Here is the article that appeared in the daily news last week. I wanted to share this with my followers as I felt it has some very good points. However I wanted to let you know, I was not interviewed for this article and the quotes where taken from my blog. Some taking out of context. My pain that I spoke about, I do not feel is because of my PKU. To be clear, the chronic pain I feel in my back and sciatica nerve damage is from a car accident in 2008. I was struck by a car while I was walking my bike to a cross walk. It left me with permanent damage. I have numbing from my waist down, through my left leg and into my left foot. I also have a preferated disk at l5-s1. With chronic pain and fibromylgia. I was told my pain would never go away fully and that I would have to give up my nursing career. The pain took over my life and ran my life for many years. Over the past year I have fought hard to re gain control of my life and heal more fully. I feel like I have come along way but some days are harder than others. This last month was particularly hard, as well as the summer with working many more hours than my body is use to and adjusting to different shifts specially the night line. I also didn’t keep up with my treatments and physical activities. It was hard to stay on track while trying to focus on my levels and maintaining my phe levels while working nights and being tired all the time. I am however starting back on track over the past few weeks and the pain is slowly getting better again. For my pain I take gabpentin daily, and for breakthrough pain i take tramadol, and Motrin. My doses use to be quit high but over the last year i was able to cut them sometimes lower by half, however they have crept back up, and would like to lower my doses again and am making that my goal.
In response to the article in the kamloops daily news, I wrote a letter to the editor. I am very grateful to the kamloops daily news for taking the time to publish my story and really hope to do a live interview with them in the future to really have my voice heard and my message to be clear.
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I am PKU Strong 
Hello, Amanda. This is the first I’ve ever heard of your back pain. I also suffered from a disk problem at L5/S1. May I suggest you consider contacting Dr Choll Kim of the Spine Institute of San Diego, California, US. He has an outpatient procedure where he goes in and trims off the excess ruptured disc “goo” that presses on the surrounding nerves. I had also needed Gabapentin to endure the discomfort in my feet and legs plus various pain pills. After my visit with Dr Kim, my issues have greatly improved to the point I no longer need the medications, which is great because I developed an allergic reaction to the gabapentin and could no longer take it. They just ask to see a copy of a recent MRI . Dr Kim is a wonderful, caring doctor and I am so grateful my husband discovered him for me! With everything else you have to deal with, I would pray he could help you as he did me. Sincerely, Jenny Carrico
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Hi Jenny,thank you for your message. I live in Canada so would be unable to see that doctor. The way it was explained to me was ” your disk is like an onion, with all these layers, when your disk preferated those layers break and snap apart, and inside the middle is a jelly substance that spills out and covers your nerves. This can reseat back but is usually permanent. ”
I have been dealing with this for nearly 6 years. It is life long and will not go away now. It has hardened around my nerves. I was offered a surgery, but its only a 50/50 chance it will do anything. Or it could leave my paralysed. I decided not to do it. I just take it one day at a time and accept that this is what it is. however this last year i have seen mass improvements. I was told I would never have a pain free day again and believed that. Until we moved to kamloops. the dryness and the heat hear has made my body come alive and I do have pain free “moments” now. So my hope has been restored. I will do my best to look after myself and hope one day it no longer impacts my life.
All the best to you and so glad the surgery helped you!
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