Hi I'm new. I have chronic pain daily. And I can elate! I feel the same back pain. I have lower back pain (for years now) and also upper back pain, sometimes the middle of my back as well. I've been told I have degenerative disc disease most likely and my parents both suffer back pain, it's most likely hereditary. But I DID get the MRI's and they show I have a herniated disc at my C6 in my neck and then I want to say my S1-L5 lumbar (lower back) region. does that sound right? But the surgeon said I'm not a candidate for any surgeries being a young age (I saw him in 2011) and all the doctors I've seen really can't (or don't want to) do much of anything. Sadly in all my research on back pain and issues/injuries the options for us seem slim. I'd love to hear others' stories. I recently moved and the stress and overuse from all the packing and unpacking, moving boxes etc is killing me. I have to rest, and OFTEN. Lately I've had such bad back pain that I can't bend or barely move and I feel as if Im 80 years old (I'm 38 yrs old). I love Epsom salt baths and I LIVE on the heating pad at night. At this moment I have 3 lidocaine patches on my Right forearm and both sides of my lower back. I take a muscle relaxer, Soma, twice a day and although I'm trying to take less opiate pain killers, I took a full 10mg norco this evening around 6:30pm just to feel sane again. This much pain is starting to make me go crazy. I'm sure you can relate. I think I need more sleep because my eye fatigue today has been sometimg awful, but unfortunately the norco (or any opiate) keeps me awake most of the night. After giving my fiancé an earful today about my symptoms and pain, I decided I better join a support forum to get the support and advice I need. Thank you for listening. I need to find a new doctor since I just moved 500 miles hehe, and since I've never had a true fibro diagnosis I'm thinking of seeing a rheumatologist. I Could even just be dealing with osteoarthritis. I have hope some days, but sometimes the chronic pain seems absolutely hopeless.