Latest Developments...

First things first, I had a GP appointment this morning, and I am blessed finally to have a doctor that doesn't make me feel like a timewaster or drugseeker...she genuinely does care and wants to do something about my problems.
Along with my chronic lower back problems I've been experiencing a lot of pain in three other points on my back, two in the thoracic area and one in the cervical area at my neck.  After meeting with my pain consultant a few weeks ago, my thoughts regarding pain control were confirmed when he admitted my NHS trust was unlikely to give the go-ahead to prescribe Sativex (a cannabis derived product that provides pain relief without the 'high') due to budget issues...in other words yes, it probably would help to relieve my pain but I'm denied access to it because of beurocracy - my heart truely goes out to cancer patients, MS sufferers and people with other conditions that this drug would help provide some relief, as they have no choice in the matter - due to the postcode lottery system.
Instead I am being tried on everything from Atoxicorb, a little-known anti-inflammatory, to Oramorph, liquid morphine...many of these drugs can be addictive and have brutal side effects, and none of them provide any relief from the constant pain I am in.  Along with that, my pain consultant is arranging for me to have a steroid epidural injection which he cautioned may work for months, days, hours or not at all...reassuring.
My partner and I have received no input from social services at all, but things are deteriorating to the point that my GP is putting through a referral to get us some help - we both have mental health and physical health problems, and it's unfair on my wife to have to cope with everything on her own. Fingers crossed life will be made slightly easier by getting some assistance with day-to-day things.
The tunnel is long and dark, how are we to know if the light at the end of the tunnel is truely the end of the tunnel, or an oncoming train?

An Introduction...of Sorts

You may be wondering why you've landed on this page, who I am, and what on Earth I'm blethering about...
Stick around and you might find out!

I'm 28, in a civil partnership, and live in a gorgeous area called Perthshire...the heart of Scotland with my beautiful wife and our two dogs. I had the misfortune of requiring spinal surgery in August 2011 due to a herniated L5/S1 disc - basically the gel between two of my vertebrae had bulged severely and was compressing the nerves leading to my legs.  It all happened rather quickly after I had my MRI scan...I was assessed by my neurosurgeon on the Monday, admitted to the neurosurgery ward that afternoon and went under the knife the next day.

The surgery was successful in repairing the herniation,  but unfortunately my nerves had been badly compressed for too long - the result being that I now suffer from chronic neuropathy. In otherwords,  from the moment I open my eyes, whether that's first thing in the morning or the middle of the night, until I manage to sleep, I'm in agony from my belly button to my toes. I've been prescribed a series of painkillers, one after the other - both individually, and in various combinations with each other, none of which have helped to dull my pain. 

I'm lucky in this era of NHS postcode lotteries to have an amazing pain consultant, who genuinely cares about how much pain I'm in, and is frustrated with the limitations placed upon him regarding what medications he is allowed to, or prevented from prescribing due to budget restrictions...a rare quality I have come across in the past 18 months.

So, that's a wee bit about me and my story, future blogs will delve deeper and put forth my own opinions on various issues...some readers may agree with me, even identify with my situation, and some of you may disagree completely with my opinions - I welcome comments and discussion as long as they are kept clean and not abusive...spammers and trolls will not be tolerated, and such posts will be deleted.

Next blog coming soon!

Pic is my actual MRI scan of my back...the dark round blob near the bottom next to my spine is the disc that herniated and did all the damage!