Aa
I am looking for an answer please help!!
I don't know how to relieve what I am going through. I have been experiencing pressure and back pain that starts in the middle of my back then goes up into my neck and head and face it also extends into my arms. The pressure is unbearable and there are times when I feel like I could pass out it gets so bad. I've been to a Neurologist and my owm PCP is also a DO who ran some x-rays and said my spine was perfect. Okay, all the meds I have been on have not helped me I don't know how much more of this I can take.
Trenna,
I don't think you have a fatal disease. I think that is one of we chronic pain suffers most common concern.
I have so many painful sites from the multiple injuries from a non-survivable old MVA that I did survive. I find it concerning when my pain moves or becomes acute and the medical community cannot come up with a good explanation. I cannot trust my body to tell me when pain is a signal that something is wrong or when the pain is just from one of those old injuries.
So please find some comfort that thus far your physicians have found nothing. Usually a terminal illness is found after a few medical tests...and yours have all been within limits of normal.
We will look forward to hearing from you. Hang in there.
Peace,
~Tuck
I don't think you have a fatal disease. I think that is one of we chronic pain suffers most common concern.
I have so many painful sites from the multiple injuries from a non-survivable old MVA that I did survive. I find it concerning when my pain moves or becomes acute and the medical community cannot come up with a good explanation. I cannot trust my body to tell me when pain is a signal that something is wrong or when the pain is just from one of those old injuries.
So please find some comfort that thus far your physicians have found nothing. Usually a terminal illness is found after a few medical tests...and yours have all been within limits of normal.
We will look forward to hearing from you. Hang in there.
Peace,
~Tuck
Thank you so much for your comments and suggestions I will keep you posted on what I find out...I'm having a sonogram done on my abdomen next weekend to see the condition of my gallbladder, pancreas, ect.....I just wish I could get a diagnose on this I mean what if it's fatal and I am in the dark about it....I will keep you posted....
Treena
Treena
Hello Trenna,
I am so sorry to hear that you are experiencing pain that has no diagnose. I hear your painful frustration and feeling of helplessness. With all due respect an x-ray is not the best way to take a detailed look at the structure of your spine. An MRI, especially with contrast will provide a much more detailed picture. It could provide it your physicians with some answers.
An endocrinologist specializes in the treatment of diabetes, the endocrine system. If you haven't seen one recently you might want to consider a thorough evaluation. I don't think your pain is related to your diabetes but it is possible.
A gastroenterologist will help diagnosis any digestive conditions you may have which will include your pancreas as suggested above. An Internal Medicine physician covers a bit of all of those and may be a good source too. I am suggesting that you seek out other opinions. See other practitioners.
I am treated by an Internal Medicine DO. She performs OMT. Does your DO practice this also? OMT's help control my pain.
Keeping and maintaining a daily journal of your pain, it's peaks and valleys, what makes it worse or better, what you eat, your activities and so on can be helpful for a physician in diagnosing your pain as suggested by Jaybay.
Be assertive my dear. Don't be brushed off or dismissed. You are your own best health care advocate. Insist on a diagnosis. If your current physicians are at a loss that it's time to move on and find some answers. You could be experiencing referred pain. It may take a little thinking outside the box to come up with a diagnosis. Please find that physician that is willing to do that for you.
I hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to hearing from you soon. We are here to support you. I wish you the very best.
Take Care,
~Tuck
I am so sorry to hear that you are experiencing pain that has no diagnose. I hear your painful frustration and feeling of helplessness. With all due respect an x-ray is not the best way to take a detailed look at the structure of your spine. An MRI, especially with contrast will provide a much more detailed picture. It could provide it your physicians with some answers.
An endocrinologist specializes in the treatment of diabetes, the endocrine system. If you haven't seen one recently you might want to consider a thorough evaluation. I don't think your pain is related to your diabetes but it is possible.
A gastroenterologist will help diagnosis any digestive conditions you may have which will include your pancreas as suggested above. An Internal Medicine physician covers a bit of all of those and may be a good source too. I am suggesting that you seek out other opinions. See other practitioners.
I am treated by an Internal Medicine DO. She performs OMT. Does your DO practice this also? OMT's help control my pain.
Keeping and maintaining a daily journal of your pain, it's peaks and valleys, what makes it worse or better, what you eat, your activities and so on can be helpful for a physician in diagnosing your pain as suggested by Jaybay.
Be assertive my dear. Don't be brushed off or dismissed. You are your own best health care advocate. Insist on a diagnosis. If your current physicians are at a loss that it's time to move on and find some answers. You could be experiencing referred pain. It may take a little thinking outside the box to come up with a diagnosis. Please find that physician that is willing to do that for you.
I hope you will keep in touch and let us know how you are doing. I will look forward to hearing from you soon. We are here to support you. I wish you the very best.
Take Care,
~Tuck
How about trying a gastroenterologist to check out your pancreas? Since you're diabetic, you know your pancreas is already having problems. If it's swollen, all kinds of nasty stuff can happen - including pain in the middle of your back. It's worth a try anyway. All he can say is "everything is normal." Right?
I also agree with Jamie that your pain should be treated while you search for a diagnosis. If your PCP can't handle that, ask for a referral to a pain doc.
Also while you wait, keep a pain and symptom journal. Track every symptom, every day, including anything that makes the pain better or worse. Also include medications and diet information. I've found a spreadsheet format works well for me, but others prefer a more free-form diary format. Some docs don't bother looking at the data, but some very much appreciate the effort and actually read it. You might be surprised at what you learn after a few weeks of really paying attention to symptoms and writing them down. Sometimes patterns emerge that you never noticed before.
I also agree with Jamie that your pain should be treated while you search for a diagnosis. If your PCP can't handle that, ask for a referral to a pain doc.
Also while you wait, keep a pain and symptom journal. Track every symptom, every day, including anything that makes the pain better or worse. Also include medications and diet information. I've found a spreadsheet format works well for me, but others prefer a more free-form diary format. Some docs don't bother looking at the data, but some very much appreciate the effort and actually read it. You might be surprised at what you learn after a few weeks of really paying attention to symptoms and writing them down. Sometimes patterns emerge that you never noticed before.
I would say to find a pain dr, if you can't find what is wrong I know that bugs you but you can get your pain treated if you find the right doctor. I think you should do it asap so you can get this taking care of so you can live a somewhat normal life and not feel like your going to pass out all the time.
Good luck to you,
Jamie
Good luck to you,
Jamie
Hi Treensa,
The reason that I suggested you see a Rheumatologist is because they deal with Arthritis and he may very well order an MRI if you asked him. Be sure and take ALL of your records with you and tell him ALL of your symptoms. If it's Arthritis then it could be causing some of the pain and if there is a ruptured Disc many times it takes an MRI to find it.
You must understand that Diabetes can be a VERY painful disease, unfortunately.
Are you keeping your blood sugar under control? The reason I ask is because so often it doesn't seem to make any difference in the way that you feel but you don't realize that you are being slowly destroyed (your organs) inside of your body. Just please don't take this disease lightly. You are way to young to have to live like this. I'm truly sorry for what you are going thru. I hope that you find some answers!!
Take Care and we'll be looking for your updates...Sherry
The reason that I suggested you see a Rheumatologist is because they deal with Arthritis and he may very well order an MRI if you asked him. Be sure and take ALL of your records with you and tell him ALL of your symptoms. If it's Arthritis then it could be causing some of the pain and if there is a ruptured Disc many times it takes an MRI to find it.
You must understand that Diabetes can be a VERY painful disease, unfortunately.
Are you keeping your blood sugar under control? The reason I ask is because so often it doesn't seem to make any difference in the way that you feel but you don't realize that you are being slowly destroyed (your organs) inside of your body. Just please don't take this disease lightly. You are way to young to have to live like this. I'm truly sorry for what you are going thru. I hope that you find some answers!!
Take Care and we'll be looking for your updates...Sherry
Hello, I am a Type II diabetic I am not insulin dependant only take Metformin. I have only been diabetic since 2006 I have seen a Neurologist and he said this is all neuropathty but I disagree because I don't think it would cause all the pressure I get in my upper body. There is something else going on with me and I don't know what it is and I cannot seem to find anyone who has an answer but it is getting harder and harder to live like this I almost passed out in front of a client today because the pressure in my head was so bad......My PCP did xrays and said my spine looked good and this is not muscle related so he's ruling out anything to do with my back. I am so frustrated and upset I can't even live a normal life anymore. I really want and mri done of my spine and neck to see if I have a herniated disk of some sort some people on here have said I could possibly have that. I will keep you posted on what I find out.
Treenas
Treenas
Hi hellotreena,
I'm so sorry for what you are going thru. I know it is frightening not to get the results that you want.
I have read all of your earlier posts on the other forums. I notice on all of them that you mentioned that you are a Diabetic and that all of your Dr.'s have told you that this is from your Diabetes. I know that you don't think that is what is causing all of this. Now keep in mind that we are NOT Dr.'s on here. However, I must agree with your Dr.'s. I know Diabetes very well!! I took care of my Husband for 16 years and these were the classic things that he battled EVERY single day that we were together!! He also went thru all of the tests that you have and a LOT that you haven't. Unfortunately, this is such a debilitating disease!! The part that he hated the most was the dizziness that he had all of the time. Some days it was so terrible that he would cry.
You never have said what meds that they have put you on. Only that you quit taking them because you didn't like the way you felt. Would you please tell us what you were prescribed?
I lost my husband to this debilitating disease in the summer of 1997. Do your Dr.'s know that you took yourself off of these meds? If they don't you need to let them know. There might be something else that might help you fight this disease that have a different effect on you. I'm really concerned about you. I know that this isn't a fun disease and there are so many side effects that come with it. Please believe me that EVERYTHING that you are experiencing is EXACTLY what Jean (French for Gene) also experienced. You've seen just about every Dr. that I can think of to rule out everything else. The only one that I didn't see mentioned was a Rheumatologist. You might check with one of those.
How long have you been a Diabetic? Are you having any Kidney or Heart problems as of yet? I do hope that you will work with your Dr.'s and give them a chance to help you. There's a lot of times that your body has to get used to the meds and then the side effects will go away. But you have to be willing to give them a chance. You should give them a try at least for 3 or 4 weeks before dismissing them.
Have you posted on the Diabetes Forum yet? I didn't see that listed as one of your posts? They're the ones that can really be of help to you. They would know what meds you might ask your Dr. about trying other than what you have been on already. I really think it would be worth a try.
How long have you been a Diabetic? Are you insulin dependent or are you a Type II Diabetic?
There will be other people that will be on later and maybe can give you some more insight on what this might be.
I hope that you will keep us updated on your condition. Best of luck.....Sherry
I'm so sorry for what you are going thru. I know it is frightening not to get the results that you want.
I have read all of your earlier posts on the other forums. I notice on all of them that you mentioned that you are a Diabetic and that all of your Dr.'s have told you that this is from your Diabetes. I know that you don't think that is what is causing all of this. Now keep in mind that we are NOT Dr.'s on here. However, I must agree with your Dr.'s. I know Diabetes very well!! I took care of my Husband for 16 years and these were the classic things that he battled EVERY single day that we were together!! He also went thru all of the tests that you have and a LOT that you haven't. Unfortunately, this is such a debilitating disease!! The part that he hated the most was the dizziness that he had all of the time. Some days it was so terrible that he would cry.
You never have said what meds that they have put you on. Only that you quit taking them because you didn't like the way you felt. Would you please tell us what you were prescribed?
I lost my husband to this debilitating disease in the summer of 1997. Do your Dr.'s know that you took yourself off of these meds? If they don't you need to let them know. There might be something else that might help you fight this disease that have a different effect on you. I'm really concerned about you. I know that this isn't a fun disease and there are so many side effects that come with it. Please believe me that EVERYTHING that you are experiencing is EXACTLY what Jean (French for Gene) also experienced. You've seen just about every Dr. that I can think of to rule out everything else. The only one that I didn't see mentioned was a Rheumatologist. You might check with one of those.
How long have you been a Diabetic? Are you having any Kidney or Heart problems as of yet? I do hope that you will work with your Dr.'s and give them a chance to help you. There's a lot of times that your body has to get used to the meds and then the side effects will go away. But you have to be willing to give them a chance. You should give them a try at least for 3 or 4 weeks before dismissing them.
Have you posted on the Diabetes Forum yet? I didn't see that listed as one of your posts? They're the ones that can really be of help to you. They would know what meds you might ask your Dr. about trying other than what you have been on already. I really think it would be worth a try.
How long have you been a Diabetic? Are you insulin dependent or are you a Type II Diabetic?
There will be other people that will be on later and maybe can give you some more insight on what this might be.
I hope that you will keep us updated on your condition. Best of luck.....Sherry
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