Depression Understood Forums

I was burned at the age of 11 years old by my step brother in the back fields of my fathers house. I was in the hospital for over 2months with 3rd degree burns to both my legs from foot to upper thigh. I also suffered damage to my nervous system which resulted in dropped foot.

Fast forward 16 years, i have a family, a job and all is going ok until the pain in my legs (which i always had since the burns) start to increase and my legs start giving out at home and work. I do the normal thing and go see my doctor about possible help, after being sent to several specialist (2/3 told me i HAVE to stop working) my doctor told me to continue working, i brought up the idea of ODSP (Ontario Disability Support Program) that was mentioned to me by the specialists and his remark was that i'm a man and that means i have to work, he gave me some weak pain medication and told me to leave.

I started going to walk in clinics with almost no luck since they would take one look at my legs and either comment "this is too much to handle" or "Go find a family doctor who can take you in" even after pleading with them for help since my family doctor refused it i was still turned away. After many emails and clinics i got the ear of a Nurse Practitioner who would help me out, she gave me a proper exam, got me decent medication (what she was allowed to give me atleast) and even got me on the way for ODSP.

All seemed well until i got the letter back from ODSP stating that there is nothing physically wrong with me and that i have nothing keeping me from working, Appeal after appeal my plea's for help fell on deaf ears and they discredited all my medical information stating that a nurse practitioner has no say on those forms. They even admitted that their medical advisers agree that i am not suited to work but because i was currently working to support my family their own advisers reports were marked null and void.

After battling with ODSP for 2 years their final verdict was there is nothing wrong with me. Shortly after i got a email back from a hospital in Toronto with a doctor there saying she will help me get to see their specialists and i was happy cause these are the people that could help me..... At lease thats what i hoped for at the beginning, i saw their specialist and he told me that i have severe problems with my right leg and i need to stop working, i had asked him to help me with getting on ODSP and all he said was to get a family doctor cause he won't fill the forms out for a walk in. He refereed me to a pain clinic in the same hospital which has a 6-8month waiting time, 8 months pass and i finally get my call that i got an appointment, i saw the pain specialist and he refuses to give me any pain medication cause he wants to find where my pain is coming from, So now i have to wait 3-4 Months for a MRI scan to find whats going on with my leg.

I have not seen anyone since and not heard a word from them either, I have been trying to seek medical help for my legs and specialist after specialist is just passing me off to the next saying this isn't your problem THIS is your problem and they can help you. I'm starting to loose faith in ever getting a end to this constant nonstop pain, and starting to loose myself in sleepless nights worried that no one will listen or help me, I've tried news papers, MP's, other family doctors, governmental helplines/websites/programs and even got to hospitals for help. I have now lost my job due to my dropped foot and the harassment of managers both district and store level. I knew this would be the outcome and tried to get help to prevent it but to no avail.

I'm almost at a breaking point where no one will listen and no one will help, sorry if i rambled on so long but this broken body both physically and mentally is about to give up and just shut down.

Hello secondplanet;
Welcome to the forum. Forgive me if I say anything ignorant, I'm not very knowledgeable about this, but I was wondering about the pain. I know that people who have lost parts of there limbs experience phantom pain. I'm assuming your pain is related to nerve damage, but is it related to using your legs or do you get it any time.

I was also wondering about what type of work you do.

Hi secondplanet,
I read your post last nignt, and it both hurt and ticked me off how the doctors are shuffling you around and not granting you the help you need and deserve. I'm so sorry for ALL you've gone through and are currently dealing with. It bugged the heck out of me when I read your story to see you desperately seeking help and finding no relief...

I don't know if this will help you, but I've got an idea, so it might be worth a try. Thank God I've never been severely burned! I've seen TV shows that revealed the agonies of skin grafts performed on burn victims. (I'm sorry you had to experience this)
I have a dropped foot, myself, on my left side. It was a result of my second back operation. It left me with a severe burning feeling in my dropped foot. Literally, it feels like someone is holding a lighter to my toes, and it will cause me to jump in agony. So, I complained to my surgeon who prescribed me a medication for nerve damage. If you haven't heard of it, it's called Neurontin. The generic version is Gabapentin. It truly relieves the b burning pain associated with nerve damage! You mentioned that you have a hard time standing. Is this caused by the pain or numbness? Or both? If you've never prescribed this for nerve damage, I'd be surprised! But, I'd strongly recommend that you ask your doctor about this. It helps me a bunch, and I don't have towke bup in the night anymore feeling like my foot is on fire! I realize that nerve pain is truly awful. I definitely feel for you, for this predicament you're in. You're fed up with all this crap, and you have every right to

I'm sorry for the mistakes in my post above. I'm posting on this site, using a new Android phone that I'm still trying to figure out! Towards the end of my reply to you, my screen froze. It then went a bit haywire and this blue cursor arrow screwed up some of my spelling! (I hate it) Lol...
The sentence that was screwed up the most, I was describing how I'd wake up in the night feeling like my foot was on fire. This was prior to my being prescribed Neurontin. But, I can't imagine what this would feel like in the entirety of both legs! This must be hell for you...and all of the additional B.S. you're dealing with. If it were me, I'd be extremely pissed. I want to say don't give up though. I hope that the advice I've given may help you in some way. Yes, I know you're feeling like you're in a never-ending rat race, but please keep us posted. We're here, and you're not alone. (((Hugs)))
Prayers going up for you, secondplanet.

I do thank everyone for the support this far, I have had a chance today to speak to a amazing woman at Employment Insurance today and she was more then disgusted at how i was treated. She did all she could to help me get extra help but at the end of the day she is limited to what she can do due to her jobs regulations.

I was given such information as to what i can try to get help sooner such as go to newspapers, local members of Parliament or even the hospital itself in try to find a helpful doctor. Out of those 3 i have tried all 3 already much to her amazement that i didn't receive any help from them already. I have tried my local MPP and all i was told was i have to wait like everyone else and that he can't speed up or direct anything i submit. I have sent letters to 4 of my regions/provinces largest newspapers just to have them ignored in full. My last chance was the hospital but doctors shuffled me around for 6hrs before giving me basic pain meds and sending me home.

I'm gonna try the hospital again tomorrow and sit through the normal 5-8hr wait time and hope that i get a doctor who will take the first step towards actually giving me the help i've been denied for the past 3 going on 4 years.

Hang in there...
Somethings GOT to give! This is crazy. (what you're going through) You must feel like you're running through an endless maze...

Just remember that we're on your side. I hope and feel that the sun will peak through the clouds at some point, secondplanet. Truly, it's hard for me to adequately express how pained and angered your situation makes me. Makes me want to take these people by the shoulders and give them a 'whiplash shaking!'