Hi!  I'm a 27 year old female with chronic & persistant back pain due to trauma sustained in 2 car accidents. Prior to the first car accident 2.5 years ago I was an active person, participating in martial arts, working as a Firefighter/EMT, played softball/volleyball/and other sports.  Then my world changed when I was rear ended by an inattentive driver, at 45 mph. I was transported by ambulance to the hospital with severe neck & back pain, the ER doctor was surprised that I had no fractures or dislocations because of the nature of my symptoms. After being discharged, I thought that I was on the road to recovery.

With my discharge, I started on an aggressive plan working with a team of doctors including my PCP, a chiropractor, physiatrist, neurologist, and physical therapist.  I wanted to get my life back, so while exploring all my options and following all the directions from the doctors (and keeping them all on the same page) I spent the next 5 months working hard, and making progress. 

I got to about 75% of where I was prior to the accident, and wham! It happened again. I was rear ended, this time at 35 mph. I was about to be discharged to a home program to continue my progress, and was supposed to get back to doing my activities, but not anymore.  I couldn't believe how much worse it was this time around.  I was dependent on stong pain medication and muscle relaxers to get thru the day, and even though I was making small strides with physical therapy, it was almost if I wasn't gaining any ground.  While I was still experiencing multiple symptoms that were hanging around much longer than the doctors I was working with thought should be, we started searching for answers. 

Eventually I was diagnosed with MS, though my neurologist didn't feel that my symptoms were caused by MS. Even though we had a diagnosis, we still didn't know what was causing the pain to stay.  I never got to a point where I was pain free, and doubt that I ever will.  Some days are always better than others, some are much worse, but there is always some measure of pain.  Being in a constant state of pain is so draining, and almost depressing. As much as I want to go back to doing the things that I loved to do, I have found it to be an exercise in frustration. For me to be active like I was one day, I'd spend the next 2-3 in agony recovering and dependent on perscription medication. Because my body rebels so much at being active, I try and do a bit here or there, but ultimately have put on a lot of weight due to my inability to be active (which only makes me feel worse). I just keep at it one day at a time and keep working towards what I once knew as normal.

Another thing that I have found since the car accidents, is how everyone thinks they know what you can and can't do, and that you should be doing better if only you'd push yourself more.  It makes me almost want to stand up and scream (even at some of the Doctors I've seen) and ask them have they been through something like this? To those that aren't doctors and tell me what I should be doing, I usually ask them where they went to medical school, or just walk away.  To the doctors, I really just keep asking for a resonable solution to the problem, other than just lose weight.  Yes I know I need to lose weight, and that would help. I'm overweight, but not horribly so. But telling me just "to lose weight" with out coming up with a plan of how I can do so when exercise is so limited for me.  I have tried numerous diets, but have only lost a few pounds here or there, and am now contemplating surgery to aid in removing the excess weight.

Bottom line is that while I had experienced helping people in accidents, I never imagined how bad the fallout can be for someone that has what appears to be a minor injury. 

 

• back
• pain
• Multiple
• Sclerosis
• trauma
• accident
• car
• car-accident