Jodi's Journey

Since I have had my surgery I am considered completely disabled now. I can't sit, stand nor walk for too long of a time at all. I had two disks fused, and two cysts removed from my spine. The arthritis and the degenerative disc disease, of course we all know gets worse day by day. As of 8/19/2009 I was also diagnosed with hip Bursitis, and he is now putting me on Cymbalta for the pain and the depression, the depression is getting worse each day, I cry at the drop of a hat, seriously, this is horrible. Further down the page will explain everything I have been diagnosed with, I mean if your interested anyways, lol! It's not easy living in pain everyday, I am pretty much a mess. BUT, I also know there are people allot worse off then I am, so I thank God daily, I am at least able to walk the best I can and I am alive to tell my story.

When I had this surgery done in February of 2009 my husband had been laid off for 5 months prior to my surgery, so as of the end of March he was laid off for a total of 6 months. So our bills were being paid by his credit cards, so here we are trying to dig ourselves out of that hole, and now as of 12/03/2009 he is laid off again, and here again he will be back on the bench until another job comes up, which we all know times are tough right now, so every penny could help a fellow out. I love to reach out and meet people and enjoy what life I do have being at home all of the time, I am on my computer allot blogging or on Facebook meeting new friends too. I love making people laugh, or maybe sharing something really cool with them that they did not know, and even I did not know, or just to blabber, lol! Most of all I love to share with you my grand babies, which most of you already know that of course. The donations are to help with my medical bills, prescriptions, gas, utilities, etc., and would be very much appreciated, every dollar adds up. I have had some wonderful people help us out with donations, and I have thanked them and God for what they could do to help, because we know everyone has fallen on hard times and when someone can reach out in times like this, it just makes me cry to know there are some really AWESOME people still out there in the world today! Allot of you may think that $1 or even a $0.50 is not enough, but it adds up in my medical bill jar believe me. Thank you so much and God bless!

There are also millions of people in the United States who have this on top of Rheumatoid Arthritis and often times may not even know it. Any form of Arthritis is horrible to suffer from, no matter what age you are. Children can and also suffer from many forms of Arthritis as well. This is so sad for me when I go into my doctors office and I see a child or young adult with this disease, I just want to put my arms around them and tell them how sorry I am and just hold them.

I can't even get out of bed some days and trying to do an everyday chore that it may take some people 10 minutes will take me hours to complete. Sitting and walking are everyday chores in themselves for me, and I have to sit at my desk for a living, now if that is not a trip. You can never know the pain anyone suffers everyday with this disease until you walk in their shoes (if we can even walk). I reach out to anyone who suffers from this or ANY disease for that matter, and God bless you all.

Arthritis can affect any part of the body, including the spine. There are many forms of arthritis but the most common, the most frequently disabling, and often the most painful is osteoarthritis. Osteo- (meaning bone) arthritis mostly affects the weight bearing joints (hips and knees) plus the hands, feet and spine. Normal joints are hinges at the ends of bones usually covered by cartilage and lubricated inside a closed sack by synovial fluid. Normally, joints have remarkably little friction and move easily. With degeneration of the joint, the cartilage becomes rough and worn out, causing the joint halves to rub against each other, creating inflammation with pain and the formation of bone spurs. The fluid lubricant may become thin and the joint lining swollen and inflamed.

Osteoarthritis is also sometimes confused, or may be associated, with

degenerative disc disease, (a gradual deterioration of the disc or disks between the vertebrae of the spine). This is because osteoarthritis and degenerated discs are commonly found together. However, they are separate conditions. Osteoarthritis affects up to 30 million Americans, mostly women and usually those over 45 or 50 years of age.

Another type of spinal arthritis occurs in the

facet joints. The facet joints are the joints that connect two vertebrae together. These joints are located in the posterior aspect of the spine. The facet joints can commonly develop thickening and hardening with age, which can lead to arthritis. Arthritis in the facet joints can cause slight to severe pain, sometimes radiating into the buttocks or upper thighs. Oh my gosh this is so horribly painful you would not believe it.

Spinal Arthritis

Breaks down the cartilage between the aligning facet joints in the back portion of the spine and quite often leads to pain. The facet joints (also called vertebral joints) become inflamed and progressive joint degeneration creates more frictional pain. Back motion and flexibility decrease in proportion to the progression of back pain induced while standing, sitting and even walking.

Over time, bone spurs (small irregular growths on the bone also called osteophytes) typically form on the facet joints and even around the spinal vertebrae. These bone spurs are a response to joint instability and are nature's attempt to help return stability to the joint. The enlargement of the normal bony structure indicates degeneration of the spine. Bone spurs are also seen as a normal part of aging and do not directly cause pain, but may become so large they cause irritation or entrapment of nerves passing through spinal structures. The result may be diminished room for the nerves to pass; developing into a condition known as spinal stenosis.

Fibromyalgia

Fibromyalgia is a chronic condition characterized by widespread pain in your muscles, ligaments and tendons, as well as fatigue and multiple tender points, places on your body where slight pressure causes pain. This is VERY hard for a doctor to diagnose. You hurt all over, and you frequently feel exhausted. Even after numerous tests, the doctor can't find anything specifically wrong. That is what fibromyalgia is like.

Spinal Stenosis

I have narrowing of my spinal cord causing nerve pinching which leads to the constant pain in my buttocks, my limping, the lack of feeling in my lower extremities, and very limited physical activity big time.

Hip Bursitis
Hip bursitis is a common problem that causes pain over the outside of the upper thigh. A bursa is a fluid filled sac that allows smooth motion between two uneven surfaces. For example, in the hip, a bursa rests between the bony prominence over the outside of the hip (the greater trochanter) and the firm tendon that passed over this bone. When the bursal sac becomes inflamed, each time the tendon has to move over the bone, pain results. Because patients with hip bursitis move this tendon with each step, hip bursitis symptoms can be quite painful.