Getting help when you disabled is easy! right?

Hey everybody,

This blog was inspired by a friend of mine and I just wanted to tell you about the struggle I have had and am still going through to get help.

When I first went to the doctor (who wasn't my now doctor) to get painkillers and to ask what was wrong, she was reluctant to give me the painkillers (I think it was because I was young and she thought I might have been getting them to get "high") She said that there was no way of determining "back pain" and that there was no specialist at the hospital for "back pain". For one that is absolutely ridiculous as there is a whole wing dedicated for back and neurological problem! plus what is a chiropractor then? Eventually she gave me painkillers (Co-Codamol) and I went home for the weekend. Over the weekend I was in so much pain that we went back to the doctors on the Monday and saw my now doctor who prescribed me Tramdol and sent me for an MRI. It toke about 2 weeks for me to have my first MRI and from the findings the doctor told me I had a slipped disc which was causing sciatica and was referring me to neurosurgery to have an operation. This was all in January and February.

All during February and March I was calling the hospital to see when my appointment would be eventually they told me my consultant was on holiday and wouldn't be back until May and even then he was fully booked. In the end of me constantly calling she said that if I was willing to see a register then I could be seen in April. I decided to go for this appointment hoping I could have my surgery and be back to normal soon. April came and I had my appointment, by then my symptoms had developed a lot more and she said that my symptoms don't "conform" to anything they had seen in neurosurgery as the symptoms in my arms don't co-inside with the slipped disc in my back. Because of this she sent me for another MRI on my lower back and one on my neck, She also sent me for a EMG to see if my nerves where affected. I got my appointment for the MRI 2 days after the appointment but the EMG I had to chase up my self and eventually had it in May. It was during this time that my symptoms had worsen and was begging the doctor to put me on Gabapentin (on advise from a friend) which relieves nerve pain, eventually he relented as soon as my husband asked! Also in April I applied for DLA.

In June I had another appointment with neurosurgery where I saw a different registrar who treatment was awful! He basically told me that there was nothing they could do and that was it! that's all he would say on the matter! I was crying and begging him to help me and he just sat there and refused saying there was nothing they could do! During this time my symptoms had got a lot worse and I was having constant migraines which made me sick so I couldn't take my pain killers so I ended up in pain and had to call an ambulance. I would have to have morphine and gas'n'air just to get me down the stairs! My last visit to A&E I begged them to admit me but the nurse just said that all my vitals where fine so they couldn't. She patronised me and said I was "depressed" and offered me Valium! Now most people believe that if you are in serious enough pain to need morphine then A&E's the place to go! right? not for me! all they did was to tell me I have "chronic" pain and to go home and go back to my GP and wait for the hospital appointments.

In July I saw the neurologist he was really nice and explained everything to me and sent me for a brain scan. I have been waiting for the appointment for the brain scan since July.I have continued to phone the MRI department but they have said that the referral hasn't been sent over so without that they can do nothing. So I then have been phoning my consultants secretary (who is never at work) to send over the referral also the neurologist said he would send me back to the pain clinic to put me on a proper pain management regime expect they have turned around and said he wants to wait until the results of the brain scan I don't see him until November! DlA are waiting for a report from the neurologist who during the course of August decided to go on holiday! He is back now but the secretary keeps saying she never receives anything from them even though DLA says that they keeping sending the information. I also applied to be re-housed as I live on the second floor of a block of flats I found out yesterday that we have 30/1000 points and in band C. Basically we have no hope!

So as you can see its not that easy to get help when your health fails!

Thank you for reading and i'll update you of any advance's! xxx