right lower back hip and leg pain for 10 years

[sheerbliss]

i am writing hoping someone somewhere can help. It started ten years ago I feel off a table causing me to do the splits and hurting myself. Over the years i have been to every kind of Dr. to go to for my back.  I have pain on the right lower back and pain down my leg and hip and sometimes it goes to my ankle area. The pain in my hip area never goes away. One Dr. said I had bursidus in my hip so he gave me injections  a few times and it did seem to help the hip only alittle. Now they tell me that they don't think i have bersidus in my hip. I have had every test and have done every treatment there is I think. I also have had 2 sets of steroid injuections. Nothing seems to cure the pain. I have spasms in my back and it puts me in bed sometimes for days up to two weeks. In Febuary I had a real bad spasm causing me to be disfigured I couldn't straighten myself for days.  After I started to get better I now have burning pain in my left shoulder area I went to the Dr. and she sent me to a surgen and he sent me to a hip Dr. after doing a MRI and telling me I have issues on my left side but nothing on my right side that could be causing the pain i have. I recently went to see a hip Dr. and another ortho. dr. for my shoulder. They did xrays of both and of course found nothing so i am scheduled for 2 MRI's soon. One for my neck for the shoulder burning and the other for my hip area. The Dr's are always baffled and don't really know what to tell me so they always send me for test I think just to say they found nothing. This has taken over my life and I can not deal with it anymore. The MRI is to see now if i have tendonitis. I'm to the point where I don't know what to do anymore. I will do nothing for a while and then something will happen and I have to see the Dr. and it starts all over again. They always refer me to pain meds but I can't take them very often only when it's unbearable to deal with. I can not exercise, work in my yard, even when I fold clothes I have to set on the bed sometimes lay on the bed because I will start hurting so bad. All the things I enjoy doing I can't really do much anymore because it puts me down for so many days. i am at my witts end. This is no way to live and I feel like I'm going crazy. Why can't someone see something. Please if anyone has any answers please respond back. I would love to hear from you.

[opus88]

Hi...I can relate to your frustration! I suffered with back pain and leg pain along with sciatica for 10 yrs as well b4 I was finally sent 4 an MRI....I was lucky and that did show some of the problem as being  herniated disks,,,I have survived on pain meds the last 2 yrs. Now with the pain esculating the meds had to be changed to something harder. and I am also trying cortisone injections so far just to the hips but am considering the recommendation of also using for my spine.....I first 2-3 weeks I had alot of relief to hip pain (not the legs)...but now most of the pain has returned which makes me wonder if the injections r worth while??
I 'm sorry I don't know what to suggest for you, like I said I was lucky to have been at least partially dx'd with the MRI....Have u had a BONE SCAN?
Don't give up!! keep on pushing for more referrals and tests....someone out there has to have the expertise to find your problem.
best of luck

[sheerbliss]

Thanks so much for your response. I was put on nerve management medication for a month. The medicine was not working so they took me off of them. I'm sure there are several other pain managements available that I may need to look into if the MRI's aren't helpful this time.
It gets very emotional at times when I go from Dr. to Dr. test after test and not alot comes out of it. The pain is always there and some days are better than others. I spend most of my time sitting or laying. In the past I was very hopefull but after 10yrs. I'm not so much anymore.
Thanks again for your kind words.

[kittyluv1]

I am sorry to hear of your persistent health problems.  Chronic pain can be quite frustrating and limiting as you so accurately depicted.
It sounds as though you have pursued many different treatment options without significant relief.   The fact that your prior MRIs and diagnostic tests have not provided definite causes for the nature and extent of your symptoms makes treatment options more difficult.
Should the results of your scheduled MRIs not point to any specific abnormalities, it would probably be best for a referral to a pain management specialist.  These specialists do not just prescribe pain medications but also can address the emotional responses to chronic pain.  While the lack of a definite diagnosis may hinder your current physicians ability to select a specific diagnosis, the pain management team will be able to assist you in coping with the pain.  It can change your ability to function and help you regain your ability to perform usual activities.  There may be support groups that can give you the opportunity to meet others experiencing similar problems and provide additional help.
If you have test reports indicating clinical findings that may need further explanation, you could post them on the board and see if anyone has similar results and how they are doing.  
I wish you the best --- it must be very difficult.