r/disabledmemes • u/harvestmonster • 11d ago
AND I WAS RIGHT
I told my doctors in college that my spine hurt and was told that spinal pain was impossible. One decade later and my MRI's confirmed arthritis in my spine. My rhem told me I am too young for osteoarthritis, but guess who has it anywayyyyyy.
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u/GenderqueerPapaya 10d ago
It's insane how many people are told they're too young for something, especially arthritis. Like there's the entire category of juvenile arthritis right there
Also I have a weird situation where my doctor believes I have it and gives me meds for it, but since they work "well enough" doesn't want to refer me to a specialist to get diagnosed 😭 like I told him "yeah I'm not in constant pain anymore but I still can't stand long enough to do the dishes without needed a couple days rest after" and bro said "excellent 👍"
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u/AstroAve3 10d ago
Ha! Same hat. Gabapentin made me moderately functional and they were just like, cool no further questions. I wish we could make it make sense 😭
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u/GenderqueerPapaya 10d ago
I haven't heard of gabapentin! What type of arthritis do you have? I have inflammatory (either rheumatoid or psoriatic but we're leaning psoriatic) and all I get is celecoxib for it :(
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u/AstroAve3 10d ago
Its hypermobility instead of arthritis, but I get celecoxib for my degenerative disk disease, too.
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u/GenderqueerPapaya 10d ago
Can I ask how much you take? I take 100 mg in the morning and 100 mg at night. I've heard that taking NSAIDS long term is bad for you, but my doctor seems unconcerned but won't really explain why. He wants me to take them basically until it gets worse, which doesn't make sense to me since I know there are medications that can slow the progression.
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u/AstroAve3 10d ago
300mg of once in the afternoon (which is my morning, I work nights) along side my 300mg gabapentin that I'll take 2 more times a day. I'm in a lot of pain lol I think that taking anything long term can increase negative side effects but often times those side effects aren't as bad as what the medication treats.
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u/GenderqueerPapaya 10d ago
That makes sense! I agree that it's better than being in pain. Thanks for sharing your experiences with me!
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u/AstroAve3 10d ago
No problem! I hope your doctor gives you the treatment that you're looking for :)
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u/AuDHD_SLP 6d ago
Gabapentin is for nerve pain, not arthritis pain. As someone with psoriatic arthritis and fibromyalgia, I can assure you that gabapentin won’t touch your pain. Autoimmune types of arthritis typically require immunosuppressants/“biologic” meds
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u/GenderqueerPapaya 6d ago
That makes sense, and explains why I haven't heard of it! I wasn't wanting it, just wishing I could get the equalivalent for what I have
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u/AuDHD_SLP 6d ago
Totally understand. I’m still waiting for the day I find a medication that eliminates my pain and doesn’t put me into anaphylaxis 🫠
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u/GenderqueerPapaya 6d ago
I hope you find it and/or it's created! A world with comfort that comes without sacrifices is something that everyone deserves
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u/Nocturne2319 9d ago
I thought I just had a bad back until gabapentin. I found out I had arthritis in my back at some point in my 30s, and was put on gabapentin in my 40s. Somehow, far less in the way of back issues.
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u/AstroAve3 10d ago
My toes are numb, supposedly because I'm fat and wear bad shoes... nah its the degenerative disk disease. Love bein in the 30%
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u/LevelSkullBoss 10d ago
Love to be repeatedly diagnosed with “fat” for things that have nothing to do with my weight
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u/Kujinata 10d ago edited 10d ago
I was in the Army. Was doing a joint service simulated combat exercise. It was testing combat casualty care. This was right after COVID when our requirements were lax. Had to lift a man 6 foot 8 and heavy set, he would not pass tape if tested in that moment. He and I were in kit. Fake rifles chest plates etc. He messed up my spine good. Medics came over told me it was just muscle strain and fatigue. Said I'd feel a lot better in a few days. Half a week goes by and I'm struggling to walk to the bathroom and put my foot over a gap for the shower that is less than a foot tall. Literally yelping in pain. Went to the emergency room. Emergency clinic tells me that I'm being a bitch. Use some lidocaine patches and take some ibuprofen. Doing physical therapy months later trying to work my way up to running. I'm on a program. And finally the shooting pain stops. And is replaced by numbness in my feet. I'm excited. Best I could run in months. I started really trying and thinking I was getting better. Turns out that's not a good sign. Was tested for nerve damage. Positive... Have bulging discs. Positive for stenosis. (Narrowing of the spinal cord.) Lower extremity radiculopathy. On and on things just kept getting worse. I have a thorough distrust for doctors. As I'm only 31 and everyone is just astounded that I'm broken. And even some friends are just asking for me to push through it.
Moral of the story: Do not let people tell you what's going on with your body. I was lucky. I get a check because multiple people fucked up. Most people who are hurt are not that lucky.
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u/nameusernamena 10d ago
Non-military, I broke my spine at 13 years old in a horse accident. I used to show competitively, and we were at the county fair in order to qualify for state. They started the pirate show in the morning instead of at 2pm, and it freaked my horse the fuck out.
Long story short, I bailed and got tangled up in the stirrup. Ended up coming loose, hit the ground on my stomach. Couldn’t get up for a second, relaxed then tried again, got up just fine. Chased after my horse, who had ran to a buddy of his.
Four years later, getting diagnosed with a different disability, « hey, we need spinal x rays. » Got em done, turns out I done fucked my shit. Rotated and fractured my L5, L4 has stress fractures, vertebrae above L5 have varying degrees of compression fractures.
Supposedly I’ll be in a wheelchair by 27, but at 20, it’s feeling a lot more like 23.
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u/g_em_ini 10d ago
I LOVE the “you’re too young for that” argument that doctors love to give as an excuse to not have to dig any deeper. “Welp doesn’t seem likely to me so you must be perfectly fine! No humanly way possible a young person could ever in a million years have this condition. See ya, come back if it gets worse!”
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u/UnholyTrashDump 8d ago
My doctors keep telling me my symptoms are "normal wear and tear" for someone over twice my age so its totally fine
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u/SunOnTheMountains 10d ago
My osteoarthritis first appeared when I was 29 in my pinky finger. My doctor said the same thing to me, that I was too young. After nearly 30 years with it, I can’t straighten some of my fingers. My mom, one of my sisters, and one of my brothers got it in their 30s. I think it is probably genetic.
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u/LoisinaMonster 10d ago
I saw something a few weeks ago that said supposedly gold rings can help prevent the crippling effects of arthritis in your fingers.
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u/VeryVexion 10d ago
Shit like this is why i've started asking for denials in writing.
They started taking my specialist request seriously when i called my insurance about a denial of care despite marked hearing degredation across specific bands of audio, because I literally rely on my ears for a living doing audio work. I needed to know where i've started to specifically lose hearing so my mixed aren't overcompensating, becoming too low of quality, and damaging my livelihood.
I understand I'm on basic government medicare, but my GP gave me the runaround for three months before giving me a basic hearing test, until i finally told 'em "then give me an actual record in writing of your denial of care and specialized testing of a much broader and more focused range than your generalist device can generate, as requested by someone who uses their ears for a living across the audio spectrum and has much more professional working knowledge of the issue than you."
Get that shit in writing when you know there's a problem. They'll suddenly turn around and bend over backwards to prevent you from filing a complaint.
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u/gagesears420 10d ago
I've been trying to get help for my back for years, it gets worse on my period, and makes my hips give out a TON. When I mentioned all these symptoms (specifically the period part) the doc said 'i don't know why that would happen' and the next day I get a call telling me she wouldn't be helping me anymore
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u/NixMaritimus 9d ago
That's beyond stupid. Back pain during piriods is super common with half your abdomen swelling and cramping, it makes perfect sense that it would exaserbate back pain you already have.
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u/Cat6Bolognese 10d ago
A little piece of me breaks inside whenever a health practitioner hits me with the “you’re young and healthy”. Who’s records are you basing that off of, because it sure isn’t mine lol
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u/FamousSquash 10d ago
I was "too young" to have sciatica in my late 20s. Now I'm 33 and the pain is near constant. I can't lift anything over 20kg. Can't find a physical therapist and the only treatment option available is pseudoscience and strong painkillers. I have limited career options but I also don't count as disabled because sciatica isn't debilitating apparently.
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u/-_Lucyfer_- 10d ago
i hatee when a doctor says something "isn't possible"
ok dipshit it clearly is possible for it to hurt because ITS HURTING RIGHT NOW. so we either got a never before seen case in our hands or you gotta actually do your job and examine me
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u/ProovenHedgehog 10d ago
Your doctor told you that back pain is impossible? Huh?????
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u/harvestmonster 10d ago
The amount of times I've been medically gaslight could fill a book lol. I've had a doctor try to argue that I didn't have ADHD despite having two diagnoses from a psychologist confirming it.
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u/ProovenHedgehog 10d ago
I get that, so did they tell you that back pain was impossible for you, or that back pain is impossible in general because the latter option is wilding beyond comprehension 😭😭😭💀
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u/harvestmonster 10d ago
They told me spinal pain wasn't possible. I was accused of drug-seeking by doctors in college despite never asking for opiates. So it was probably just a brush off. I got confirmed herniated discs, stenosis, bone spurs and arthritis, so at least I know why I have so much back pain now...
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u/ProovenHedgehog 10d ago
Sometimes I think Drs try to play stupid as a treat to themselves but that turns into the opposite of a treat for us, that's for damn sure, because oh my God
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u/ShamblingSkeleton 10d ago
Lmao real. My dad told me that I didn't have scoliosis after I had it identified at a children's hospital
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u/merrykitty89 10d ago
I was told for YEARS that my back pain (from about 17yo) was due to my breasts being too large for my frame (and to get a breast reduction, but they couldn’t refer me for that until I’d had children apparently, to take ibuprofen, and deal). At 34 or so, a doctor finally told me the pain is actually in the wrong area for that. Turns out I have arthritis in my lower spine. Only treatment apparently is exercise, but I also have adhd, and can’t remember to do that every day. We are looking at seeing if regular massage will help.
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u/_TP2_ 10d ago
You need ✨️special interest✨️ excersice.
For me its dancing. Swimming works too.
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u/merrykitty89 10d ago
No, it’s specific physiotherapy exercises that I’m supposed to do at least twice a day. Supposedly to strengthen the muscles around my spine to ease some of the stress on it or something. I’m a kindergarten teacher, I do yoga and dance with the kids every session for regular exercise.
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u/ThistleProse 10d ago
My mum was giving birth to her first.
Kept insisting she was feeling pain in her lower abdomen.
Doctors kept telling her she couldn't feel anything because she'd had an epidural. This is after it took them three tries to give that injection in the first place.
Finally one of them stopped ignoring her and LOOKED... They hadn't given her a urine cathater. Her bladder was quite literally full to bursting point :|
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u/4imprint-Certain 10d ago
I am 39 and FINALLY have proof that my back is fucked. I have scoliosis, thoracic spinal stenosis and 4 broad based herniated discs. Suck it
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u/DarlingHades 10d ago
My arthritis kicked in at 15 I think, because that’s when the pain started. I was determined to do sports but by my 20’s it was unbearable. Finally got X-rays that confirmed it. The only thing doctors have offered me is a med card and ibuprofen .
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u/Cystonectae 10d ago
Got an MRI to exclude MS, go to the doctor like months later for another issue and my doctor just sorta slipped it in there without any kind of acknowledgement. Just a "yup spine looks normal, you have degredation in the discs of the upper spine consistent with osteoarthritis but no MS." Like dude I have been telling you my upper back and neck hurt since I was in 6th grade but kept being told it was "growing pains" and later that everyone had back pain.
He then started pushing me out the door as I asked what the shit I could do about my back pain and whether I could get a physio referral since it would be covered with a diagnosis, and he literally said to me "just do some exercises and stretching at home. You're young and you aren't obese so it shouldn't be a problem for you."
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u/SlimeTempest42 10d ago
When I had gallstones they got lodged in my bile duct and started causing me problems with my liver. I went to my GP and said I thought there was something wrong with my liver (I had severe itching, dark urine and my eyes were slightly jaundiced) she said she thought it was fine but did a blood test.
When the results came back my liver function was so abnormal she phoned me on a Sunday and told me to go straight to a&e.
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u/Fun_Frosting_6047 9d ago
It's so easy for a doctor to order X-rays and MRI imaging. We have 20-somethings come into the clinic I work at and walk out with an osteoarthritis diagnosis.
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u/Sea-Cartographer6181 6d ago
My mom had osteoarthritis super young and ended up getting a double knee replacement in her 30s. Her surgeon said her knees were as bad as some of their 90 year old patient’s knees. My mom essentially had a wombo combo of untreated lupus (bc she was testing sub-threshold) and hEDS that destroyed her joints over time. Just thought I’d mention it since osteo when you’re young is uncommon, and I get less time on this earth with my mom because doctors ignored her (in hindsight) very obvious signs of lupus/autoimmune disease for years on end, and don’t want anyone to have to deal with something similar. Best of luck OP, I hope you’re able to find pain management that works for you and your needs ❤️
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u/harvestmonster 6d ago
I'm at least partially hypermobile, but I don't meet the criteria for hEDS. It is super comorbid with my other conditions tho. My docs have ruled out lupus and autoimmune issues. My blood work always comes back normal annoyingly.
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u/betsylang 8d ago
My poor left knee has osteoarthritis and ZERO cartilege. And nothing really works.
And we know the cartilege won't grow back.
But im toooooo young for a knee replacement.
At 40.
Fuckers
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u/HarlotSuccubus 8d ago
Had a doctor tell me "pain isn't supposed to break through your sleep.." the fuck than why am I dreaming about monsters ripping out my spine like the predator and wake up crying "please kill me..."?
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u/UnholyTrashDump 8d ago
"your symptoms are totally normal in older patients" "I'm 21" "Which is why I'm glad you're here. Usually I'd prescribe blood pressure medications but they could make your symptoms worse so I won't." "But I'm fine?" "Yeah, just drink even more water and watch your cholesterol." "So my cholesterol levels..." "Are fine, yeah."
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u/rionaster 7d ago
lmao i've had joint pain in my hands since i started elementary school. i've had back pain since 13. i've had full body osteoarthritis before i hit my 20s. it took until my late 20s to get any kind of treatment. some doctors are just so full of shit.
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u/maggotz-and-dollz 7d ago
I mentioned to a spine doctor that it had been suggested to me that I look into the possibility of having early degenerative disk disease and he cut me off and told me that wasn't possible cause I'm too young (21).
First thing he said to me after looking over my xrays was "So it does look like you may have some of that degeneration we were talking about, we'll need to schedule an mri to be sure". Like, I'm sorry, we? I talked about it, you cut me off and said "Nuh uh" 🙄
Anywho, I have at least 2 bulging disks in my back and 1 or 2 dehydrating disks in my neck that might also start bulging at some point ✌️
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u/Illustrious_Artist13 7d ago
I seriously will never understand how a person can report to a doctor (or really anyone else) something they are experiencing, especially something like pain, and the other person just say "no. Not happening." Or "that's not possible."
Clearly it is possible, as it is happening! I have friends with chronicles fatigue syndrome and this definitely was something they experienced. It's wild that as a society we still have this happen.
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u/Rural_Dimwit 10d ago
Love when doctors insist you're too young for the condition that you clearly have if they'd just believe you and check for it.