was asked to seek a second opinion and was referred to a local orthopedist. He quickly seconded the motion of the neurosurgeon and surgery was scheduled post haste. The state of the art techniques of the day were utilized (1993) and things progressed slowly in the operatory. What was unknown to me at the time was that the local orthopedist who I had seen as a "second opinion" had actually become the "second chair" in the operation. I never would have knowingly approved this particular surgeon but things quickly went from bad to worse when it was revealed that this particular surgeon was suffering from his own chronic pain issue! My surgery was complex and it took three hours until the orthopedist was able to do his part. He was in agony by this time and he was in no condition to operate at that point. Instead of calling a surrogate or substitute, he did in fact operate and instead of using calipers and careful measurements to place a perfectly shaped graft into the neck he instead took a chisel, whacked off a reasonably sized chunk of bone and hammered it home! The results were quickly realized when I awoke from the anesthesia to mirror image pain! What was once left arm pain and dysfunction had now turned into right arm pain! And thus began a saga that was to last me a full 17 years!
During this time I have used traditional and non traditional avenues of health care. I have scoured the United States as well as Thailand, Singapore, India, and Malaysia. I have used supplements, vitamins, physical therapy, lasers, hypnotherapy, counseling, meditation, and yet more surgery. This has been a long and often frustrating process. By blogging I hope to bring to you dear reader some sense of hope and optimism. I hope that I can be a resource for you and a sounding board for your ruminations or frustrations on the subject. Ultimately, I hope to expedite your search for relief. As we go along, I will try and explore each avenue I took and the level of success that I achieved with that particular effort. In the end, I will share with you what keeps me going now and how I feel you can apply these same principles to allow you too to function more fully and enjoy life more completely. Stay tuned for periodic updates and feel free to chime in at any time with comments or questions.
Until we speak again, I remain sincerely yours in the hopes for a pain free existence...
Dr. Steven M. Green, DC
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