help. I dont know if this is ME related or what

[taniaaust1]

For the past hour Ive been getting sudden bouts of sharp pain which is almost making me cry. Im doing nothing to cause it, it just suddenly hits the full strength of this pain... it stays for up to a minute or so (with me going ouch the whole time as it hurts so much).. and then suddenly goes away.

The worst of the pain is running down my leg from the top of the leg to the the bottom of the knee, the pain is focused in the front side of the leg.. my leg thou doesnt seem to be cramping or spasming, just an intense sudden pain.

With this pain when it hits, there is something going on in my lower back (its in a higher area then the back dimple is) which is experiencing pain too but nothing like the degree of pain Im feeling in my leg which I only can assume is some kind of radiating pain coming from somewhere else? The more minor pain there (it hurts but not enough for me to be verbally expressing the whole time like to leg pain is doing) is coming from somewhere in my abdomen (Im feeling it in the front too.. it radiates out in the whole region, like as if its coming from somewhere deep within me.. eg an ovary??

Any advice on what this could be.. can sciatic run down the front of the leg or does that only affect the buttocks and the back of the legs? (my buttocks arent being affected).

I dont know to what to do.. wait and see if this completely goes away today? (but then its friday tomorrow and I may not be able to get an appointment anywhere then and may then have to wait with this bad pain on and off till Monday). To ring my physio and book an appointment with her for tomorrow when I dont even know if its back related or not (ive see her at times for my back). Ive got other important things thou booked in for tomorrow when my boyfriend comes to help me including take me places at times, including a cat which is sick herself ..cat has possible hernia with vomiting, diarhear which she is getting about the house and also what is looking like a ringworm so needing to get to a vet.) or to seek help from a medical doctor who wont be able to help if the issue is coming rom my back? (the doctor would have to be a local one which Ive never been to before as I havent been to a doctor here yet).

I already cant fit in all the important stuff which needs doing tomorrow (things which cant really be done next week) in the time my boyfriend is here to help (and in the time it takes before I start to crash) if I need to go and see someone tomorrow .

Anyway know what is "probably" causing me THIS KIND of pain and if its likely to be gone by tomorow?

 

[rosie26]

Hi taniaaust1, Any pain that has you doubled over, should be seen by a doctor, or get your self to a hospital emergency department, via ambulance if pain is unbearable. Hope the pain eases and goes away. x

 

[Sea]

Pain that comes from a nerve being compressed in the spine varies in location depending on which vertabrae or disk is involoved. A back issue, such as a bulging or herniated disk can produce pain in the thigh. It can also be intermittent depending on position.

Whether or not that is the issue that new level of pain needs to be checked out even though it is highly inconvenient

 

[taniaaust1]

The on and off pain is STILL going on (I really thought whatever it is would go away but its not doing so). Ive had 3 severe bouts of this pain in the past 2 hrs (its only still lasting 1-2 mins each time). Cause the pain is so bad when it hits (leaving me unable to do anything except hold myself when it does), Ive now rung the medical advice line that our government set up to help cut down on doctors visits. The nurse thou manning that line, after asking me questions about my symptom (she was quite detailed).. has told me not to eat anything and to see a doctor within 4hrs as it could be several things and may be serious.

I told her I'd book an medical appointment for tomorrow when I have a way to get there but she wasnt happy with that and told me to call a doctor out to my home. (So Im now waiting till 6pm to phone, when those after hours home appointment services opperate to get a doctor out to my home).

Im nervous about this as Im always worried about doctors thinking Im exaggerating something (I was also once sexually abused by a male doctor so this makes me even more nervous knowing Im about to have a strange doctor out to my home when Im alone.. Im scared about the doctors visit). Fingers crossed I'll get a good doctor (Ive decided that I wont tell the doctor who comes out that I have ME). If I cant feel anything strange except the intense pain when it happens.. how will the doctor? (I hate medical issues which cant be seen).

 

[rosie26]

A good doctor should take that kind of pain seriously. If not, call an ambulance, when the pain hits again.

 

[taniaaust1]

A doctor came out, he turned out to be very nice.

He said he couldnt know for sure what my issue is as there are several possibilities from kidney stones to twisting ovaries (he mentioned some other possibilities too). He then started to talk about ovarian cysts saying they are usualy the cause of twisting ovaries and he was thinking that could be my problem.. In my long list of medical problems (avoiding saying ME), I forgotten to tell him that I also have polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) so then told him that when he was saying that ovary cysts were most likely cause of my pain. He then said PCOS is a risk factor for twisting of the ovaries.

.................

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ovarian_torsion (interesting the article says it is a bit more common on the right side .. which is the side I do have the issue on too).

The home visiting doctor says I need to go and have a scan done to find out if what he is thinking is correct (to see if my ovaries are even more enlarged due to cysts) and that I need to go to my GP to arrange that (I didnt tell him I didnt have one.. I wish I had thought to say something as maybe he would of arranged the forms). He also said I may get worst and if so to ring an ambulance. (He left me with better pain killers).

 

[taniaaust1]

While in bed for the night ... it didnt occur there at all. This morning thou.. I went to sit in my normal position at the computer.. put my leg up where I usually do esting on my computer desk drawer and the moment I sat like that.. that pain hit again. Then was regularly on and of, hitting three time in the next 5 mins (so Im starting to think now its some kind of spasm happening somewhere in my body thou I cant feel a contraction.. possibly spasms have me now thinking more it may be a back issue). First time it hit today, it lasted 1min (causing me cry out, it really hurts so Im noisy during it).

So it "appears" that raising my leg up and to the side and having it that position which some probably would find awkward can trigger it (but due to my POTS its more symptom causing for me to have my legs down and hence I take up awkward postures when sitting so I can have my legs up) . I tried that out again and it did happen again (wasnt going to try it the third time), so now Im back to wondering if its my back and if I should go to my physio rather then have a ovary scan (to which I will also then need to go to a new GP for.. Why couldnt the home call out doctors give the paperwork for the scan he said I should have, rather telling me to see a GP at the clinic to arrange when I cant leave my house often?). Things are way confusing when one has many health issues.

I guess thou the twisting ovaries thing also could be triggered by sitting in unusual postures or moving into one so maybe it still may not be my back.

anyway..so my issue is still confusing at this point, with me not knowing what exactly is the cause. Im going to see if my great physio has an appointment she can squeeze me into today, to find out etc what she thinks and if she can fix. (if that dont work, Im going to have to try another doctor to get that scan).

edit.. I just rang the physio and are in luck. They've just had a cancellation so have just got a spare appointment time for today. **fingers crossed** at this point I hope it is my back as that would be easy for my orthopedic physio to fix , she's a wonder when it comes to fixing my back issues (that issue would be much better then needing surgery!)

 

[Sushi]

taniaaust1

I have had similar pain and it did come from my back. For me it was the SI joint and an osteopath has helped a lot with it. Same thing--happened when I propped my legs up. Now that things are back in place, I can put my legs up again.

Sushi

 

[vamah]

I have had ovarian cysts and they can be very painful although they usually resolve by themselves. An ultrasound to check is simple and non invasive, so I would do that if I were you.

 

[heapsreal]

pain running down your leg sounds like sciatic nerve usually from some nerve irriation in lower back. Many say it feels like a burning hot type pain others will say its like an electric shock type of feel. I would still look at getting a ct scan on lower back to rule out any nerve impingement issues.

 

[Esther12]

Sorry, no advice, just best wishes. I hope that this improves for you soon.

 

[taniaaust1]

pain running down your leg sounds like sciatic nerve usually from some nerve irriation in lower back. Many say it feels like a burning hot type pain others will say its like an electric shock type of feel. I would still look at getting a ct scan on lower back to rule out any nerve impingement issues.

Yeah, that was my first thought when I started experiencing the pain running down my leg but when I looked a medical site for sciatic, it said about the pain runs down the back of the leg, mine runs down the front of the leg (and isnt in my buttocks at all either).

Can sciatic pain only run down the front of the leg and not the back of it?

 

[taniaaust1]

I have had ovarian cysts and they can be very painful although they usually resolve by themselves. An ultrasound to check is simple and non invasive, so I would do that if I were you.

Yeah I'll follow throu with that scan if I keep getting issues. It may be a simple procedure but for me getting there and having an ultrasound isnt at all simple as Im mostly homebound..so just getting to any medical appointment is extremely difficult. I need to find someone willing and able to take me and also consider anywhere Im taken, into my pacing schedule which hardly fits anything else in (I often dont even manage to cook for myself). I was just in luck yesterday to be able to be taken to a physio and to be able to go (some of my medical followup appointments for the health conditions I do have, I havent managed to get a ride back for since last year).

Polycystic ovaries resolving by themselves?? Ive never heard of that, I thought if one got that, one usually has the condition for life?.

Its not a matter of finding out if I do have ovarian cysts as I already know from scans in the past and my polycystic ovaries that I do have cysts ... more of a matter of if they are bigger now then they were years ago hence possibly causing my ovaries to be twisting a bit at times due to that..but even with a scan which vertifies they are bigger then they were, it may not be conclusive that's my issue. (Wikipedia says ovaries twisting can be hard to diagnose and isnt diagnosed for half of cases until one has surgery investigations).

 

[taniaaust1]

Update

My pain issue still isnt figured out .. a trip to the physio yesterday didnt tell me what the issue is. Physio was unable to trigger off the pain, she worked on me anyway and did note I had some very tight spots in my back (which is normal for me) and worked on those. She did say its possible my pain issue was coming from those spots and refering but she said she didnt really know, so I still dont know. Seeing she was unable to set off the pain by getting me to do various postures and movements and her pressing in all my tight places and all along my spine didnt cause pain.. well Im now doubting it was my back.

I havent thou experienced it again since yesterday morning.. (and I went to the physio early afternoon that day).

Hopefully whatever it is doesnt reoccur.

 

[WillowJ]

Can sciatic pain only run down the front of the leg and not the back of it?

there is a different nerve that runs down the front of the leg, the femoral nerve.

whatever is going on I hope you get it worked out soon and feel better.

 

[Esther12]

Hopefully whatever it is doesnt reoccur.

Yeah - Fingers crossed.

 

[vamah]

Polycystic ovaries resolving by themselves?? Ive never heard of that, I thought if one got that, one usually has the condition for life?.

Its not a matter of finding out if I do have ovarian cysts as I already know from scans in the past and my polycystic ovaries that I do have cysts ... more of a matter of if they are bigger now then they were years ago hence possibly causing my ovaries to be twisting a bit at times due to that..but even with a scan which vertifies they are bigger then they were, it may not be conclusive that's my issue. (Wikipedia says ovaries twisting can be hard to diagnose and isnt diagnosed for half of cases until one has surgery investigations).

I didn't really mean that the disease resolves by itself, only that most cysts go away by themselves without needing medical intervention. I didn't realize that you knew that you had a history of cysts. Mine have never been so painful that they required intervention, I hope yours can go away by themselves as well.

I am also wondering about endometriosis. It is very difficult to diagnose, but I am sure that I have it even though I have never been diagnosed. It can cause scar tissue around your reproductive organs that can be very painful, esp during menstrual periods. The pain can go all the way down to my toes. I think birth control pills can help with that, but I have always had bad reaction to hormones. Unfotunately the only way to definitively diagnose is with laproscopic surgery.

 

[taniaaust1]

I didn't really mean that the disease resolves by itself, only that most cysts go away by themselves without needing medical intervention. I didn't realize that you knew that you had a history of cysts. Mine have never been so painful that they required intervention, I hope yours can go away by themselves as well.

I am also wondering about endometriosis. It is very difficult to diagnose, but I am sure that I have it even though I have never been diagnosed. It can cause scar tissue around your reproductive organs that can be very painful, esp during menstrual periods. The pain can go all the way down to my toes. I think birth control pills can help with that, but I have always had bad reaction to hormones. Unfotunately the only way to definitively diagnose is with laproscopic surgery.

oh, how aweful, I never knew menstral pain could go all the way down to the toes!!! When mine is severe (bad enough that I almost throw up and have had almost lost conciousness due to pain), it only goes down to my knees. I take two different pain killers for that.

Same here with those birth control pills, I had such a bad reaction to birth control pills (the mini pill.. progesterone only) that I ended up in hospital for a week before I worked out what caused my issue..
.....................

Interestingly, the pain still hasnt reoccurred so I dont know what it was and may never know cause Im not going to go and get scans seeing its now gone (Im still doubtful it was my back but who knows).

 

[Little Bluestem]

I just saw this, but am glad that the pain is now gone.