Aa
Aa
A
A
A
Close
784178 tn?1236235015

Chronic Pain, widespread

Hi, I'm a 27 yr old male, 6' 200lbs.. relatively healthy.   The last few months I was diagnosed with GAD, social anxiety, panic disorder with agoraphobia.  I'm prescribed 1/2 mg of klonopin 3 times daily.  That's the only medication I take, although my doctor wants to put me on an anti-depressant.  

Anyways, a month or so before I was diagnosed with everything above, I was into the doc for chronic neck pain.  He took an xray and said my neck was "rather" straight.  He said this was because of muscle spasms due to anxiety.  He prescribed me a muscle relaxer.. forget the name, but ineffective at best.  I took just a few before I tossed it out.  The pain I was dealing with was mainly my neck and upper shoulders.  

Ever since I've gotten the anxiety controlled a bit better, I have been feeling a lot of pain in my lower back and especially my knees.   I have to stretch my legs constantly throughout the day because my legs hurt so bad.  It hurts the worst right behind my knees.  It's an achy feeling that never goes away.  

Also, with my left knee I have more problems.  It hurts about 3 to 4 times as bad as the right.  

When I was about 13 or 14 I was running as fast as I could through this field.   I tripped over a rock with my right foot and landed forward with my left knee on a huge rock.  I had an egg the size of a baseball on my leg.  I didn't have insurance at the time and my mom couldn't get me to go to the er.  Now, I can feel an indentation on my kneecap where my knee met the rock.  It's almost as if there is a "hole" in my kneecap.  

Lately, whenever I moved my left knee it pops.  The other day I was on my knees picking up my daughter's mess and when I stood up my left knee popped and it hurt so bad.  Probably an 8 or 9 grade and it "locked up" for like 2 hours where I could barely move it and when I did it was very sore.  I've been having this sharp pain in the side of that knee that radiates to the hole and halfway down my shin.  This pain is very debilitating.

I also was born with my knees slightly crooked and had low muscle tone in my legs and stomach area.  I had taken steroids to strengthen my muscles and even wore braces on my legs for the first few months that I learned to walk.  (which was late, at about 18 months..very late).  

I'm afraid to go to the doctor because I don't want him thinking that I'm a drug seeker because I'm already prescribed a narcotic and I'm afraid he won't believe that a 27 yr old male who looks pretty healthy would be dealing with such pain.  

I don't know if I had ever needed surgery on my knee and it scares me that after 12 -13 years of having a hole in my knee I'll need some extensive surgery as I've never had surgery in my life.  

I'm just looking for a little support/advice on what I should do with my current situation.  

I've tried every OTC pain reliever for my knees and nothing has even helped in the slightest.  My knee pain is getting so bad that I hardly complain... or even notice for that matter, about my back/neck/shoulder pains.  They seem non existant anymore.  

Everyday I have been dreading awakening to deal with this terrible pain all day long.  I hate it.  I'm too young to feel like this.  

Thank you for those that read and thank you if you reply.

Joe
4 Responses
Sort by: Helpful Oldest Newest
784178 tn?1236235015
Just got back from the doc.  He did xrays on both my knees from 3 different angles.  

What he had to say was not what I wanted to hear.  He said that everything in my knee seemed to fit together fine.. that they were properly spaced.   He said that I had some arthritis in my knees, but nothing unusual for my age.... hmm

To my surprise.. there isn't much damage to my knee that I injured.  There's a dime size indent on the top of my kneecap, but it didn't show on the xray.

I told him about how I feel when I wake up and he told me to get more exercise.  Boy, I'd love to try that one, but there's snow everywhere and I have a 20 month old daughter that I can't just drag outdoors for hours for me to exercise.

He didn't feel I needed a referral and prescribed me what I'm guessing is junk.  He prescribed me Requip.  I just took my first one, so I'll see how that goes.  From what I read, it increases dopamine levels in the brain, so maybe it'll at least put me in a better mood.  

Another thing to my surprise, I noticed that it's for Parkinson's disease and RLS.   Does he think it's RLS?  All he told me when I asked what was wrong and why that it was a muscle thing.  

Bah, I hate my doctor.. so nice of guy.. but so unwilling to give someone immediate relief.

He's not the one who prescribed me the Klonopin.   It was my doc at a mental health clinic.

Thank you all for responding!
Helpful - 0
547368 tn?1440541785
Hi Joleesdad,

Welcome to MedHelp's Pain Management Forum. I am very glad that you have found us. However I am very sorry to hear about your pain and your GAD diagnosis. Life is never easy and pain adds to the challenges.

It is correct that depression and anxiety can add to our pain. You describe a fairly traumatic childhood injury which may or may not be related to your current knee issues. I have recently done a lot of reading on disorder of the knee because I have to have surgery on my patella (knee cap) and cartilage.

Locking and popping episodes are very suggestive, cardinal symptoms of a meniscus tear. The meniscus are tough cartilages that are between the femur and knee and the tibia and knee. Put simply they are like a lining and absorb shocks and help the bones slide and glide easier over one another. There are two menisci in your knee. The the medial meniscus is on the inside of your knee and the lateral meniscus is on the outside of your knee.

The chronic aching and stiffness does sound like an arthritis as Mollyrae suggested. There are several types of arthritis and this should be diagnosed.

If you have a good PCP he/she should not look at you are a drug seeker. You said you already prescribed a narcotic so your PCP apparently trusts that you are not an abuser of medications. When you discuss this with him you should not approach it that you need pain medications but that you need answers and a diagnosis due to the pain. I would call today for an appointment. If they are able to discover what is happening with your knee and legs than you can go from there. Knee pain can make your leg hurt too. It does mine.  

Good luck to you. Please let us know how you are doing. We are here to support you in any way we can. I will look forward to your updates. Take Care, Tuck
Helpful - 0
760862 tn?1243097304
ALL OF US THAT SUFFER SOME FORM OF CHRONIC PAIN IN OUR BODIES HAVE GONE THROUGH THE THOUGHTS OF NOT WANTING TO GO TO THE DOC BECAUSE WE FEEL EMBARASSED TO ASK FOR PAIN MEDS BECAUSE WE ARE AFRAID WE WILL BE THOUGHT OF AS A DRUG SEEKER.  BUT, THE REALITY IS, IS THAT IF YOUR LIFE IS BEING DIMINISHED BECAUSE OF THE PAIN, THAN YES, YOU NEED TO SEEK MEDICAL TREATMENT.  SOMETIMES KNEE SURGERY ISNT ALL THAT BAD, THEY USE A SCOPE MOST OF THE TIME, IT MIGHT BE TORN CARTLIDGE PLUS ARTHRITIS.  BUT, DO NOT BE AFRAID TO TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR ABOUT THE PAIN MEDICINE.  HE CAN HELP YOU TO BE COMFORTABLE AGAIN.  I WAS IN A VERY BAD MOTORCYCLE ACCIDENT 4 MONTHS AGO AND HAVE R.A. IN ABOUT 70% OF MY JOINTS AND I EVEN FELT UNCOMFORTABLE ASKING FOR PAIN MEDS.  BUT, I WAS HONEST WITH HIM AND EVEN TOLD HIM THAT I WAS EMBARRASED ASKING FOR MEDS BUT, I HAD TO OR ELSE RIP MY HAIR OUT AND ANYBODY THAT I WOULD WONDER TO CLOSE TO MY HOSPITAL BED :-)    AND HE PRESCRIBED ME PAIN MEDS.

THE BOTTOM LINE IS DO NOT BE INTIMIDATED BY WHAT OTHERS MAY THINK, IT IS YOUR LIFE AND THEY DO NOT WAKE UP WITH PAIN AND DREAD THE THOUGHT OF GOING THROUGH THE PAIN AND TRAUMA YOU GO THROUGH, YOU NEED TO DO WHAT WILL HELP YOU, BE STRONG, SEE YOUR DOC AND KEEP US UPDATED, IF YOU WANT TO CHAT OR HAVE QUESTIONS OR JUST CANT SLEEP JUMP ON THE CHAT......................FREEZING IN MONTANA STILL :-)
Helpful - 0
535089 tn?1400673519
Hi Joe and welcome to MedHelp's Pain Forum.

It seems as though you have quite a bit on your " Medical" plate. I feel that part of this is related to your stress level. Stress as I'm sure you know can cause many physical symptoms and can actually make you sick or cause pain. Putting that aside, it sounds like you have developed some Arthritis in your joints. Old injuries can definitely cause Arthritis.

I know all too well the feeling of being in pain and not wanting to sound like a drug seeker. Have you discussed your knee pain with your Doctor? I would recommend an x-ray or even better and MRI. This will determine whether or not you are suffering from Arthritis.

As far as medicating the pain, be up front with your Doctor. Explain to him/her that your quality of life has diminished because of the constant pain and that you need some relief from it. Depression and pain go hand in hand and maybe this is part of the reason you're feeling depressed. Anyway....Just be upfront and honest. Don't worry about feeling like a drug seeker when you're in so much pain.

I wish I had more sound advise for you. Please take care and know that we are here for you. Also. please keep us posted. Let me know the outcome of your visit to the Doc.

Mollyrae

Helpful - 0
Have an Answer?

You are reading content posted in the Pain Management Community

Top Pain Answerers
Avatar universal
st. louis, MO
317787 tn?1473358451
DC
Learn About Top Answerers
Didn't find the answer you were looking for?
Ask a question
Popular Resources
Find out how beta-blocker eye drops show promising results for acute migraine relief.
Could it be something you ate? Lack of sleep? Here are 11 migraine triggers to look out for.
Find out if PRP therapy right for you.
Tips for preventing one of the most common types of knee injury.
Here are 10 ways to stop headaches before they start.
Tips and moves to ease backaches