help

[neecey73]

Hello I'm 40 years old just at my wits end. For almost a year now I keep getting returning back/rib pain that shoots around my side up into my chest. After months of just coping at work and it nearly bringing me down I went to the doctor. At that time he felt I had pulled my rib cartilage away from my ribs and suggested physical therapy.  After months of therapy this pain continued to reappear. Since then I also started with severe low back pain along with it.  I.have had 2 mri on spine all not showing anything significant.  I have also began having numbness in my legs and spasms to the point you can actually see the twitching in both legs, weakness in my left leg,being off balance,stiffness when getting up.  I was more less blown off and told to listen to my body but return to work. Which I tried to explain I have a very physical factory position and the the pain gets severe while working. I have always dealt with the pain without use of narcotics (even refusing them when suggested) until recently when it has become unbearable.  After doing some research I have also realized in the past couple years I have had some other troublesome symptoms. Several years ago I began having a severe facial twitch that effected my left eye and face and the dr did a brain mri and said everything was fine I have blephora spasm syndrome. After refusing to continue taking the horrible drugs they suggested I tried botox injections. They worked but I hate getting them.  I have also had many bladder infections and the last time I had no infection but was having bladder spasms(very painful) which they had no explanation for.  My question is could all of this be related? And could it neurological? Also if you get a clear brain mri can you still have ms!?! Please help. Im close to losing my job and my sanity! 

[neecey73]

Thanks for your input. its much appreciated.  To answer your question yes we do ha e an ergonomics expert at our facility. I do have a very active job that requires alot of walking and lifting an etc.   But not sure this work related at all sin e its veen a very gradual thing its hard to say.

Im not convinced the facial twitch is related to any of the other symptoms or not at this point

I do have an appointment for another opinion on Tuesday so hopefully I can get some answers then.

Im having a very difficult time at work. I start the day with some pain but feel as if I can do my job without issues then through the day it gets very difficult. The back pain is horrible the leg spasms and weaknesses is unbearable. Although I try to keep moving and act is if all is good apparently I'm not succeeding because management sent me home from work because the pain was apparently more obvious than I knew.  Once I get home and lay down for a couple the pain eases up substantially.


I have done physical therapy ive tried new shoes,inserts and etc.  Im so frustrated and usually overcome pain issues but its become so unbearable. I just want to be able to do my job and live life normal again


Thanks for your time and suggestions!

[philnoir]

This sounds like a typical chronic pain syndrome, when pain changes during the day, going from level 1 to level 5 within an hour, which means that your pain may have progressed beyond simple repetitive strain injury.

Again, I stress the importance of interventional pain management with a board certified pain doctor. I've lived with back disease for over 30 years, and only when I met one of these doctors did I discover the multiple reasons for my chronic pain and receive some treatment to lower my pain levels. Since I have chronic pain also, these levels change during the day.

Chronic pain is, in itself, a diagnosis. It may be caused by other diseases, but after a long enough time in pain, chronic pain becomes a disease of the nervous system. One's body generates pain signals even without external painful stimuli.

Most doctors are completely unaware of this disease, and see pain as a symptom of some other pathology. They are correct when pain is acute pain, and lasts for 6 months or less, but chronic pain is a horse of a different color. This is the main reason why you need to see a real pain doctor.

Best wishes.

[neecey73]

Thanks for your input. its much appreciated.  To answer your question yes we do ha e an ergonomics expert at our facility. I do have a very active job that requires alot of walking and lifting an etc.   But not sure this work related at all sin e its veen a very gradual thing its hard to say.

Im not convinced the facial twitch is related to any of the other symptoms or not at this point

I do have an appointment for another opinion on Tuesday so hopefully I can get some answers then.

Im having a very difficult time at work. I start the day with some pain but feel as if I can do my job without issues then through the day it gets very difficult. The back pain is horrible the leg spasms and weaknesses is unbearable. Although I try to keep moving and act is if all is good apparently I'm not succeeding because management sent me home from work because the pain was apparently more obvious than I knew.  Once I get home and lay down for a couple the pain eases up substantially.


I have done physical therapy ive tried new shoes,inserts and etc.  Im so frustrated and usually overcome pain issues but its become so unbearable. I just want to be able to do my job and live life normal again


Thanks for your time and suggestions!

[BetterGetBetter]

When your doctor can't find anything, but you are having intense symtoms, I would always consider getting a second opinion from a different doctor, in a different office, at a different practice.

One MRI may be read and interpreted as, "normal," by one doctor, but another doctor may look at the same MRI and say, "Uh oh, you need surgery right away."

I'm not saying that's your case. I'm just saying that it is surprising how important a second opinion may be.

I would like to second what the previous respondant said so well:
"Since this is a pain forum, I'll recommend you visit a board certified pain specialist, an anesthesiologist with advanced training in the spine, the spinal nerves, and pain management."

[philnoir]

Neecey - sounds terrible. The back pain could be from spine disease, but with MRI ruling out this possibility, doctors have to look to other areas.

Sometimes muscle spasm can be quite painful -- crippling even. You mention factory work, which may be an important clue. Factory workers often are required to adapt their bodies to the equipment they operate. Could your pain be related to your occupational activities?

For instance, repetitive stress injuries affect thousands of American workers. Any kind of work can cause repetitive stress -- even desk work -- but if you are standing for long periods of time without the ability to lean or place one foot on a higher support, like a bar rail, this kind of activity, over time, can cause severe muscle pain.

Does your organization have an ergonomics expert that can help configure your workstation? Has this been tried?

Incidentally, the other symptoms, like facial twitch, could be a sign of stress. Frequent bladder infections should be explored -- this is not normal, and may not be related to work, but still needs exploration.

Yes, this could be a weird neurological problem, but often in medicine, the simplest solutions are the most likely culprits and should be pursued first, so I wouldn't recommend running off to a neurologist, and certainly not a surgeon of any kind. Surgeons have one tool -- surgery -- and you have no indication that you need surgery.

I'm not trying to minimize your symptoms, but I once had a job where I spent the entire day on my feet. I developed severe back aches and sciatica type pains, but the problem was not in my spine, but in my shoes. They did not provide the support I needed to spend the day on my feet. New shoes with arch support fixed that problem.

I'm not saying that new shoes will fix your problems, but you should explore these kinds of solutions before you imagine all sorts of terrible medical problems.

If these "listening to your body" type remedies do not help, seek specialized help. The doctors you're currently seeing are not helping. Sometimes we need to move on if our current providers do not have answers for us.

Since this is a pain forum, I'll recommend you visit a board certified pain specialist, an anesthesiologist with advanced training in the spine, the spinal nerves, and pain management.

Best of luck -- I wish I could have been more helpful, but I want to encourage you to seek out the treatment you need. Often we have to manage our own health because our PCPs are either not competent or not interested in going beyond their comfort range.

Keep learning, keep asking questions, and find those practitioners who can offer you solutions.

[trixy71]

wow, i' sorry to hear of your troubles. I'm not a doctor so I can't even guess what it could be, but it does sound neurological, so I guess I would start with getting a referral to a neurologist or neurosurgeon to start with. They would have better idea's of what to look for and test for, than a regular family doctor. If your family doctor won't give you a referral, just call a few up and see what they say, many don't require one anymore. Good luck and let us know how things progress for you.