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Seeking insight for unexplained chronic leg pain
Hi, my name is Izabella and I’m 19. For the past two years I’ve been dealing with constant, unexplained leg pain that started out of nowhere. One morning in June 2023 I woke up with pain in my leg and it never went away. There was no accident, injury, or illness before it. Since then:
- The pain is constant and gets worse with walking, standing, or even sitting
- The only relief I get is when I’m lying down or massaging it. Relief goes away when activity ends
- I also experience twitches in that leg
- The pain follows the exact line of the sciatic nerve, but a pelvic MRI showed nothing
Here’s what I’ve tried:
- Two MRIs, an ultrasound, multiple X-rays, and a nerve conduction test (all normal)
- Bunion surgery that didn’t change the pain
- Physical therapy, physiotherapy, dry needling, cupping, functional medicine, and two different medications
- Seen over eight doctors in orthopedics, neurology, rheumatology, sports medicine, pain management, PCP, endocrinology, gynecology, all with no answers
Other avenues explored:
- Ruled out PCOS/ovarian causes with imaging
- Bloodwork has always been normal
- Considered autoimmune issues such as fibromyalgia, CRPS, and MPS
- Rheumatology and orthopedics told me I likely won’t find answers with them, though neurology feels closest since symptoms are nerve-like
- I have other health conditions such as: Autism, ADHD, depression, PCOS, insulin resistance, chronic tonsillitis, frequent strep throat as a kid, anemia
How this has affected my life:
- I dropped out of cosmetology school after a month because of the pain
- I rarely leave the house and spend most of my time in bed
- I avoid driving whenever possible
- I can’t work or live independently the way I had planned at my age
- My family has spent about $120,000 searching for answers
- My depression has gotten much worse and I’ve lost the vision I once had for my future
What I’m hoping for:
- To hear from anyone who has experienced sudden, unexplained leg or limb pain like this
- To learn if anyone found answers for sciatic-type pain when imaging was normal
- To find specialists, clinics, or programs that look at cases like mine
- I’ve already applied for UNC and BWH programs and looking for other programs that could help. I live in the USA, moving to Massachusetts soon. Willing to travel for something promising
Even a small lead would mean a lot. Thank you for taking the time to read my story. 💕
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Have you talked to your Dr about a nerve stimulator? I have a lot of pain in hips, right knee goes down to my foot, I’m getting a stimulator put in to see if it will help with mine.
Have you been able to look at the services available at Mayo or John's Hopkins.
I've got a case review from mayo they said there was nothing else they can do, that my local dr.s aren't.
I am going to,suggest something much different, take it or leave it. It is reading any book by John Sarno or Howard Schubiner. Both mind body MDs since you have no other options right now they see all medically unexplained symptoms of stemming from the brain and its response to stress, be physical stress or emotional stress. There a good website called symptomatic.me where you can find resources other resources are Dan Buglio Painfreeyou.com or Dan Ratner crushingdoubt.com.
I A very strange symptoms some which are explainable some, which are not that have played to me and made me unable to function pretty much almost 2 years. I’m on some of those groups and although I’m not sure it’s actually going to help it’s never hurts to try to look at things from a different perspective even just good to calm yourself down to find support