Hey everyone,
I'm looking for help regarding doctors, specialists, treatment plans, psychiatrists, or just general advice—anything that might help...
It’s about my mother. She is honestly one of the kindest people you'll ever meet, someone who wouldn't hurt a fly, and it breaks my heart to see her suffering like this. I don't understand why she has to deal with almost every medical issue imaginable. 😢 Even now, I'm tearing up because I can't wrap my head around it.
She’s been through the ringer: nasty meningitis, ovarian surgery, a hysterectomy, knee surgeries, breast cysts, migraines, and debilitating leg pain. It turned out the leg issues were spinal-related, so she had major back surgery followed by bladder reconstruction... it's been a nightmare. There's probably more, but it's hard to list everything she's survived at this moment.
Despite all that, nothing seems to be working. Her spine still hurts every single day (it's been three years since the surgery), but now she's dealing with chronic pain in her elbows and hands too—which I suspect is linked to the spine, but I'm not a doctor. She's waiting on some treatments prescribed back in February, and the doctor will decide on next steps once those are finished.
To me, none of this makes sense. Everything moves at a snail's pace, yet the suffering drags on for years. My poor mom just shrugs it off, saying, "It's fine, I'll get through it, I'll just take my pills." In reality, she's grinding through heavy-duty painkillers every single day. It's gut-wrenching. On top of that, my dad is home dealing with PTSD and leukemia (thankfully, it's stable for now), and Mom is trying to manage his situation while dealing with her own. She’s constantly on edge—especially with him, which she admits—and naturally, that leads to mental health struggles. But when we kids visit, she always puts on a brave face and smiles for us.
The things that are constantly (it's awful) tormenting her right now are her bladder issues (that constant burning sensation and inflammation—the bladder surgery didn't go well), the elbow and hand pain, the spine, and frequent migraines. She likely has other issues, but she won't talk about them because she doesn't want to burden me when I can't do anything to help. I really want to try something else with your help. Where should I direct her?
I'm convinced the spine is the root cause, since the leg pain, the bladder issues, and clearly the arm pain all seem to stem from there.
The thought of her going under the knife again terrifies me. I think another surgery would break her mentally, considering how much she struggled after the last one. I don't know how I could even convince her to agree to more surgery, especially since the recovery from her spinal surgery was so brutal compared to everything else.
So, if you have any advice, personal experiences, or recommendations... I would be incredibly grateful. 😢 😢
I'm looking for help regarding doctors, specialists, treatment plans, psychiatrists, or just general advice—anything that might help...
It’s about my mother. She is honestly one of the kindest people you'll ever meet, someone who wouldn't hurt a fly, and it breaks my heart to see her suffering like this. I don't understand why she has to deal with almost every medical issue imaginable. 😢 Even now, I'm tearing up because I can't wrap my head around it.
She’s been through the ringer: nasty meningitis, ovarian surgery, a hysterectomy, knee surgeries, breast cysts, migraines, and debilitating leg pain. It turned out the leg issues were spinal-related, so she had major back surgery followed by bladder reconstruction... it's been a nightmare. There's probably more, but it's hard to list everything she's survived at this moment.
Despite all that, nothing seems to be working. Her spine still hurts every single day (it's been three years since the surgery), but now she's dealing with chronic pain in her elbows and hands too—which I suspect is linked to the spine, but I'm not a doctor. She's waiting on some treatments prescribed back in February, and the doctor will decide on next steps once those are finished.
To me, none of this makes sense. Everything moves at a snail's pace, yet the suffering drags on for years. My poor mom just shrugs it off, saying, "It's fine, I'll get through it, I'll just take my pills." In reality, she's grinding through heavy-duty painkillers every single day. It's gut-wrenching. On top of that, my dad is home dealing with PTSD and leukemia (thankfully, it's stable for now), and Mom is trying to manage his situation while dealing with her own. She’s constantly on edge—especially with him, which she admits—and naturally, that leads to mental health struggles. But when we kids visit, she always puts on a brave face and smiles for us.
The things that are constantly (it's awful) tormenting her right now are her bladder issues (that constant burning sensation and inflammation—the bladder surgery didn't go well), the elbow and hand pain, the spine, and frequent migraines. She likely has other issues, but she won't talk about them because she doesn't want to burden me when I can't do anything to help. I really want to try something else with your help. Where should I direct her?
I'm convinced the spine is the root cause, since the leg pain, the bladder issues, and clearly the arm pain all seem to stem from there.
The thought of her going under the knife again terrifies me. I think another surgery would break her mentally, considering how much she struggled after the last one. I don't know how I could even convince her to agree to more surgery, especially since the recovery from her spinal surgery was so brutal compared to everything else.
So, if you have any advice, personal experiences, or recommendations... I would be incredibly grateful. 😢 😢