| Condition | Number of Sufferers | Source |
| Chronic Pain | 100 million Americans | Institute of Medicine of The National Academies (2) |
| Diabetes | 25.8 million Americans (diagnosed and estimated undiagnosed) | American Diabetes Association (3) |
| Coronary Heart Disease (heart attack and chest pain) Stroke | 16.3 million Americans 7.0 million Americans | American Heart Association (4) |
| Cancer | 11.9 million Americans | American Cancer Society (5) |
(c) 2013 American Academy of Pain Web Site
As you can see, the number of people who complain of severe, chronic pain is greater than those who suffer from diabetes, Coronary Heart Disease (Heart Attack/Chest Pain), and cancer, combined! Additionally, a recent market research report indicates that more than 1.5 billion people worldwide suffer from chronic pain and that approximately 3- 4.5% of the global population suffers from neuropathic pain, with incidence rate increasing in complementary to age. (Global Industry Analysts, Inc. Report, January 10, 2011. http://www.prweb.com/pdfdownload/8052240.pdf. ) From these numbers, we know that we're not alone, even if, at times, we feel as though we are.
According to another report, approximately eighty-percent (80%) suffer from some form of neck or back pain every year. Of that number, approximately another eighty-percent (80%) suffer from a simple, yet painful, muscle strain or pull. However, it is the remaining twenty-percent (20%) of us who suffer from a more severe injury, that is skeletal in origin, where at least one of the discs that cushion the bones of the spine, from just below the skull to the tailbone, has been damaged and impinges on a nerve.
This pain is often caused by a traumatic accident, i.e. a fall, an auto collision, sports injury, etc. But, not always! And this is where my story begins:
It was Tuesday morning, September 12, 1992. I have been working for two years as the operations manager of a national promotional travel company. My duties consisted of about ninety-five percent (95%) desk duties and the rest was moving telephones and computers. Let me state that unequivocally, I did nothing the day before, that could be at fault for what I was about to experience.
The morning alarm went off and as I turned to get out of bed, I felt a sudden twinge in my lower back on the left side. Thinking that I probably slept in a queer position, I got up to get ready for work. But as I walked from the bed to the bathroom, that twinge was still there. It wasn't severe, but it was enough to keep my attention. After a shower and shave, I dressed and headed off to the office. However, when I went to sit down in my car (a Chevrolet Celebrity) that twinge became a true pain. On the so-undependable "pain scale" of 1-10, my twinge graduated from, perhaps a "2," to a "7" or "8."
When I arrived at the office, I gingerly got out of my car and headed inside. After getting through the basic morning tasks, I called my chiropractor's office and set up an appointment near the end of the day. Dr. "L" was my second chiropractor in Florida and had worked closely with my first one. He had always done very well for me with the aches and pains I came in with, so there was no reason why I should not have had faith that he could mitigate this twinge.
Dr. "L" took me through a full exam to see if he could determine the cause of the pain. Then, I went through the regular modalities of electric stimulation, moist heat packs, ultrasound, and finally, his hands-on treatment. He was very gentle in the area of the pain so as not to aggravate whatever it was. I headed home thinking I was feeling a little bit better.
My assumption was incorrect. Not only did I still have the pain on Wednesday, but it was worse. Now I didn't have to wait to enter the car for the pain to be sharp and piercing; it was that way as I walked around. Thus, I saw my chiropractor again after work on Wednesday and again on Thursday. By this time, the pain was so bad that I did not go into work that day, so Dr. "L" was able to spend some more time with me. Unfortunately, it was all for naught.
"Stevie," he began, sitting across from me in the exam room. "We've gone as far as we can with chiropractic care and you're not showing any improvement and you always have, before this. We need to get you into regular medical care." That was one of the reasons why I liked Dr. "L" so much. He wasn't the type of chiropractor who made wild claims that chiropractic care could cure diseases, etc. He knew there were boundaries. I gave him the phone number of my primary care physician (PCP). He called him and explained his findings to him. By this time, I was bent over like a question mark and could hardly walk or even move.
When I arrived home, there was a message from my doctor for me to call him when I returned home. I did and he was kind enough to come over to my home after office hours and brought me a prescription of muscle relaxants. He also told me that he wanted me to have an MRI as soon as possible and would have his receptionist set it up for me. My doctor also helped me to get to my bed and told me to lay with my knees over a couple of pillows. This helps to open the spinal spaces and might help to alleviate some of the pain.
The next morning, (Friday) the receptionist called me and told me she was able to arrange the MRI for the following Monday. So, for the next three days, I was basically bedridden; I could only get up to use the lavatory or to eat. Other than that, I was in bed, flat on my back, with my legs over several pillows.
As it turned out, my attorney, who, along with his family, were close friends, came to my house on Monday to drive me the MRI. He had undergone back surgery just six months before the onset of my pain, so he knew exactly what I was going through, if my diagnosis with the MRI, matched his. At this point, I had only undergone one MRI prior to this and it wasn't the best medical experience I had.
Be that as it may, I had the test and as I exited the magnet room, the doctors were shaking their heads. My friend came over to tell me that there was no doubt that I was suffering from a herniated disc at level L4-L5. He said that he would arrange for me to see his neurosurgeon who had performed his surgery with great success. With that, he drove me home and set myself up to await my appointment with a neurosurgeon.
And I never was able to return to my work at the travel company, ever again.
Coming next: Meeting the man with the scalpel
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