Well, my hip pain isnt from my hip, it is from my spine - OUCH

For the past few months I have been in so much pain, it is terrible. I originally had a hip xray and it showed some arthritis but that was it. It hurt really bad when I slet because I sleep on my side but during the day it wasnt' that bad. When the doctor examined it, I had like no range of motion but I really didnt want to do physical therapy at that point. Then about 2 months ago, I went in for a bone marrow biopsy and all helll broke lose. I was put to sleep at my request and it was done in the outpatient surgical unit of the hospital. I woke up sore but that was it; The next morning, I woke up I thought I was going to die from the pain. The pain was going down my leg and he thought he might have hit a nerve during the biopsy. Then about a week later, the hip pain just got horrendous to the point where I could hardly walk and I was using a walker. I went for more xrays and they showed more arthritis but unfortunately no one has sent me of an MRI of the hip. I was seeing a Rheumotologist at that point and he noticed that the hip pain was also in my thigh and very localized which meant I had severe bursitis. So, he gave me a steroid injection in my hip/bursa and it was amazing - I walked out with no pain. I was a new woman. Unfortunately,r 2 weeks later the pain was back and with a vengance. I was back with the walker. I went to my pain management appointment and thankfully my doctor was on vacation and his partner was covering. His partner is much more aggressive and easier to talk to. He ordered an MRI which I had been asking for from my regular pain doctor *****fused saying I didnt need one. Well, thankfully I got one because I have a large herniation of the L3-L4 disc with compression of the nerve root, a tear of the L2-L3 disc, severe degeration of the L5-S1 Disc - bulging of all the othe discs and I cant remember all the other stuff - lots of big words. gave copy to the physical therapist today.

I am going for an Epidural injection next week and then PT after that. So, hip pain isnt always hip pain - it can be your spine. I do have arthritis in my hip but the bulk of it is my spine. the weird part is I have had spinal problems for almost 20 years, after a fall in a supermarket and then a car accident. So, I have had arthritis and herniations for years but I have always had severe back pain even up until 3 months ago when this started. with this, I have no back pain (other than flank pain - that I have) I just have the hip and leg pain.. I find that very odd to not have back pain after all these years.

One good thing has come out of this - Being I saw the partner of my pain management doctor - I asked him if I could switch to using him. I explained that my original doctor has just gotten too comfortable - just gives my prescriptions every months = and actually gives me a hard time sometimes saying that he wants me to get some of the stronger stuff from my surgeon because I say I need it because I have a hernia and alot of abdominal pain. He is always trying to push me off on othe people - tried to get me to go to the Rheumotologist as a regular do to give me my meds and I dont understand he has been giving me my meds for 15 years and all of a sudden. And, when I ask for a diagnostic test he says they arent' necessary and I have to find someone else to do them. So, thankfully the covering doctor is now MY pain management doctor and I love him. He ordered the MRI - he called me as soon as he got the results - the other one never did that. Now he is giving me the injection. I am much happier. Hopefully it will help.

Good news on the new doc. I hope he can get you sorted out. Has he talked back surgery to fix any of this?

--gina

Dang that sucks but hopefully from here on out you will get better and cooperative treatment plan. Feel better.
Mikimi in Israel

I'm so glad the other doctor listened to your concerns.  What will be the course of action for your back.  Are you facing back surgery in the future?  I hope the PT can help with this.

I hope not, they are just talking injection and PT right now.  I have an immune system problem and bleeding problem so I dont think anyone would want to operate on me unless absolutely necessary.  I am high risk for infection so it would be tough and just having my kidney stones blasted, I needed a blood transfusion - so things are tough.  I can't get my urologist to blast them again at this point


So hopefully, the Epidural and PT will be enough.  Keep your fingers crossed.

Hurray for a Dr that helped and fingers crossed that the epidural and PT will be of great help.

Sending some hugs your way for some relief from the pain.  Backs can be very difficult to deal with.

So glad you finally got some answers from the new Dr.  Hope they can get you all fixed up with the injection and PT.  I'll be thinking about you.
Linda

BTDT, but mine was L4, L5, and S1. I went the management route, had PT, two nerve blocks (a month apart), the whole nine yards. I had back surgery on the 13th of Mar, 2006 because nothing else helped and I was losing the feeling in my legs...and headed for a wheelchair.

I still hurt some but nothing like before. I have two titanium rods, one on each side of my spine with a total of six titanium screws. I was given a 70% chance that it would help and it did. But it was the LONGEST 12 weeks of recovery I had ever had. To be honest, my DS was a walk in the park compared to my back surgery. Am I glad I did it, yes...would I do it over, yes, but it is not a surgery to go into lightly.

I had a double team for my surgery, a neurosugeon and an orthopedist. The neurosurgeon was head of the team tho.

If you want to talk to others who have or are in the same boat, let me know, there is a forum for neuro issues and spinal issues are in that group.

Liz

thanks for the support, I appreciate.  Unfortunately, I come from a family with ****ty and I mean ****ty backs - that is being nice for the sake of the message boards.  Everyone from my grandfather, father, both brothers, 5 cousins, 2 uncles all had major back surgery - one of my brothers had 5 of them, my dad 2, my other brother had 2.  The brother that had 5 = 4 of them were because he got an infection and had to go back to clean out the infection.  

Some of the surgeries for them were simple disc surgeries, but many of them were fusions with rods, screws and rest.  The only ones in the family that didnt have surgery seem to be the femailes (my grandmother was fine - one girl cousin is fine but my mother was so bad and didnt want surgery - by time she decided she would do it, it was too late and she ended up in a wheelchair.

So, that leaves me. I have been suffering since the mid 90's but nothing severe enough for surgery. I went to a world renoud surgeon in NYC back in the late 90's when I herniated a disc the first time but he said it wasnt' bad enough and he was right it got better.  I have had chronic back pain every since but the sciatica went away after epidurals and physical therapy.  He said the spinal stenosis was minimal at that time

This time the pain down my leg is excrutiatin but I am praying that the epidural and PT are enough. I am high risk due to an immune system problem and bleeding problems, so having surgery on my spine can be really tricky especially after the infection problems I saw my brother go through.

I will have to wait and see.  I do have the names of 2 of the top orthopedic surgeons in NYC and  also have names of neurosurgeons from when my mom was alive and going through this.  Living 30 miles from New York CIty, is a distinct advantage when it comes to spinal surgeries and many other specialties - we have so many big hospitals and for the spine - we have  a few that are specific just for the spine.

So, if I have any questions, I will definitely think of you but I am definitely not thinking surgery at this point and hot to at any point in the future.

thanks
rbb