Help Bring Arachnoiditis out of the shadows

Hello. I suffer from a spinal injury called Arachnoiditis. It is a condition that affects the nerves inside the spinal cord. It causes the nerves to become inflamed and start sticking to each other and the inside lining of the cord. At this point it causes the mid layer of the cord to become inflamed and compressed and starts impeding the flow of cerebral spinal fluid. Needless to say it is a very debilitating and painful condition. This is all caused by spinal injury of several sorts. Accidents can be one of them. However, that being said, most can be or are caused by invasive medical procedures. These include, but are not limited to: Epidurals during childbirth, spinal taps, myelograms (although less frequently since a change in the dye was made), Epidural Steroid Injections, Fusion and Decompression Surgeries, and other invasive procedures into the spine. It can also be caused by Degenerative Disc Disease, constant compression of the disc and a variety of other issues that involve the spine. Now that we have established the cause, let's get down to the nuts and bolts of why I/we are here asking for help. As I had stated earlier it is a very debilitating and painful condition. We suffer day in and day out. We rely on our pain meds a great deal. But this is a small reason I/we are asking for help. The big reason is because it is underdiagnosed. Doctors are simply afraid to admit they made a mistake, and continue doing so by doing the invasive procedures that are the leading cause, even if they were not the one who made the mistake. Because of the under diagnosing many are left with no treatment and are treated much the same as lepers were. No one believes us about our pain. People think we are just being lazy or "it's in our heads" I assure you we are not and it is not. We have an altered way of life. As this injury advances it robs our nerves of the nutrients and oxygen they need to work right which in turn causes more inflammation and the cycle continues. Eventually the nerves become wrapped in scar tissue so severely we cannot walk and/or have incontinence. We need this epidemic studied and brought out of the shadows. We need our doctors to not be afraid of it. I am in the beginning of the third and final stage. Just walking from my bedroom to the other end of the house causes me intense pain. There are so many others that are worse than me and have other conditions related to Arachnoiditis. If you Research it you will see what it is exactly. We almost are always disabled from it and yet, even though it is on the list of conditions for disability, we have to fight. Sometimes for years. A large part of the reason for this is that doctors will call it something else other than what it is. We need help also because it is an invisible injury and we get treated horribly by some people. Divorces have occurred because of one spouse or another not being able to cope with the issues it causes us. It has torn families apart. It has ended friendships. it is a very difficult thing to live with. Unfortunately some could not live with the physical and emotional toll and ended it. I am a survivor of such an attempt. Please,I implore anyone who has read this, please sign this petition and help bring it out of the shadows and help save marriages, families and lives, even if you don't have, or know anyone with this or other chronic pain conditions. Thank You For caring enough to at least read this.