I'll quickly cover what I think about an assistance dog in this situation - I think it's early in the game to be considering one, when so far, there are medical, social, psychological and assistance factors that aren't being explored or treated. I would work through those checklist style before leaping to an assistance dog as a miracle answer.master2 wrote:Thanks shalista
Do you think it even sound like sciatica, shalista as she's had it over a year now and the pain is not just in both legs and back its also in her left ribcage, in her right collar bone leading down to her shoulder and arm. She also gets hot flashes , restless legs, muscle spasms, migranes, sensitive to loud noises and smell (she can smell things that we can't), migranes or headache she gets a lot, she gets this tingling in her feet and hands, she's a very anxious person. I am starting to think she has not got sciatica at all as her symptoms do should like fibromyalgia? She sleeps well it takes awhile to get to sleep but once she does she does not wake up until morning? What do you think shalista? She has not told the doctor about her other symptoms as she did not think they could be related. She only told the Dr about her leg and back pain which is why she was diagnosed with sciatica.
Rather than internet diagnoses, she needs to tell her doctor her symptoms. All of her symptoms. She can't get a correct diagnosis unless the medical professionals know exactly what she's suffering with, no? Keeping an ongoing list of her symptoms would be useful. Sleep is tricky. She might be 'sleeping' for a solid eight hours a night, but there are different stages of sleep, and if she isn't getting the restive, restorative stages where the body heals itself and you wake up refreshed, then only a sleep study where they track your brain waves will show that. If she constantly looks tired and never feels truly rested, that's a clue that there's something going on there. Pain management clinics may also help with symptoms.
Untreated anxiety won't be helping. It can leave you physically tense at all times (voice of experience here!) which will not help with muscle and joint pain. The trauma of having something go so physically wrong and the fears about it being lifelong, having to withdraw from uni, all add up. She needs to be referred to a psychiatrist to have these issues addressed by a professional.
Money issues - It sounds as though she would qualify for disability living allowance, now known as Personal Independence Payments. Her mother would likely qualify for carers allowance, since she needs to be with her daughter all of the time. The citizens advice bureau could help them navigate the benefits system and find out everything they are entitled to.
University - depending on what she's studying, taking a course online, through the Open University for example, is still very possible. Having to go into a building every day isn't a requirement now for further education. Also bear in mind that if she qualifies for disability benefits, especially in the mobility componant, that she will have rights as a person with a disability, that institutions and employers have to make reasonable adjustments to accommodate her using services.
All of these factors can feed into and play off of each other. But if she isn't even telling her doctor her symptoms, she needs to start there, and tackle all of these other issues. I'm not convinced that it will be a lifelong condition, when these other issues aren't being addressed. She may well find that once these issues are being addressed and treated by professionals, that her pain subsides. Or can at least be managed in a way that her life isn't restricted.
Generally, paracetamol and codeine do very little for fibromyalgia pain. Antidepressants, however, are the treatment of choice, not because of the effect they have on mood but because they help with the sleep cycle and raise the pain threshold. Why are they suggesting she sees a psychologist? Fibro isn't a mental condition, but on the other hand, some forms of therapy can help people manage their pain and cope with their symptoms.
