Hello from Perth

[Toni62ej]

Hi 

I am new here and I could do with some help.  I am a 56-year-old woman with ADHD and am on the spectrum.  Diagnosed 3 years ago so life has been difficult, depression and anxiety have been my companions for as long as I can remember.  I have a husband and daughter who are both so busy with work and university.

I had a hip replacement on my right side 2 years ago and recovery was good, and I was able to continue working and get on with it.

Left hip fracture and replacement of left hip in January 2023.  I have spent the last 10 months in and out of hospital.    The short version of a long story has been rough, 6 total dislocations and 3 hip replacements.   Multiple hospital stays and visits with the longest stay being a month.  

After much investigation, I was diagnosed with Myelopathy which is compressed nerves that were causing spasms and spasticity which was causing my hip to dislocate. 

The only surgery option was a C5 dissection and fusion, I had x-rays, CT scans, and an MRI.   Perth's finest surgeons meet weekly to discuss severe or complex cases, and it was agreed that in my case it has progressed to the point where surgery will not give any positive results.

So here I am with not many options available to me, and I am struggling.  The pain is intense and non-stop.  I don't want to overload my daughter and hubby as they are struggling too.

Any advice is welcome and thanks in advance.

Toni62ej

[indigo22]

Hi Toni62ej,

Welcome to the forums and thank you for reaching out for support.

What you have been dealing with sounds extremely difficult and I am so sorry to hear you are in this situation.

Constant pain will wear you down quicker than anything else. I am not sure how open you are to a more spiritual approach, but many find that daily meditation can be helpful with pain management. If you are not yet meditating, you could do a search on YouTube or the internet (or Spotify if you have a subscription) for a guided meditation for pain relief. I would also like to recommend looking into the work of Dr Joe Dispenza, he has a lot of videos on YouTube and has books available. He broke his back in a cycling accident many years ago and was advised he would likely never walk again. Because he was a chiropractor and also had an open mind, he decided to try healing himself by going into a state of meditation and intently focusing on the image in his mind that the damaged area was healing and returning to normal. After 6 weeks of this intense focus, he was back working and his back was completely healed. Our body has a natural ability to heal itself, so you have nothing to lose by trying this approach. You would likely need to dedicate significant time to doing this, so start off with what you can manage and work your way up to a longer time over a couple of weeks until you find it easier to stay focused.

I hope this will be of some help to you. I will be happy to continue this conversation if you feel comfortable.

Sending you a big hug.

indigo22

[Toni62ej]

Hi indigo22 

Thanks for the response, I appreciate it.  

I am quite spiritual, but I struggle to meditate, this is an ADHD and autism spectrum issue.  

I use arts and crafts and DIYs for meditation and to shift focus.  It works for the most part.  I also use YouTube for white noise, I listen to this overnight they have heaps to choose from. These help a lot.

I am aware of Dr Joe Dispenza, but I hadn't looked into his work, but that is something I will definitely do.  I do follow Stoicism and Philosophy to find a balance.  I try so hard to stay upbeat and positive so as to manifest more of the same, "What we think about, talk about we create more of".

The days are hard, and the nights are harder but if I dwell on that it only gets worse.  

Thanks for letting me offload, I think sometimes just being able to talk freely about it can be helpful, but we must be mindful of how long we stay in this mindset.

toni62ej

[indigo22]

Hi toni62ej,

Thank you for letting me know your situation with difficulty meditating.

I wonder if you are able to get the xrays of the areas that need to heal, if you could do open eye meditation and focus on the xrays, seeing the areas repairing themselves. It might be worth trying. Also affirming multiple times a day, that your body is repairing itself and pain is decreasing. The main thing to remember with affirmations is that you believe what you are saying and saying it with the intention of a positive outcome, then let it go, no expectations. Expectations will only hinder the process.

Please feel free to continue this conversation whenever you wish, I will get a notification when you post and can give you some support.

Take care,

indigo22

[snazzypretzel5]

Hi toni62ej,

you have had a lot happen! I am sorry about your pain. It is so debilitating to have unrelenting pain, so I am sorry you have to experience that. Any chance your GP or specialist can prescribe you CBD oil or similar? It is expensive but seems to be very effective with pain management with less side effects. I work in pharmacy and several customers remark that it is a game changer for pain management. I don't know how it is in WA but in NSW you need a GP who is registered to prescribe. Your local pharmacist will be able to help you there.

With regards to meditation, I can't either, or yoga or any of that but do find tai chi and qigong v helpful as moving meditation. There is seated tai chi (most likely online) for those with mobility issues.

Can the specialist refer you to a pain clinic? They can help with behavioural stuff for re-framing pain which I believe has a lot of success.

I know that is a lot of suggestions there. I hope that some of them resonate with you and can bring you some relief on top of what you are already achieving. I am glad you are aiming for a positive mindset but can I add it is OK to have a shitty day and say so. 💜