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Lower back pain / Right leg pain with numbness / burning / paralysis
Hi there I am thinking about requesting a appointment with the mayo clinic doctors to see if these folks can help me out and was wondering if there is someone on here who knows of the best doctor at the clinic that might have experience with what i have,
I constantly have pain in my lower back and constant pain in my right leg that travels all the way down to the bottom of my foot that is combined with tingling and burning and some paralysis on the right side only in my leg, the leg is tender to the touch and stops me from sitting for any length of time and it is effecting my sleep to where i only sleep a few hours each night and it prevents me from holding my wife at night ( ladies and men any suggestions on how best to hold your partner at night that would be more comfortable for me and enjoyable for my wife who loves but misses being wrapped in my arms )
I have had three major back surgeries which is funny because before i had surgery a few doctors said there was nothing wrong with my back or leg but low and behold the following surgeries were down.
I have had a surgeries on my lower discs and have had a laminectomy,microdiscectomy to remove the herniated disc and this was quit successful until recently i started to have pain and the same old feeling as before so i went back to the doctor who did the other surgeries after a few doctors told me there was nothing wrong and that i just had a sore back and after a few MRI and rays recently i have had a laminectomy with spinal fusion with implementation and i continue to have the same pain that i had when i first went in the last time to see the original doctor and although he tells me he does not see anything i ask him why do i still have the pain in my back and my leg,i got the impression that he wanted to admit he made a mistake or that the procedure did not work ( i would be fine either way but just be honest with me then i can make my own decisions)
One of the interesting things that i have noticed is that after this last surgery the pain and numbness and tingling and burning have all remained the same with the exception that i now have pain down my left arm starting at the elbow and extending downward and the only relief i get is when i walk around holding my arms up and out like a mummy
I do work alot of hrs ( Stay away from management,it will kill you lol ) and i do see a pain management doctor who does see and know that there is a problem but he just can't figure it out and he has referred me to the North American Spine Institute but i would be interested to learn if anyone here has had a similar problem or problems characteristic with mine?
Do the folks at the mayo clinic get to the bottom of the problem or just like a few doctors do they tell you oh you just have a sore back?
I can live with a 2 or a 3 level of pain but the 5 and 6 level of pain is becoming unacceptable unless i go on a stronger pain med which i do not want.
I thank you all for reading this as it was lengthy and hopefully informative enough that you could offer me advice or other places that you might have experienced better relief,better care,better outcome / results.
In closing i pray that you all have a very blessed year.
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I'm so sorry you've been through so much. I'm afraid I'm in the same boat as far as being in the dark about my condition. I have had lower back pain for 20 years. I had back surgery last year to clean up the mess that was causing the sciatic pain, numbness and atrophy in my left leg. I now have the same pain along with the same symptoms starting in my right leg. My feet are numb...it feels like I'm wearing tight socks. And (i know it makes no sense) I have the same numbness and pain in my hands and arms now. I have migranes often & headaches daily. My neck hurts a lot!! Taking 3000 mg of Gabapentin has lessened the pain...i refuse to take pain pills. (been there, done that). MRIs of my neck, back and brain talk about scar tissue, arthritis and disc buldges. But my brain is OK. The docs say they don't know why I'm in so much pain. I also have a lot of pain from sitting. The surgeon said it would go away. It hasn't. I hope you find an answer. I hope anyone in a similar situation does too.
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1 ReactionJenifwazie i am so sorry to hear about all that you have been going thru as well and i do appreciate that you took the time to email me and i wanted to pass along something someone told me about the other day and i am getting ready to try it,anyways there is a product called C-1000 that is available at any vita-mart store and usually they are located in a mall,anyways you take a teaspoon of this powder daily and as it cleans the colon it also helps to heal,it basically is vitamin c in its purest form,but i have talked to at least 7 different people from different walks of life and lifestyle that have had alot of pain and issues with the same thing that people like you and i go thru and these people are having amazing results and hey if it does not do us that good like the other folks it surely cant hurt because it is another vitamin that we get into us and the other good thing that it is really cheap,i will you keep posted and let you know if it helps me.
Thank you once again for responding
Thanks so much for passing that on!! I will definitely give it a try.
I hope it works for us too!!!!
Has anyone ever mentioned RSD/CRPS to you? I'm not saying that's what you have but it's something to research.
No, but I have read about it and although some of my symptoms are described, there are also some that are absent. The swelling and the changes in skin are not symptoms I have ever had. Thank you very much for the suggestion!! That may very well be a possibility!!
If you have tenderness to touch, reduce ur fluid intake drastically. Drink 1 glass of water 1 hour before lunch and dinner. Restrict ur water (all fluids taken together) to 2 glasses in 24 hours. This should be followed by a day giving up water for 24 hours. Alternate this for about 10 days. U will fell the difference (very significant) after first 48 hours itself. From there take own decisions. For logic see my other replies on this forum.
I believe that any surgery is harmful as all surgeries cause scar tissues. The scar tissues caused due to surgery can almost never be done with. Or it is extremely difficult to manage in less then few years. Lower back pain can be managed in less then 48 hours after onset in most of the cases by giving up food and fluids for 48 hours.
Wilwolf
Im sorry you have so much pain? Have they ever mentioned the possibility of a pinched nerve? I do agree with one of the statements in that there could be scar tissue pressing on the nerve. My cousin had back surgery and he lost total use of his one arm. But he is regaining use of it. Good luck! Did the same doctor do all the surgeries? May be time tofind another doctor?
Thank you for the replies and the thoughts and i to answer a few questions,i did stop going to the original docter after i noticed nothing changed in my back,the docter does see scar tissue but he says there is nothing he can do about it,its 330 am and i am awake with pain again, ( sorry i had a feel sad for me moment ) anyways the newest docter wants me to think about pu8tting in some kind of pain management pump that goes into your body and it is regulated by a remote, ( that would just be great,heck i sometimes lose the tv remote now can you only imagine ) hahah ,have is anyone tried this and what were your resulys ?
One again thank you all who have responded and i am wishing you a very blessed year and praying that some if not all your dreams come true this coming year.
I feel your pain. I have been going to the Mayo clinic from MD since Nov. No answers so far. If your doctor is talking about putting in a Neurostimulator I would not do it. I have turned that down after much research and speaking to people who had it implanted. If he's talking about a medtronics intrathecal pump, I would go for it! I prayed for just one pain free day after suffering for 17 years, 2 lamanectomies, visiting doctors in 4 different states. I finally had the pump surgically implanted and was 2 1/2 years pain free. Unfortunately, something new is going on now and different pain is back even though I stilll have the pump. I'm praying again that the Mayo doctors can figure out my new issue but the 2 1/2 years was very much worth have the pump implanted I have benn suffering with these problems since 1987 wo don't give up although I know sometimes things seem hopeless. I just keep it in my mind that God doesn't give us any more than we can handle. Just put it in His hands and believe He is always there for you. I can say that because I turned my back for a while and things got worse. Now that I have turned back to God I have faith He will see me through this! Best of luck to you and your family!
Thank you and i will do research into the medtronics intrathecal pump,but if you do not mind,can you elaborate on how it helped you and what was the most uncomfortable thing while wearing this device ? was there any things that you could not do while wearing this pump? how does it monitor how much meds to put into your system?
I have a very physically demanding job that at times requires me to do a lot of lifting and stacking, so do you think it would get in the way and get bumped?
Have you ever heard of caudal epidural?
I know these are a lot of questions and when and if you reply i would appreciate it very much and yes i agree with your statement that it is our faith in god that helps us thru and i know for a fact it is his strength that carries me thru every day.
I pray that god continues to strengthen you and blesses your family.