Anyone else have a vertebral compression fracture?

[lauren94]

Hi, I'm aged 19 and had a compression fracture of my L4 vertebra following a car accident when I was 16. Its lost 47% of its height (my x-ray looks like a jigsaw puzzle piece) and has also caused a disk bulge below the vertebra. I was treated conservatively with a back brace and painkillers. Because of my age, I am apparently not a candidate for any surgical procedures.

I'm having chronic pain daily, taking painkillers like panadeine forte daily (paracetamol and codiene) and it causes a fair few side effects. I act pretty loopy, disorientated, drowsy, I have poor concentration and it just means I am not myself.

Its been about 2 years since my car accident and the pain is still present and really hard to deal with. Has anyone else had ongoing pain following a fracture like this? Has anyone felt the pain reduce after a number of years?