HELP!!!! Cant take it anymore!!!

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deerfisherman

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Heres my prooblem. I do have a compresssed nerve at L4-5. 3 days ago, I fell from a standing position and landed on my buttocks on carpet. Seemed to be the easiest fall I ever had. I got up and there was no pain or anything. This was about noon. By 4-5:00 pm my right hip area started getting sore. By the time I got up the next morning, I couldnt hardly even walk for the pain in that right hip area. It was horrible and I can stand quite a bit of pain. Later that day, it was hurting sobad, I called the arabulance to go to the ER thinking my hip might be broke or a stress fracture. They xrayed the hip and said it was OK and sent me home.. Today, it is worse than ever before. I just sit here and cry. The pain now is from right low back, buttocks, top right thigh, knee, and shin. I have a huge bruise behind right knee and some up and down my leg.. Foot is tingly. Leg is swollen from hip down. I am on Coumadin so I understand bruises but not in the places I have them since only my buttocks was on the floor. I do have mild osteoporosis in this hip. I have Lortab10 for back problems but they do not help. I am also on Prednisone and muscle relaxers and none of this is helping. I can not even stand to touch it. I cant lie in bed, cant walk, cant sit. The pain is horrible. I have a doc appt tues morn and trying to hold out but I reallly cant stand this anymore. I also have trouble with gout that cleared up(both hanRAB) in the last couple weeks. My question is where is this severe pain coming from (back, hip, gout?) and what do I do? Also, that the whole leg is swollen (I take huge amts of lasix daily but they do nothing for this leg swelling). I cant lift that foot/leg up eough to put my clothes on, or even out it in the bed. Please if you have any ideas-please share!
 
Thank you all so much! Let me update. No extra damage to back was done. Hooray! What happened was this: I am on Coumadin and my blood was so thin it would not even register on the lab report. when I fell, it busted a blood vessel and I bled out into the hip and leg area. I am black frrom hip to toe. The blood all went into my muscles causing the severe pain. No hip damage either. I did lose so much blood though-they had to give me 3 units. Hgb was down to 7.9. Said they had never seen anything like it. They gave me Vit K and got my blood too thick overnight but its now being regulated again slowly. We still dont know what thinned my blood so much. The swelling is going down slowly but its better than it was. I spent 4 days in hospital and got back home today. The low back pain is where the swelling is pulling on my SI joint to hip where the majority of the bleed-out was. Thanks again to everyone and yes I have a 16 yo son who waits on me hand and foot-lol! Thanks again and God bless you all!:wave:
 
Thank you! I plan to see family doc tues and have him order the MRI where Ill have it in hand when seeing the neuro. Sometimes theres a wait for the neuro. I just know it sure hurts! Even turning my foot one way or the other kills me in the hip area. Todays a new day and maybe it wont be as bad. Thanks again
 
Perhaps a different hospital emergency room? One that is more prominent (larger, associated with a university, etc). It seems it's one of those things where you have to demand some evaluation and treatment from your doctor or an ER doctor.
 
That's great news! Painful, but great! I'm so happy you got it figured out and super happy you have a wonderful son who will help you! Wishing you steady improvement every day! Good luck!
 
Deerfisherman

I agree with JYYY you may need to see a spine specialist either ortho or nuero. An MRI will tell them the condition of vert. and discs, and EMG could tell how much damage you have to the nerves. Whatever you do avoid chiropractors until you find out if your disc is out.
Muscle relaxers and pain meRAB can help some people but it sounRAB like you really need to see a specialist ASAP!!
Good Luck
PEmom
L5S1 discectomy 2008, 2/2009, 5/2009
L5S1 Posterior TLIF 4/27/2010
 
Thank you. I aagree this liittle ER doesnt do much. The next closest on is about 40 mils away. Seems I can stand up to relieve the severe pain or a few min. If it contines tonight likke earlier today-I might just have to look for chainsaw and cut it o. LOL
 
Thank you all so much! Im sure I will probably have to see both neuro and ortho. My hip/ buttocks area and there on down is swollen and purple. Theres a huge lump area on my lateral hip area. The low back part feels like pulling, burning pain on the sacrum. I have had a thoraci laminectomy a few years back. Also have comprese nerve in neck and left elbow. Due to other medical problems: lungs mainly-The neuro wont do my surgery. I wish there was a laproscopic surgey avail or any under just local sedation. lol! Thanks again everyone-will let ya know when I can whats going on.:wave:
 
Consider asking about possible SI joint problems. That typically involves sharp and possibly searing pain that feels like it's generating in the buttocks but is actually in the SacroIliac joint. They can do a minimally invasive ablation should that be the problem.

My dad went thru a roller coaster 2-3 years ago at age 80. It was unclear if his severe pain was back/sciatica based or hip based. He's a smart guy but never been good at verbally explaining his physical symptoms.Turned out to be his hip and needed replacement. Unexpected since never had joint problems but had started (with my mom) on a fitness kick and bought a treadmill. Both are quite fit now. But he had to fight the age thing to (he was 80). 20-30something docs and nurses assumed he was sedentary and 1 foot in the nursing home. Not! He's back to hiking daily (was doing so at 8 months post surgery and is now 2 year post)
 
I do hope you get some help soon. I feel the same way about my heels when it comes to thinking about picking up a chain saw....
I'm not real familiar with all the nerve problems in the back, however, from the things you say, I worry about you having to wait until Tuesday for an appointment. Do you have someone who can help you until then? Or maybe someone who can drive you to a better hospital?
 
**this was in response to a post by another meraber that has since been removed**

There are a variety of causes of spine pain that can not be alleviated with anything other than surgery. Any case in which you have ongoing nerve pain, nurabness / weakness / tingling in the lirabs, bowel/bladder problems, or spondylolisthesis may need immediate attention and often early surgical intervention. No amount of pilates will fix scoliosis, ankylosing spondilitis, spondylolisthesis, vertebrae fracture, etc.


To say that "most back pain can be cured" by strengthening core muscles is an inaccurate and irresponsible statement. I agree that PT to work on core muscles is key in managing many back pain issues and is also helpful pre and post surgically. But there are some causes of back pain that have only a surgical solution. If I had not had my recent fusion nothing was going to bring my L3 vertebrae back into line as it sat on my spinal cord. I would have risked permanent neurological damage.

Everyone neeRAB to evaluate their own back pain with the inclusion of seeing appropriate doctors, having testing (X-ray, CT, MRI,etc) to determine the actual cause and understanding which back pain causes require surgical intervention and which may benefit from non-surgical options.
 
That's tough. Luckily I live in a major city (Phoenix) so I have tons of ER's available to me.
 
I agree!!! I need a fusion of L4-5 but due to low oxygen, they wont do it. Already have foot drop on left and right is nurab and tingly. Also have compressed nerve in left elbow and cervical area. I had one thoracic laminectomy that they said would fix my legs but it did nothing but give me another place to hurt. lol! I try to do the best I can and hope and pray God will watch over me until my 16 yo son is grown. He does all my lifting and carrying which helps a bunch. I dont know why though anyone should go thru such pain everyday....:wave:
 
Hi deerfisherman,

Sorry you are in pain and not well.

Compressed or inflamed spinal nerve (radiculopathy/radiculitis) at L4-5 will not only cause the pain in the lower back but also the "referred pain" and other abnormality in the hips, thighs, knees, shins,...Oral medicine such as Prednisone and muscle relaxants are useless. Even steroiRAB injection in the muscle or vein don't help much either. The only thing that can help the acute pain etc is to inject steroiRAB (e.g., methylprednisone) into the epidural space in the spine near L4-5.

An electromyogram (EMG) and an MRI of the lower spine can help the diagnosis.

See a neurologist or a physical medicine doctor. Seeing other kinRAB of doctors most likely will not help.

Take care.
 
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