A.S. Face 0738: Tara Norhtrop

A.S. Face 0738: Tara Norhtrop

Hello, My name is Tara Northrop and I would like to tell you my story.
I started back pain when I was 15. I was told I had scoliosis and that I needed to loose weight, loosing weight would eliminate my pain. I went through pain everyday with no positive outlook. I felt like no one would listen to me. Every time I went to the doctors I was either told I needed to loose weight or my depression meds just needed to be readjusted.
It wasn’t until I turned 27 that I finally found a doctor who would listen to me. 2 months after I had my 3rd child I fell down the stairs at my apartment due to muscle spams in my lower back. I went and saw my new doctor and had x-rays done and come to find out I had a miss-aligned hip and 3 fused vertebrae in my lumbar spine. It was then that I heard the name Ankylosising Spondylitis. ( I have to mention too, that I also have excessive lumbar lordosis) I have been taking out of work because of the progression of this condition. The doctors should have started to do physical therapy and pain management a long time ago but because they had not it has progressed faster than it should have for someone of my age (or at least that’s what I have been told).
I have had 14 injections done for pain in my lower spine and just recently had 7 nerves burned in my lower back hoping to provide more of a permanent pain relief but it has not helped much.
I have 3 children 11, 7, and 2 are their ages. It is becoming harder and harder to care for my 2 year old and I find myself relying more on my 11 for help. I can’t bend over the tub to give my baby a bath anymore let alone go up and down my stairs to get him into and out of bed. I have a fiance but because he is the only one working right now he works a lot to pay the bills. I do not have any family near by to help me on my bad days so it’s almost like I have no choice but to deal with the pain and pray that I will be able to get up out of bed the next day.
Thank you for listening
New York, United States of America