Determination of problem?

[Unclereeky]

On July 5, 2012, I sustained and injury that has to be the most painful injury I've ever felt.  I was sitting on the floor changing my son's diaper.  When I was finished, all I did was try to get up, but was knocked to my ack when I felt this sharp stabbing and burning pain in my hip, inner and outer thigh.  Since then..the pain has centralized in the outer thigh area...feeling like its burning whie I'm at rest.  When I move at all, the ain in my right thigh..both inner and outer is unbearable.
     I've had x-rays, which found nothing, a cat scan where the diagnosis was meralgia paresthetica and lastly, a chiropractor gave his two cents and said he thought I had a Grade II or GradeIII tear in my right hip flexor. I had been given neurontinn/gabupentin, Vicodin and a list of things to don't hometown try and alleviate the pain...none of which worked. The only thing that seems to help, but only fort a short time is when I get in our hot tub for about 30 minutes..making sure the jets are on high on placed right on the areas that are in pain.  I usually do this prior to bedtime to help me get to sleep...which is something I dont get a lot of since the onset of this injury.  My wife even went a got me a two motor hospital bed due to te fact I wasn't able to climb steps to get to my bedroom.
      I finally could not stand the pain anymore. I went to the emergency room..again.  Finally saw an orthopedic specialist on 7/18. At first, I thought this guy just wanted to see and hear e scream in pain..but afterwards,I knew he was just trying to be thorough.  The orthopedic specialist diagnosis was that he agreed with the meralgia paresthetica.but felt that here were other complications in the lower back and with te femoral nerve. He ordered a MRI and said they would call me to schedule it. It's now 7/22...the pain hasn't subsided at all since 7/5...I have good insurance..SO WHAT IS THE HOLD UP?  X-rays...cat scans..chiropractors...orthopedic specialist...from 7/5 to te present date..neurontin doesn't work, Vicodin doesn't work..bed rest doesn't work..hot tub seems to do something..if only for a little while...so why can't anyone help me?  There is one more thing that's like Icing on the cake..after I get the MRI..whenever that may be..the hospital scheduled an appt for the results of the MRI on 8/1...it's like no one is listening..THIS PAIN IS UNBEARABLE...HELP!


This discussion is related to is this ms..

[ggreg]

I look forward to what the doc can see on the MRI as relates to your nerves!  I remember I had two episodes within a couple weeks of each other back in the spring of a special pain I didn't mention before, it was like the pain sciatica patients have, I believe.  I have had lower back pain, real sharp, for years, along with other types of pain in other parts of my back.  Well, anyway, this pain was a different nerve pain than other nerve pains I've had.  Usually my nerve pain stings and it hurts to move, like my thoracic spine nerves wrap around the chest, and when they get to bothering me, I can barely breathe because the motion moves the nerves.  I keep going off the subject.  But this new nerve pain was what I think they refer to as sciatica.

I'm telling you, that sciatica-like experience paralyzed me in pain, I absolutely could not move and there was this kind of electrical buzz that went from my lower back, down the side of my leg to just below the knee.  It was painful, vibrated, and the zing made my leg stiffen long-ways, kind of a tug real hard from origin of pain to foot.  Almost as soon as it started, it stopped.  It happened again in a couple weeks.  I think the surge of electricity is what caused me to unconsciously stretch my leg out, and somehow that took all the pressure off the sciatic nerve or whatever lumbar nerve it is that goes down into the leg.  

So, if you're feeling the same sort of buzzy electrical STUNNING pain, where you can do nothing but writhe, basically, that is indeed most likely a trapped nerve.  So,while you're awaiting your test results, when your kind of pain hits, if there's any way you can gently stretch out your back and leg as far as you can, not forward or backward, rather just straight down, could be it'll pull the bones apart enough to where any trapped nerve will come unstuck.  But I don't want you to injure yourself further, so be careful.  For me, that stretching was automatic, and since the pain only lasted about 30 seconds to a minute and then disappeared, and since it caused my leg to stretch waaaay out without me doing anything, I think if you have a trapped nerve like I did, could be it'll help for you to tug your leg straight downwards..

Of course, like you, nobody cares in the slightest that I not only have had that sciatica type nerve blast, but that it constantly feels like a knife is stuck in the small of my back and is being twisted whenever I get up to do anything.  I have to beg for an increase in my meds in September when I see my regular neuro again.  He's put me off before, but this time, NO WAY can i go on without an increase in what I'm taking.  And get this, my MRI did not show any nerve damage.  When my doc called and told me that, I felt like saying, "Well, isn't that dandy!  That means my pain must be from a hidden bullet that hit me from a drive-by shooting whilst watching television."  Hahahahaha.  But I didn't say that.  Next time, tho, I will.  I mean, the MRI did show facet joint degeneration from all this arthritis I got, not to mention twisted and bent bones, impinging on the spinal cord (I can hardly wait to get a wheelchair).... ohhh, I'm going on too long now.  But I did want to bring you some more info, and also let you know that you are not alone in this terrible thing.

[Unclereeky]

Thanks for the reply.  I as like you when it comes to the hot tub..I thought it had to be something wrong with the muscles..but..after I would get out..I would put on something called BenGay Zero Degrees..which would burn like all get out..but after about 20 minutes..the pain was bearable to where I could get to the bathroom or even go get something to eat..trying to be less of a burden to those who have waited on me since this started. But..shortly after the two hours..the burning sensation on the inner and outer part of my thigh would return and back to the hot tub I would go.  In the past, I've pulled muscles..and with stretching and therapy..they have healed.  This is another reason why I think my problem is nerve related.  Something is pinching or there is compression on a nerve somewhere which is causing this pain or burning sensation.  I mean it..I've never felt anything like this..and the doctors must think I'm kidding.  Everytime I got to an appointment, they always take my temp, blood pressure and heart beat.  Usually, my BP is around 128/78...here recently, at every appointment..my BP has been way up..around 160/100...which is a sure sign that I'm in pain..but the doctors ask me if I have ever had a problem with High Blood Pressure..lol.  
   I go to the doctor for the results of the MRI..I sure hope they can tell me something. I'll keep you posted.

Thanks again for the comment

Unclereeky

[ggreg]

I know what it's like to have pain that is unrelenting, however I have had to deal with it for so long, I take just enough medicine to make it thru the day without winding up upset, frustrated, and in pain.  Now, I broke some bones in my back in a car wreck, compression fractures, and this caused my back muscles to be wrenched over permanently to the side.  My MUSCLES are actually what cause me half my pain all these years.  They can hurt almost as much as a broken bone when they get to spasming.

So, I think the chiropractor is the smartest man in the room.  I would have thought, tho, that a torn muscle would have showed up in the CT scan, but you know what, straining a muscle can disable you real quick, too, and that won't show up in any test, other than how well you move.  The thing that tipped me off it might be your muscles is because the hot tub bath helped it.  This is because the heat relaxes the muscles.

You could probably use some muscle relaxers, and an increase in dose strength of the Neurontin and Vicodin for another month.  You have got to get that group of muscles calmed down and in a state of relaxation.  Massage will help that and your wife is the perfect person to do a good job of that for you, keep a hot water bottle or heating pad on it as often as is comfortable, and find a way to take tension off those muscles by propping a few pillows under it.  If you're going to walk at all, use a cane to put all your weight on it instead of that leg.

You can call the doc who ordered the MRI and wake him up to his duties.  In the meantime, i'd go see a sports medicine doc.  They are expert in all sorts of whacked-out muscle injuries from a sudden change in muscle activity that leads to injury.  They might can even come up with a brace of some kind to keep your leg from moving around at all, when you have to get up and go somewhere in the house or outside.

Keep in mind, I'm not an expert.  I just know from live experience the difference between the three kinds of nerve pain I deal with, the bones, the muscles, and the nerves.  Now, could be they can get that nerve entrampment thing straight and you'll be good as new.  But, you see, you can't go up stairs.  If it was a nerve problem, you could probably still go up the stairs, altho it would hurt.  I think your muscles have given out.  I hope it's not a tear, but all of this can be taken up with a sports medicine doc.  Those would be my thoughts.