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Radiating Back Pain

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Chronic Pain
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bebbles
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2016
Posts : 79
Posted 6/11/2021 5:53 PM (GMT -7)
Hello,

Been a few years since I posted in this forum. Right now my back is in the midst of one of my horrible flare ups to where the lower back will get so painful that the pain radiates into the left inner thigh, leaving me unable to walk just about. Seems like the pain subsided in the back but I am left with horrible sharp stabbing pain in the left groin area. Went into an emergency room on a military installation near me last night, I am retired Marine Corps.

They gave me a shot of toroidal in the buttocks, tested my urine for stones, and gave me a prescription for methacarbahol for pain. I have taken that, Tylenol, and naproxen and nothing is touching the pain. If I try to get down to kneel, a jolt of electric pain it seems runs down the thigh or even the leg!!!!
.
What in the world is going on with this?? Has anyone experienced this?? The emergency room didn't anything for diagnosing the issue but the VA does a little better, the VA was too far away to go to last night.

past flare ups like this have also included dizziness, left thigh numbness, and vomiting! I had an L1 to L2 decompression back in 2007 while on active duty
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18972
Posted 6/12/2021 4:50 AM (GMT -7)
Sorry to hear your having problems. More than likely you have something going on in your back that is causing all of this. Time to get an MRI & an appt with a specialist. Since your care is with the VA, your pcp will have to make the referrals. In the meantime try not to overdo things to aggravate things more.

Toradol can help with inflammation which may give a little pain relief. The other medication you were given is the generic of Robaxin which is a good older muscle relaxer. My husband had back surgery this past October & the surgeon prescribed it for him & it worked well.

The last time you were here I believe you were having neck surgery, how did that go?

Take care & keep us posted.
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bebbles
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2016
Posts : 79
Posted 6/12/2021 2:17 PM (GMT -7)
hello,

When we left IL 2 years ago, we agreed with the ortho surgeon to hold off on the surgery because i
wasn't as bad off as we thought, I continued with PT and at home PT. Been ok with that

but I wonder why no medication I've taken over the last day has not broke down the pain or inflammation?? I am going back to the ER tonight or tomorrow.

Meds taken: Gabapentin 300mg, naproxen 500mg, Ibuprofen 800mg, tylenol 500mg, lidocaine patch, tens unit, flexural and nothing has touched it, I fear something is herniated again!! I know some of these meds don't mix but I have to take my chances at this point! I can walk upright for about 5 min till my left leg and thigh realize I'm try to sneak a walk in to get better, the pain from the groin area immediately tells the brain, hey what's this guy doing? trying to sneak in a friendly stroll?? smile

Post Edited (bebbles) : 6/12/2021 6:51:23 PM (GMT-6)

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bebbles
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2016
Posts : 79
Posted 6/13/2021 7:10 PM (GMT -7)
Well, went to two ERs today. Revisited the ER again on base, nothing happening there so I went long distance to the big VA. Got another shot of toroidal and some tramadol and doing x-rays tomorrow but doc suggested MRI asap. Looks like "another" herniated disk so got my reason why meds are not working. She was equally concerned when she saw my CT scan for my neck and is recommending me to a spinal specialist asap. I know the scan looks nasty as it shows one of the disks in the neck, as they used the word, obliterated!!!
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18972
Posted 6/17/2021 7:00 AM (GMT -7)
I am glad that you went to the VA hospital, hopefully they can get an MRI set up pretty quick & get to the bottom of what is causing you so much difficulty.

Keep us posted.
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pitmom
Veteran Member
Joined : Jan 2015
Posts : 2832
Posted 6/18/2021 3:43 AM (GMT -7)
Sorry I'm late to the party...again.

I have herniated discs in lumbar/sacral area. At one point, it was pinching a nerve...much like sciatica but not the sciatic nerve. It only radiated through the thigh. Early indications of irritation was a feeling of someone using an emery board on the thigh bone, inside, if that makes sense. I'd also feel like someone was pulling a string through the muscles from the knee up to the groin. Then, the incredible 'shock' feelings would begin. Indescribable pain! I've had to have facet joint injections for it. The good news is they worked for me!

Get that MRI, asap. Hopefully your doc will prescribe it with and without contrast to get a really good look at what's going on. Meanwhile, try an ice pack on the area of the spine...this usually helped me. Please let us know how things are going!
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bebbles
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2016
Posts : 79
Posted 7/11/2021 12:10 PM (GMT -7)
My apologies, i didn't see I had additional replies. I am set for an MRI next Monday. Meanwhile things have calmed down with the help of therapy but unfortunately whatever is being pinched has left me with an almost total loss of sensation to the left thigh this episode around, The last episode like this I had was AUG 2020, I was able to look back at my last ER visit for this in my VA records. Here are the results of the CT scan they did two weeks ago:

FINDINGS:
Vertebrae: Lumbar vertebral body height is well-maintained. No
evidence of acute fracture seen. No pars defects are identified.
There are postsurgical changes of bilateral laminectomies from L2
to L4.
Alignment: Normal

Disc Spaces:
L1-2: Intervertebral disc height loss noted. Disc osteophyte
complex seen. Bony spinal canal appears patent. There is facet
arthropathy. Moderate bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing seen.

L2-3: Intervertebral disc height loss noted at this level. Disc
osteophyte complex seen. Bony spinal canal is patent. There is
facet arthropathy. Moderate bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing
seen.
L3-4: Mild intervertebral disc height loss seen at this level.
Symmetric disc bulge present. Bony spinal canal is patent. There
is facet arthropathy. Mild bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing
noted.

L4-5: Intervertebral disc height is well-maintained. Symmetric
disc bulge noted. There is mild facet arthropathy. Bony spinal
canal is patent. There is mild bilateral neuroforaminal
narrowing.

L5-S1: Intervertebral disc height is well-maintained at this
level. Mild symmetric disc bulge seen. There is facet
arthropathy. Bony spinal canal remains patent. There is mild
bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.
Impression:
1. No acute fracture of the lumbar spine seen

2. Multilevel degenerative changes noted. No spinal stenosis is
seen. There is moderate bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing at
L1-L2 and L2-L3. Mild bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing seen
from L3-L4 to L5-S1.

3. Postsurgical changes of bilateral laminectomies from L2 to
L4.


Will an MRI see deeper than a CT Scan?? Not sure what all this means on this scan.
Also waiting to see an ORTHO specialist
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Mercy&Grace
Veteran Member
Joined : Jun 2013
Posts : 1914
Posted 7/11/2021 4:03 PM (GMT -7)
I probably misread this. But in case I didn't. Do Not Take Naproxen and Ibuprofen Together. Each one can cause gastric-intestinal bleeding.
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straydog
Forum Moderator
Joined : Feb 2003
Posts : 18972
Posted 7/12/2021 7:12 AM (GMT -7)
To answer your question about an MRI, yes they are more definitive than a Ct Scan. Good luck with your MRI.
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bebbles
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2016
Posts : 79
Posted 7/20/2021 11:31 AM (GMT -7)
I will post the results of my MRI in a few days, when I did it yesterday, was supposed to be for the back but they slid in the neck as well which I know will be very ugly!!
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bebbles
Regular Member
Joined : Sep 2016
Posts : 79
Posted 7/31/2021 7:15 PM (GMT -7)
Vertebrae: Lumbar vertebral body height is well-maintained.
Postsurgical changes of bilateral laminectomies noted from L2 to
L4.
Alignment: Normal
L1-L2: Intervertebral disc height loss noted. Mild disc
osteophyte complex seen. There is a small superimposed left
subarticular disc protrusion. This appears to contact and
displace the traversing left L2 nerve. There is mild spinal
stenosis. Facet arthropathy seen. There is mild bilateral
neuroforaminal narrowing noted.
L2-L3: Intervertebral disc height loss noted. There is disc
desiccation. Disc osteophyte complex seen. Spinal canal remains
patent. There is facet arthropathy. Moderate bilateral
neuroforaminal narrowing noted.
L3-L4: Mild intervertebral disc height loss seen. There is disc
desiccation. Mild disc osteophyte complex seen. There is facet
arthropathy. Spinal canal is patent. There is moderate to severe
bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.
L4-L5: Intervertebral disc height is well-maintained. Mild disc
desiccation seen. Mild disc osteophyte complex present. There is
facet arthropathy. Spinal canal is patent. There is moderate to
severe bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.
L5-S1: Intervertebral disc height is well-maintained. Disc
hydration signal is normal. Minimal disc osteophyte complex seen.
There is facet arthropathy. Spinal canal is patent. There is mild
bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing.




The following was at the end of my lumbar spinal report:

The following findings are so common in people WITHOUT low
back pain that while we report their presence, they must be
interpreted with caution and in the context of the clinical
situation. (Reference -- Jarvik JG et al, "The Longitudinal
Assessment of Imaging and Disability of the Back (LAIDBack)
study: Baseline data." Spine 2001)
Findings (prevalence in patients without low back pain) Disc
degeneration (decreased T2 signal, height loss, bulge) (91%) Disc
T2 signal loss (dessication) (83%) Disc height loss (56%) Disc




Vertebrae: Cervical vertebral body height is maintained. Anterior
osteophyte formation noted throughout the cervical spine.
Alignment: There is reversal of the normal cervical lordosis.
Alignment is stable compared to prior MRI of June 4, 2020


Marrow: Mild Modic type II degenerative marrow signal changes
seen at the inferior endplate of C3. Marrow signal is otherwise
unremarkable. No evidence of acute fracture seen.
Spinal canal, Spinal cord & Dura: AP spinal canal diameter is
within normal limits. Visualized spinal cord is normal in
course, caliber, and signal. No intradural abnormalities are
seen.
Soft Tissues: The visualized posterior fossa is unremarkable.
Visualized soft tissues of the neck are normal.
Axial Sections:
C2-C3: Intervertebral disc height is well-maintained at this
level. No significant disc bulge or herniation is seen. Spinal
canal is patent. There is facet arthropathy. Moderate left and
moderate to severe right neuroforaminal narrowing noted.
C3-C4: Intervertebral disc height loss seen. Disc osteophyte
complex seen with greater right subarticular component. There is
moderate to severe spinal stenosis. Facet arthropathy noted.
There is moderate to severe left and severe right neuroforaminal
narrowing.
C4-C5: Intervertebral disc height loss seen. Disc osteophyte
complex noted. Mild spinal stenosis present. There is facet
arthropathy. Severe bilateral neuroforaminal narrowing seen.
C5-C6: Intervertebral disc height loss noted. Disc osteophyte
complex seen. There is moderate spinal stenosis. Facet
arthropathy noted. There is severe bilateral neuroforaminal
narrowing.
C6-C7: Intervertebral disc height loss noted at this level. Disc
osteophyte complex seen. There is moderate spinal stenosis. Facet
arthropathy seen. There is severe left and moderate to severe
right neuroforaminal narrowing.
C7-T1: Intervertebral disc height loss seen at this level. No
significant disc bulge or herniation present. Spinal canal
remains patent. There is facet arthropathy. Moderate left and
mild right neuroforaminal narrowing noted.


I'm waiting on the VA ortho specialist to give me a call

Post Edited (bebbles) : 8/2/2021 3:12:27 PM (GMT-6)

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