[Kathy]

A few more things. In your last post, you say you take your pills twice a day. What would your pain be without those pills? What if you are one of the unfortunate one's that this does turn out to be life or death? Then, you are rushed to an ER with more problems, someone you have never met does what they think is best to save your life? Then, if you even get out of pain, you have a host of new problems? When is the pain too bad? What if you wait and ADR is approved and common in the US and are ready to commit; but something new is on the horizon? Do you keep waiting? Because there will always be improvements in medicine, ADR very well could be a dinosaur in 10 years, we have no way of knowing. I think we make the best decision with the knowledge we have. Also, did you read in the abstract section the study that shows that living with DDD can lead to more discs with DDD? I know that my body is in worse shape overall from 3 years of pain; from being tensed up, to not moving as much and so on. I wish I would have been more in control of my care and done surgery sooner, I could be better by now. I have read of people of being in pain for 6 months and having surgery and are glad they did. I think once you have tried conservative methods and they haven't worked, then it is time to look at surgery or live in pain forever. How about writing a list of pros and cons on surgery or not? Another warning... I thought I was bad of, until one day my last dr. informed me that there was nothing else they could do for me and would not see me just for pain. I found myself taking 8 to 10 Vicodin a day, and hoping for death, then needing to find a dr. I called everyone in the phone book and repeatedly got turned down, since I had exhausted all conservative treatment, they wouldn't treat just pain. I had a week of medicine and needed to get in asap. I finally found one, who would treat me. Even then, he barely changed my meds, I am still suffering and undertreated. He even said that at some point, the medicine won't work, so what then? I have been there 6 months now, taken random drug tests, and he still is unwilling to change my medication. I feel if I don't get surgery, the suffering is only going to get worse. In the beginning, my dr's were more than willing to treat my pain. It wasn't a big deal to get it upped when needed; but as I got into big doses and stronger medication, that changed. With all the addiction, medication abuse, dr's loosing their licenses and scrutiny; I can't really blame them. I know I am not the only one this has ever happened to. I have read that pain is the most undertreated things in medicine.
There I went again, on the soapbox, oops, I really try not to be so dang winded, be glad you aren't stuck in a room with me