MY husband has just come out of hospital, having had really bad problems with his spine for nearly four years and has recently lost the use of his bladder.

He is only 36 years old and feels he is on the scrapheap. From being a hard working dad to being hardly able to walk at all is a lot to accept at his age.

But are there any help or support groups out there? No.

William Duffy (Letters, August 2) spoke of not getting an appointment to see a pain specialist until December. My husband has already been to the pain clinic and found it's not worth going. They see you twice, then tell you to get on with it. It's no hope.

If anyone has the same problems, we would love to hear from you. But there should be a support group for people with this painful problem.

STEPHANIE DEAN, 17 Linden Lea, Livesey, Blackburn BB2 5AG. E-mail: stephaniedean@talk21.com

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.