The Marine Story

Today, I am a disabled Marine veteran in my 70s, experiencing pain in my lower and upper back that began in 1975.

I became aware of the pain while at the Marine Corps rifle range shooting from multiple firing positions, several of which were torturous. I enjoyed shooting, but my back pain was exasperated. I believed going to “sick bay” would force my discharge, so I just took the pain since I was on track to be a career Marine.

I “lived” that pain until 1977 when I decided to leave the Marines. Post-active duty, the VA performed multiple “nerve ablations” on the upper and lower portions of my spinal cord. The pain relief from those processes was pretty awesome, but the pain always came back, forcing more ablations. The relief was gone quicker after each additional procedure.

I have suffered upper and lower back pain since then, by simply ignoring the pain. This worked well for the best part, but sleep has been miserable. That said, I tolerated the pain, “thinking it was arthritis.” A rheumatologist provided clarity that it was ankylosing spondylitis.

VA doctors prescribed 5% Lidocaine patches to ease the pain. Not great, but better than what I was doing. So far, I have resisted anything narcotic or addictive, having grown up in a home with addictions.

I want to thank all of you for allowing me to learn from this portal. It helps me know that others have more experience and are willing to share.