Julie Charlier's Story

In 1990 I developed excruiating pain in my lower back. My doctor tried pain killers also high doses of valium for two weeks, I was a walking,talking zombie.

Then he sent me to a Rheumatologist who gave me a steriod injection straight into my spine and said that I would feel relief in a couplehours. Boy was he wrong because that night I ended up in hospital in traction and having morphine injections 4 hourly which just took the edge off the pain.

So then I went and saw an orthopaedic surgeon who wanted to admit me into to hospital. Then I had my first myleogram. The myelogram showed that I had a prolapsed disc which in his words was leaning on my spinal cord. Then they tried traction and a manipulation of the spine under anaesthetic which did nothing but cause the pain to worsen. I had surgery in July 1990; a discectomy L4/L5/S1 and fusion.

Then in 1996 I developed a massive headache and numbness to my right hand which was caused through a prolapsed disc at C5/C6 which showed up on Cat Scan. So it was off to see a neurosurgeon who performed a myelogram at that level, He didn't want to operate. First he wanted to try physical therapy which only made things worse so it was off to see another neurosurgeon who operated in May 1996

Everything went fine with the surgery until approximately 2 months when I developed right foot drop. Another myleogram was performed which showed clumping of nerve roots and an attempted fusion on the left side. They couldn't understand how I had right foot drop so another myelogram was done to make sure they hadn't missed anything when they did the myleogram. I had excruiating pain in my back and left leg which made me develop left foot drop and only a small amount of numbness in my right foot. They then performed an epidural steriod injection which only lasted 12 hours.

They then sent me to a Pain Management Clinic which told me that it was Arachnoiditis and there was nothing they could do for me except exercise,acupunctre,and pain medications. I started with the exercise program but then I started to collapse so that was abandoned.

I now have to use crutches to walk or a wheelchair. I take PANADEINE FORTE 2tabs 4x daily ORDINE (morphine liquid) when needed DEPTRAN (antidepressant) 2 a night

I am 36 years old have been married for 14 years to Steve and have 3 Children: Troy 18, Jared 15, and Jessica 14. I live on the Central Coast NSW Australia