Ivan's Personal PN Story Line...
I HAVE NEVER TOLD ANYONE OUTSIDE OF MY FAMILY THIS STORY. IT IS HARD FOR ME TO TALK ABOUT, SO I'LL START AT THE BEGINNING.
THEN MY FEET, LEGS, AND HANDS STARTED TINGLING AND HURTING AND GOING NUMB. I WENT TO A NEUROLOGIST ON THE SUGGESTION OF MY PCP. SHE DREW A BLOOD SAMPLE, CHECKED MY REFLEXES AND SENT ME BACK TO MY PCP.
THE NEUROLOGIST SENT THE RESULTS TO MY DOC AND SAID THERE WAS NOTHING WRONG. MY DOC THEN SENT ME TO AN ORTHOPEDIC WHO TOOK A SERIES OF X-RAYS AND DID A MRI. HE ALSO SAID HE COULD FIND NOTHING WRONG.
MY SYMPTOMS WERE GETTING WORSE, THE PAIN MORE INTENSE. I COULD NO LONGER STAND TO DO MY WORK OR DRIVE TO DELIVER IT. I HAD TO STOP WORKING. I COULDN'T CONTROL MY HANDS OR GRIP THE CHISELS TO DO THE CARVING ON THE FURNITURE AND CABINETS I BUILD. I COULDN'T SLEEP AT NIGHT BECAUSE OF THE PAIN. I STARTED GETTING VERY DEPRESSED. I GAVE UP FISHING AND HUNTING AT THIS TIME BECAUSE OF MY NEW LIMITATIONS. SITTING AROUND IN PAIN FEELING USELESS BROUGHT ON MORE DEPRESSION THAN EVER. THE ONLY THING THAT KEPT ME GOING WAS THE THOUGHT THAT IT WOULD GET BETTER.
I WENT BACK TO THE DOC AND HE SAID HE WOULD LIKE FOR ME TO GO TO A NEW NEUROLOGIST. WHEN I GOT IN TO SEE HER 3 MONTHS LATER, SHE DID A NERVE CONDUCTION AND TOLD ME I HAD PN CAUSED BY DIABETES. SHE THEN TOLD ME WHAT SHE COULD ABOUT IT.
I GUESS I WAS IN SHOCK. I DIDN'T REMEMBER MUCH OF WHAT SHE SAID. SHE PUT ME ON NEURONTIN AND OVER THE NEXT MONTHS KEPT INCREASING IT UNTIL I WAS TAKING 3200 MG PER DAY. IT DID NOTHING FOR THE PAIN. SHE ADDED 800MG OF IBUPROPHEN THAT DIDNT HELP THE PAIN EITHER. THEN CAME THE OXYCONTIN 20MG THREE TIMES DAILY. THAT FINALLY HELPED THE PAIN.
AT THIS TIME OUR SAVINGS WERE GONE AND I HAD TO LISTEN TO MY DOC AND ADMIT I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO RETURN TO WORK SO I FILED FOR SSDI. THE BILLS WERE PILING UP AND THE NEXT THING I KNEW I RECEIVED A LETTER FROM DETERMINATION SERVICES TELLING ME THEY WERE DENYING MY SSDI. I HAD ANOTHER DOCTOR APPOINTMENT THAT AFTERNOON AND TOLD MY DOC. HE TOLD ME TO GET A LAWYER AND APPEAL.
I WAS SO VERY DEPRESSED. I THOUGHT THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT FOR ME. I CLEANED MY PISTOL, LOADED IT AND SAT IT ON THE DESK. FOR SOME REASON, I LOGGED ON THE INTERNET AND IN THE SEARCH BOX TYPED NEUROPATHY.
THAT STARTED IT. I ENDED UP AT THE BB AT WWW. NEUROPATHY.ORG.
I TYPED IN MY FAREWELL TO THE WORLD AND IMMEDIATELY STARTED GETTING RESPONSES. THERE WAS SUCH AN OUTPOURING OF LOVE, SUPPORT, ADVICE, LETTING ME KNOW I AM NOT ALONE, THAT OTHERS HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS, THE SAME PAIN. I UNLOADED MY PISTOL AND WENT TO BED.
THE NEXT DAY I CALLED THE ATTY. THAT WAS RECOMMENDED AND WAS TOLD THAT HERE IN UTAH THATS SOP TO DENY ALL CLAIMS THE FIRST TIME. I ALSO STARTED ANTIDEPRESSANTS AND REALIZED THERE WAS A NEW DAY COMING.
I FOUND SCOTT'S WEB PAGE ABOUT FISHING AND TRIED IT. I FELL IN LOVE WITH IT ALL OVER AGAIN EVEN WITH THE EXTRA PROBLEMS CAUSED BY PN(THANKS SCOTT). I SAID IN A POST ON THE BB A WHILE BACK THAT THEY SAVED MY LIFE. IF THEY READ THIS THEY WILL KNOW THEY REALLY DID. I WILL HAVE MY DAY IN COURT. MY ATTY. SAYS THERE WILL BE NO PROBLEM. I HOPE NOT. THIS WILL BE THE FIRST FACE TO FACE WITH SSDI. I WAS TAUGHT THERE IS HOPE FOR ALL AND I DON'T HAVE TO DO THIS ALONE...
IVAN R. FACKRELL
FACKRELLIVAN@aol.com