Arachnoiditis Nearly Destroyed My Life

By Robert Perry, Guest Columnist

I was a pipe welder when I first hurt my back in 1992. The doctor ordered a myelogram imaging test on my back with a chemical dye. It was one of the most painful tests I ever had. After the test the doctor told me I had to learn to live with my pain. At that time, I was only 27 years old. The doctor told me I might be able to work for another 15 years.

He was right about that. In 2008, I was a project manager at ATT and started losing the ability to use my legs. One day I couldn’t get out of bed for about 3 hours because I was having so much pain in my legs and lower back. I was screaming from the pain and the muscles spasms were so bad it made me cry.

I started falling at work and hurting so bad it was unreal, so they did an MRI on me and found I had Arachnoiditis. Since then my life has been a hard road. It’s unreal how many doctors don’t know anything about this disease. One doctor did 5 epidural steroid injections on me and made it worse.

Another doctor put a spinal cord stimulator temporarily in my back to see if it would help, but he accidentally punctured my spine and left an air bubble. I went home and late that night got a terrible headache that felt like it was killing me. My ex-wife and kids took me to the emergency room. I was about to die from the bubble in my body.

They finally found the bubble in my body by cat scan. The only way you can get a bubble out is to remain really calm, so they started giving me a strong painkiller in an IV drip.  But the nurse wasn’t paying attention and I overdosed. I knew I was dying and thank God that a person came in to clean my room and I got her to go get help.

ROBERT PERRY

I had her call my family on my cell phone. I was able to tell my family goodbye. Right after that, I lost consciousness. I finally woke up 8 hours later and the doctor was waiting on me to ask me things to see if I had any brain damage. The first thing I asked was for my dad, but I couldn’t remember that my dad was dead until they told me.

I have been through a lot because of Arachnoiditis. I lost my family and now I am married to a wonderful lady who knows I am a very sick person.  This disease is the one of the most painful. I have to take two shots a month and I am on a lot of meds. I have a good doctor now who put me on a fentanyl pain patch and my life has been a lot better.

I am a preacher and have a lot of faith. One night at church I was in so much pain the congregation was about to take me to the hospital. And I told God that night either heal me or take me. They prayed over me and I walked out of the church without any pain or my cane.

That’s was 5 years ago and I am still doing a lot better and able to live now. The doctors can’t help, but God can. I am very thankful for that night in prayer.

Arachnoiditis nearly destroyed my life. I hope they one day find a cure for this terrible disease. Before God touched me that night, I was about ready to take my life because of the pain.

Robert Perry lives in Kentucky.

PNN invites other readers to share their stories with us. Send them to editor@painnewsnetwork.org.