Does this sound familiar to you?
** I often need to stop to rest my back.
** I can't do things I used to be because of my back.
** I have to cancel fun plans because I'm in pain.
** My pain prevents me from living my best life. It is interfering with the things I love and the activities I used to take for granted. It wears me out.
If you think any of these things, this book is for you. Your life has been changed by back pain. We understand. We've been there. Written by back patients for back patients.
This small, easy-to-read book is filled with ideas from two lifetimes of living with imperfect backs. We offer practical tips for living with pain and getting relief from pain. We have advice for how to find great doctors and when to walk away. This book is the summation of experiences of the authors whose spines are fused, and how we have learned to live with backs that still require attention. Whether you have surgery or not, our book can help you navigate the world of back pain. We'll tell you our stories and show you some tips that make our lives less painful.
Whether your back aches sometimes, or flares up when you work too hard, or keeps you from living your best life, this book is for you. Living with back pain forces us to "listen" to our bodies. Sometimes, our backs are so upset that they clamp down with pain, forcing us to stop whatever we're doing. This is pain that we can't just push through. This is pain that interrupts our lives. Now, our bodies have our attention.
It's hard to know what to do, especially when the pain interferes with regular life and clear thinking. You may be considering surgery. You may be wondering what else is possible. This book will take you through what we've learned. Sometimes surgery is the right answer, but the majority of people with back pain don't need surgery. You can find out your own solutions.
It's time for you to take charge of your own health. After all, no one knows your body like you do. No one can say if the pain is getting better or worse, except you. Therefore, you'll make decisions that are best for your own body.
We're back patients like you, and we're offering you practical ways to live with your imperfect back. You and your doctor will decide whether surgery is right for you. This book encourages you to make the best decisions for yourself and provides help with whatever you decide. We share experiences from our real lives, living with spinal fusion and our own imperfect backs.
Heimann, Lori: - My back troubles started in 1994, and my first neurologist said that fusion surgery was not necessary. Throughout the years from 1994 until 2006, I saw quite a few doctors and none of them had a solution to my pain. Until I found Dr. Mark Roy. Dr. Roy is a smart, skilled neurosurgeon who showed particular compassion, he was never too busy to listen and explain things to me. He diagnosed me with degenerative disc disease, spinal stenosis, and severe sciatica. He performed my first fusion in 2007. I've had several surgeries since then. They corrected anatomical problems and were necessary, but they didn't "fix" me. My current diagnosis is Adult Degenerative Scoliosis, which affects my posture, my gait, and my self-esteem. I wish my back functioned well, but I'm living with what I have. I'm a mother and grandmother, and I love volunteering in my community.
Ronco, Dawn: - Dawn Ronco's long career in corporate communications has included experience in communications strategy and management, editing, business writing, graphic design, and print and web publishing. Her side career as a fiction writer includes two published novels and extensive editorial critique for numerous other writers. She is now retired except for occasional consulting and freelance work. www.DawnRonco.com
Taylor, Jane: - I experienced my first severe back pain when I was 19 years old and in college. It took a whole year to try to fix it... I finally went to Duke Hospital for a spinal fusion of the L5-S1. The good news is that the fusion worked. It relieved my pain, and after recuperating for about five months, I went back to college. As time went on, I learned to keep my weight down and to exercise consistently to keep my back happy. Decades later, I experienced a muscle spasm in my back that didn't release for months. Oh, no... here we go again! This time, there was no surgical means of correction. So, I've explored a bunch of alternatives, and a combination of treatments are keeping me active. I've discovered that I understand people in pain in a way that I never did before. A person who hasn't experienced pain cannot truly empathize. I graduated from Duke University, and as a lifelong learner I received a Master's Degree from Carolina Evangelical Divinity School.
