At what point do I need to go to the ER?

I'm not sure if I even need to but...

So I have 2 ruptured fused discs the L4-L5-S1 that each pinch a nerve running down my legs - so I have nerve pain down both legs. While laying on the floor yesterday I tweaked my back some-how and ended up paralyzed by the pain - as I've had happen alot. It's basically moving anything below the waist is so painful I can't move. My husband has to come and help me move - meaning normally pulling me forward slowly to undo whatever was done when I was laying. Anyways That happened about 2 yesterday afternoon - I had trouble walking from nerve pain all day - using my walker the whole afternoon and evening - hubby had to help me to the bathroom and what-not. I slept horrible last night from pain. Then - this morning when I woke up my leg is tingly and numbish about up to my knee - and I'm still getting the sharp pains from my back to my ankle.

question is - at what point do I need to be concerned about the tingly - numbness in my leg? Since it's from somethign we know about is it a problem? I can't remember the last time I had it last like this this long. It's not cold or chilled or paler than the other leg at all. I guess I'm just not used to it acting like this and not quitting at some point yet.

Thanks for any advice.

Well sitting up hurts too much for too long - it's one of the worse positions for me - I'd rather stand alot of the time than sit. So I lay down on some cushions we have in the living room just for me. :)

I'm pretty sure you guys are right. The problem is that my PCP is out on medical leave until the 15th, I have an appointment on the 16th. The good news it he numbness and such has gone down - I'm hoping this ultra back pain is just from this tropical weather - from some tropical something or another that part of came through AZ.

the last pain doctor I went to said 1) no to opt for surgery even if they try to talk me into it because he feels my problem now is from scar tissue built up around the nerves and such, and surgery would just mean more scar tissue... and 2) he couldn't help me because he specializes in injections. GO FIGURE.

thanks for the advice - as long as no one thinks my leg is goign to fall off or anything. I guess I did the freakiest thing last night from pain....

I woke hubby up in the middle of the night, he said I was sweating, and shallow breathing like I do when I'm REALLY hurting. I asked for a bucket to puke in - something I also do when I'm in alot of pain. So he got it. I then asked for a knife. He said "what", I told him I needed a knife. He then asked "why" and he says I said it in the calmest way ever, like it was totally common "I'm going to cut my legs off", he said all he could come up with was "what" and I repeated it. He asked "why" again, and I told him my legs hurt REALLY bad, and I didn't want them to hurt anymore. He told me he was going to go get the knife (hoping I was half asleep) and he said that I asked him if he was getting it, and then fell asleep - this is what I get for taking pain meds 2 hours before bedtime....

My two cents: I had sciatic nerve impingement for two years. The pain is horrible. My doc told me to watch for "drop foot", where one foot starts dragging, if a foot goes totally numb, if one leg looks "different" than the other, or if I start vomiting from the pain and it doesn't stop in an hour or so... he said that is all ER bound symptoms. That means the nerve is being damaged versus just annoyed.

The one thing I found to help at all, was to get down on all fours. Takes the pressure off the spine. Getting up is a big problem tho.