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22 -- PORT PERRY STAR -- Tuesday, September 25, 1990 Prisoner In My Body The author of the following arti- cle, Janice Holtby of Port Perry, has been plagued by back problems since early childhood. The following story entitiled "Prisoner In My Body", is a personal account of her on-going prob- lems and how she and her family have learned to deal with them. Janice does not claim to be an ex- pert in the field of back pain, but this personal glimpse of how she has en- dured the pain and suffering of chroic back pain, may be an inspiration to others experiencing similar problems. Prisoner In My Body will be printed in three episodes commencing with the following account: by Janice Holtby Lost: One Back Injured Man | am from the Port Perry area, and Co-founder of a self-help group called "The Back Support Group." About two months ago, a woman phoned from a Brooklin Arthritis Support Group, and asked if | would be willing to let her give my phone number to a man from the 'Cobourg area. Apparently, he was in- jured in some accident, and it sounds like it could be in the thoracic or cervical area, because he has headaches as well as back pain. He called some two weeks later, on a Saturday afternoon, and | was sick with a bad cold, so | had taken some medication that made me drowsy. We could only chat briefly, as he had to go (Presumably back to work) because some other man's voice in the background, talked to him and then this man said "10-4-| have to go." | assume that he was a General Motor's worker, or a car carrier truck driver, from the noise in the background. | told him that he could reach me better, after a cer- tain time of the day. What | didn't ask through my drowsy state, was his name! We had talked briefly about Transelectrical nerve stimulation (T.E.N.S.), a $500.00 and up Pocket machine to be worn daily, with pads and electrodes, placed on the back, to send a message to the brain to interrupt pain signals and produce endorphins (body's own pain medication). This works on a theory called "The gate control theory." In short, if you are in pain, say you stub your toe and rub it, your brain can only accept one message, and it will take the more pleasurable message over the painful one first. Hence, some relief from pain. If you are on any Opium type medica- tions, Demerol, Morphine, etc., you must come off this medication first, for at least six months (using a different medicine in the meantime), as endor- phins are basically the same medicine. Receiving an outside source, your body won't seek its own ability to Produce this medication. Exercise also increases your endorphin levels. Massage (your muscles build up a chemical and when it is not released, your muscles will go into spasms-hence acupressure and massage gives relief) and chiropractic adjustments were also discussed with this man before he had to go. It's expensive to have both ($30.00 massage, chiropractor $20.00-$25.00), but if you have muscle spasms, that could have been relieved by massage, your adjustment-won't last long as the muscles just pop out your adjustment, shortly after. | can personally get away with one or two massages a month, but | don't go to the chriopractor, as | have had some grafting done over the last seven years, during three back surgeries. | live with daily pain. | used to think, along with Margaret (other founder of our group) that someday | would be pain free and "normal" again, but now we both realize we have to incorporate lifestyle changes to enhance our health to the best potential. We were living around the pain, not through it, planning what we would do when we became pain free. My problem is with weight and over- pacing. | gave this man the name of Judylaine Fines' book, 'Your Guide to Coping With Backpain." It is well il- lustrated and easy to read. | haven't heard from this man again, and | don't blame him, if he thinks this is all our group has to offer, BUT, there is much more. I'll start with a verse (first of two in this letter) from Psalm 139:14, (sent to me from a Port Hope woman, who has been in chronic pain for the last 11 years) "I will Praise thee; for | am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well." Our backs are very complicated and in this day and age of miracles and medicines, we expect that we should live painfree. Most people marry, buy a house together, have children, and ex- pect to grow old together, taking trips, etc., but then an accident or back pro- blems happen, and we expect our doc- tor to relieve us of this burden, so that we can continue with this sometimes elusive dream. When he/she can't do anymore for us, we become frustrated, and a lack of communication and understanding develops between doctor and patient. We become sensitive when a doctor suggests behaviourial changes, or that we maybe a bit emotional. -- Catch 22 starts up, and then we make the rounds trying to find someone or something to relieve us. Shortly, after my first back surgery in 1983, (chymopapain-papaya juice in- jected into the middle of a disc, to shrivel up the nucleus, making less pressure on the nerves outside of the disc area), and 2nd surgery, following failure of chymopapain, | saw Margaret's name in the Blackstock social news. She was home after a long stay in Oshawa General and Toronto Wellesley Hospitals. | called her on the phone, and thus started a two year sup- portive, relationship that we decided to share with others. In November 1986, we approached a "Port Perry Star' reporter, and she did a feature story. By the way, Margaret and | had talked on the phone for two years, before we met each other in per- son, from 1984-1986, and during that time Margaret convinced me to see her neurosurgeon specialist at Wellesley, and five weeks after my May 8th, 1986 surgery, we met in person for the first time. | had thought | was talking to a blonde Dutch woman for two years, and | was very surprised that she had brunette hair. 'We asked in the Port Perry Star arti- cle for fellow people with back problems to phone, and within the next two weeks, calls started to trickle in, and on Dec. 4th, 1986 we had our first meeting. Fourteen people showed up. People could bring pillows and mats to lie on. My medical side took over, as | am a Reg. (non-practicing) nurse, but I'd prefer people to think that I'm just a member of the group. | mention it here, so that you may think my collecting in- formation is fairly accurate. I'm 35 years old. | jotted down facts as the evening went on. We met from 8 p.m. and the last person left at midnight. We were in AWE that other people knew how we felt, and the aura lasted the whole night. Five (six, but | don't think it is ap- propriate to put this in the paper) com- mon problems or facts were apparent through the evening. a) communication with doctors more frustrating as time goes on. b) family problems, especially with spouse, evolving as time goes on-mate doesn't know what to do to help, but becomes frustrated because mate isn't getting better, and also, spouse is tired with having to do extra chores. c) financial problems-cost of lost work time, money for long trips to specialists, money for homemakers, small disability pensions, paying students to do chores. d) drugs and the question of drug addiction. e) feelings of self-esteem and self- worth decreasing with decreasing amounts of ability to function. f) suicidal tendencies - we strongly suggest people see a doctor immediate- ly for counsel. Since that meeting, | have been col- lecting information pertinent to Back care, treatments, procedures, and up to date surgeries, etc. (microsurgery, im- planted nerve stimulatorsy. The most important information to im- part to those people who cannot have back surgery (hopefully after getting -geveral opinions), or those who cannot have any future surgeries after three or more operations, is that chronic pain lasting six months or longer, puts you in DANGER of developing a disease called "Chronic Pain Syndrome." (C.P.S.) That's when pain itself becomes a disease, because it is con- trolling you, and you no longer can con- trol it. Your life revolves around your pain. It affects yourself and your family. You NEED professional help, the sooner, the better the prognosis! (The best descrip- tion | have read, is in Dr. Hamilton Hall's, newest book "More Advice From the Back Doctor)." You end up spiraling into a Catch 22 situation, and go deeper all the time. PEOPLE IN CHRONIC PAIN ARE DEPRESSED! You suffer sensory deprivation from not getting out, and you want everyone in the house to be quiet, no radios, no T.V., no 'ittle child-, ren visiting & etc. You start to become sensitive to smells, for example, per- fume makes you become nauseous. You withdraw to your room and from life around you. Tensions between you and your spouse become explosive, as friends stop calling and you stop going out, socially as a couple. Headaches develop from being prone so much. You start to live at night when everything is quiet, and sleep sporadically during the day. You display what | have called "Pain Posture." You slump and groan subconsciously, sometimes conscious- ly, for help in doing chores, or to let peo- ple know that you are in pain; whii leaves muscles in fatigue (and cos- tracted after several years). | had severe headaches and a sore neck for a year, retraining my muscles to sit, after my third six hour back surge/y. Extensive scar t' sue was removed frorn around my lef. ith lumber nerve, but | can finally put ray left foot on the floor, while | sit. Someday Ill have to go back to have my right 5th lumber nerve done. Continued Next Week We Now Do Window Tinting! MOBILE SERVICE GUARANTEED WORKMANSHIP 139 Water St. 6 High Port Perry SUNROOFS! TRUCK SLIDER! CELLULAR PHONES! BOX LINERS! RUNNING BOARDS! A PORT PERRY auto glass & trim Id. a p---------------- Back to School Specials from $199.00 TYPEWRITER CR VA DIAN EAN (1D - repairs to IBM & Smith Corona - & All Other Makes . Ribbons for all makes & models NA RICE - We pickup and delivery o -- Auto & Safety Glass + Plex & Lexan Glass Office) 985-8507 985-0995 « Upholstery (Restaurant, Chairs, Kitchen, JENKINS 085.9783 BUSINESS EQUIPMENT 728-7591 Please recycle this newspaper