No diagnosis chronic pain

Thanks a million for this, my friend 😁. It’s not Sciatica as I’ve had loads of X-rays, CT scans and MRIs done over the past 10.5 years. I’ll be interested to see what Mayo doctors have to say. I hope to have all my medical records before we leave....I faxed off all the requests 3 weeks ago.

What should I do if I don’t get all my records on time?

@mrea What you have to realize is doctors look for pain patterns. Stabbing pain in front of hip = hip arthritis, if this other pain, then sciatica, etc. However, if you have an atypical presentation then you won't get diagnosed properly. Also, Dr. Kuttner mentions this in the "life after pain" book - we all have abnormalities in our spines, other parts as we age. Someone else might have worse spinal discs (or other body parts) but no pain, someone with seemingly good discs has more pain. You might not show anything on images, but something is amiss. Pain can really not generally be diagnosed from imaging - perhaps with the exception of extreme bulging of discs - then it's pretty obvious what the source is. Otherwise, quite honestly, they are guessing. If you've noticed, on letters it often says the word "impressions". They are stating their expert opinion. It should be strongly considered but not necessarily chiseled in stone, either (also things change in our bodies with time).
Most of us with chronic pain do have some degree of pain sensitization, too (hence the "life after pain" programs to minimize pain sensitization).
Ponder the nature of your pain - is it nerves or is it muscle pain. That was not described in detail. Nerve pain: healthy fats + some supplements like turmeric, perhaps other vitamins. There is actually a protocol for neuropathy pain called "the protocol works" and there is a new one called "the protocol 525". There is a facebook group and with some hunting around you can find the protocols. He uses ridiculously high levels of fats (hemp seed oil) amongst other things and tends to say if you don't do this exact thing it won't work. I don't believe that and I came up with my own protocol for supplements based on research I did that uses lower levels of vitamins, minerals, healthy fats and supplements like turmeric and flavinoids and higher vitamin C that seem to help me. Be careful, because some things, like some of the B vitamins, if taken at too high a dose can actually cause neuropathy. If you have the Muscle pain - get the muscles to unlock/relax (i.e. loosen "trigger points"' but often microcirulation issues are present; Perhaps see Dr. Fors' book "why we hurt and how we heal"). Either way you might be able to make a lot of headway with the right stretching/exercise/self-massage for trigger points program as well as diet (and supplements).

@mrea You do need to see a doctor. Of course, I'm not a medical doctor, so any suggestions need to be filtered through that knowledge. In your case, perhaps a neurologist? If it is a neuropathy that you have, it is not uncommon that they start far away and work their way up (this process is called "dying back". You could search for "dying back in neuropathy" and you'll see lots of articles. Supplements and healthy fats can help stabilize the nerves - see my other comment. I also sent you an e-mail message.

Hi all - I thought I'd jump in and share a story that I received from a fellow Connect friend, Kia, yesterday. It culminates with a Small Fiber Neuropathy diagnosis however, explores a variety of pains along with feelings of fear, uncertainty and frustration in not knowing what's wrong inside our bodies. This is a universal feeling no matter the diagnosis.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/health/pains-chills-fatigue-vomiting-and-vertigo-plagued-me-small-fiber-neuropathy-caused-it-all/2020/06/26/c9d756e0-3e0c-11ea-8872-5df698785a4e_story.html

@rwinney Good article. I believe these are the small unmyelinated fibers (as are the heat and pressure sensors of our peripheral nerves). As such, these small nerve fibers often get symptoms first. A thorough neurological exam should reveal these deficits. Often things like difficulty focusing eyes, IBS symptoms (some cases), orthostatic hypotension (almost fainting when you stand up), etc. are overlooked by patients focusing on their other chief complaint(s). If symptoms are serious see a neurologist first.

@richman54660 Agreed, 100%. Symptoms can be deceiving and misleading.

@mrea If you don't get your records in time write down where intensity of your pain frequency also any test you,e had and where ,Dr s names as some of these test can be sent directly to them

@mrea and @lioness Well said. A short summary is best. Remember, those of us with significant histories often overwhelm our Dr. and the visit may not go as well as expected. A short 1 page summary is better than 3 pages (which might overwhelm). Be sure to mention current chief complaint(s)/major (and minor symptoms), major impressions from past doctors and tests results from others and current and past meds. This might be a case where less is more. If you give him 50 pages of docs he might not really look them over (sad to say).

Thanks a million for this! Fortunately, I do have my most recent records from my GP, psychiatrist and all my images from my xrays, CT scans and MRIs. I am praying my records from my neurologist and my nerve conduction study records get to me in time 🤞

Thank you so much! I was actually planning to do exactly this but it’s a good reminder....seems I forget a lot things unless I write it down! I think chronic pain truly messes with our ability to focus.