Troubles with Chronic Back Pain

[Phillip97gt]

For what seems to be about two months now, I have been having major back issues. I am no novice to this since I have herniated discs at L4 L5 and S1 along with arthritis (Osteophyte) in my lower back, along with some stenosis on the left side canal (found in 2006). This recent flare up was pretty bad. It was so bad that at night, I would lay in bed and when I wanted to roll from say my back to my side (didn't matter which), the pain was absolutely excruciating and sharp, usually sending it down my left buttock and leg. This went on for a couple of weeks. It seemed like standing or sitting where my most comfy positions. Well, even though standing up while holding my baby from say the sofa hurt, I did it one time when I was going to put her down for the evening and on my way to standing up, that sharp knife like pain hit and I almost fell (I was about 1/2 way to standing). I would have fallen had it not been for the fact that I had my baby in my hands. I can't remember when the stiffness started, but I know it happened mostly at work. I am a computer tech and spend most of the day planted in my chair and they are not exactly the best chairs to be in. What would happen is if I sat for more than say 5 minutes, usually leaning over my bench, and if I needed to stand up, I would stand, and it would take me about 20 seconds before I could stand fully erect! The pain would be down my left leg again and I could not force myself up, only time would allow me to straighten up. The pain was not as intense as before. Once straightened up, I was fine ok, still a bit stiff. This went on for about 1.5 weeks, with no sign of relief in sight. It started to get a little better, but then I noticed that I had topical numbness directly behind the right three toes of my right foot, some numbness on the front pad directly below, up the front of my ankle and up the back of my right calve. After about a week of that, I noticed that below my right big toe, it felt numb, like I was walking with my sock all wadded up in my shoe. Well, that is when my anxiety kicked in. If any of you are anxious by nature, then you know what happens. I though first it could be my shoes, after all, they were seriously worn out (work/dress shoes). I am a big guy, 6' 2" 300 pounds. I wear them out on the outer heal and outer middle shoe. So, the next day, I go and buy a pair of Dockers with a thick heavy rubber sole (shoes way 1.5 pounds each). They felt very comfortable, but my right foot kept feeling funny (I think I expected it to cure it right away). So after a few days (mind you, my back still was hurting, my legs started feeling heavy, kinda rubbery. My thighs feel kinda rubbery, kinda hard to describe it. Feels like my left thigh is unstable or weak Also, in my left foot, it hurts on the top, directly in front of my ankle and on the inside of the left ankle. The pain is not so bad now in my back. Mostly after periods of inactivity does it hurts when I move. It actually feels pretty good to punch my butt cheek with my fist. I do not know where to start as far as doctors go. Can anyone relate or have had similar issues?I do have twitches, pretty much in my legs but also in some other areas. Not sure when they started. I think about the same time my anxiety kicked in with my legs. This morning, when I was in the bathroom, I was checking out my calves and found a small shallow dent in my left rear one, only visible when flexed. The right one does not have any. I have told my GP about my worries and (before I found the dent), and he didn’t seem to worry. Since all of this started, I have lost about 25 pounds in a little over a month. I hate being paranoid and scared. I have a family to take care of. Anyone been here before?

 

[AllGoodHere]

Oh yeah, it sounds too familiar. This is how I ended up in the neurologist's office - with stabbing pains that could just about throw me down. It's scary and hurts like crazy but it is not going to kill you unless you are a tight-rope walker. Got lots of jokes from my family about being a victim of voodoo as it really did feel like someone was stabbing me with an ice pick - esp. in the morning - literally took my breath away. My doc told me I ruptured 2 discs, possibly from constant muscle spasms in my back over an extended period of time due to BCFS (how could he say exactly?); the fluid the discs were seeping was causing nerve pressure which caused the pain. Severe pain - the body's way of telling you something is wrong. It took 6 months to heal but happy to report that they did completely heal. I was warned though that once this happens you are more likely to have it happen again. What I did for myself: started doing little ab exercises (NOT curving my back so most are done flat on your back - toe touches with knees bent, leg lifts, etc.), made my workspace more ergonomic (check your keyboard and monitor height, feet planted correctly etc. - some web stuff about this on health/med sites), tried to monitor more closely my posture (abs in gently, shoulders relaxed, spine in alignment), stayed away from bending and twisting activities as much as possible (imagine you have armour on your torso and you can't bend it - especially in the area of rupture), and tried to be patient. The last one was the hardest. Also, it helps if you change your position, get up frequently and stretch a little. At home I sit on a balance ball (large exercise ball, AKA swedish ball, yoga ball, pilates ball) as you have to balance it so it's less passive....it's also wonderful to lay on and get a passive stretch. Your thigh to shin angle should be 90degrees or it is the wrong height for you. Some people at work now keep them in their office(hey, I started a fad) as most realize that sitting in front of a computer for years is not conducive to a pain free life.But, yes, you should go see an doc. I'm not an doc, and I wouldn't trust what anybody on the web told me about my body and who knows what is going on until you get some analysis? A simple spinal xray will show the disc problems, manipulation will give them more answers for a diagnosis, they may want to do an MRI. It also sounds like you may have some sciatica - a nerve running through your pelvis is again getting restricted and causing pain - pressure in the buttock can relieve it. I also had this along with several other sprains, strains, blah blah blah. This will cause tingling, fasics, in legs, toes, weakness, etc. There are exercises you can do to relieve it - the therapist will give them to you. Here's some examples: . The ortho guys really didn't help me much with this kind of stuff - the neurologist was better - a good physical therapist helped a little. They can't really heal you - just help you to understand exactly what the problem is and hopefully give you some coping and healing tips. Your body has to heal itself with your help.In other words, you are going to be OK but you are going to have to deal with it the best you can and enjoy your life as much as possible along the way. You have to be tough emotionally if you do have BCFS. It helps to be stubborn. It helps to have a good neuro (some neurologists know little about this condition so you may have to shop around) especially if it turns out that you have BCFS. Good luck and wish you the best.

 

[Quickrider]

Hi phils97gtI have spent lots of time examining my calves and legs and I've found many small dents here and there that are not present on the other side. I don't worry about dents any more. You wouldn't have to search for atrophy. It would be very apparent.Sandra

 

[angusglover]

HeyLook on the bright side...numbness ABSOLUTELY rules out the one that most of us here are scared of So that is something to be thankful for. Hope you start to feel better soon.

 

[angusglover]

HeyLook on the bright side...numbness ABSOLUTELY rules out the one that most of us here are scared of So that is something to be thankful for. Hope you start to feel better soon.