Nightmare experience
I’m a 33 yo male . I got into powerlifting / training 6 years ago and I work a blue collar construction job during the day . I play on a travel basketball team where we travel around and play in tournaments on the weekends. I’ve worked up to a 550 lb deadlift at 160 lbs and 435lb ATG back squat .
Well about 3 years ago at work I was putting down a 150 lb metal extension ladder and I lowered it in a sloppy way and I felt something in my lower back go . Instantly I knew something happened . Every since I’ve had a terrible pinch in my upper right glute / lower right back / and a terrible pinch in my left abductor / groin . I’ve gone into my doctors for 25+ different appointments over the last 3 years . 6-7 different X-rays , 4 rounds of physical therapy for 16 weeks at a time . The entire time doctors have been dismissive because I look healthy ( this is why I posted the picture I feel like my pain wasn’t being taken serious because it didn’t look like I was in pain) sometimes I wonder if I would have just given up and laid in bed all day if someone would have believed me earlier . Some days I can manage just fine and still train some days I can’t even change my socks . The pain is much worse in the morning or after sitting for awhile . It feels like someone has a knife in my back and groin and are twisting it around my nerves like spaghetti. Every hobby I love has been taken from me ( I use these as mental health therapy ) and I’ve gotten zero help from my doctor . You say your in pain to a doctor you feel a energy shift in the room immediately . Funny thing is my doctor and his little assistant don’t have half the discipline I have but yet they get to judge me because I’m hurting . It’s beyond frustrating.
I just got the mri results back and lo and behold I do have something serious going on with my back that could have been caught 3 years ago with a little bit of effort and care from the doctors. It shouldn’t have taken 3 years for me to get a mri and I shouldn’t have just had to sit in pain for 3 years.
They want to do surgery and replace my disc with metal but I’m worried I’ll never be able to squat or deadlift again and I’ve been holding out hope there is a way for me to rehab this disc back to health through hard work .
Anyways I have about 8-10 days a month where it takes me 20 minutes to change my socks through excruciating pain , it’s hard to sleep cuz that pinch / stabbing comes to fight at night and the morning , my patience with people has dramatically gone down , I don’t want to be around people , I can’t enjoy my hobbies and the stuff I love , I’ve done everything I absolutely can ( bought a 10,000$ hot tub , built a 5,000$ sauna , I’m consistent every day with rehab movements , I go on daily walks , I stretch daily , I bought a inversion table , I try decompression techniques , the pinch always comes back ) and I can’t seem to get taken serious by my doctors . It’s kinda comical if it wasn’t so serious . The doctors who are overweight and unhealthy get to judge me for being a drug seeker cuz I’m in pain. I don’t want drugs I want my injury fixed so I can go back to training . But if they can’t fix my injury or even diagnose it at least give me some pain relief in the meanwhile .