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29yr old female cronic back pain loss of feelin in limbs body failing slowly
Background:
I’ve had wide spread back pain for years, I have two children ages 6 and 3 and needless to say my pregnancies haven’t really helped my back pain. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for over 10 years, switched to one that does manipulation and massage as well. It seems to have progressed along with a number of other symptoms my neck pain and back pain would only be temporarily relived. It has come to my attention that degenerative disk disease runs in my family.
Work: Before becoming almost unable to function (currently) I worked 60-70 hour work weeks and was extremely dedicated to my job, and my family. Between life as a full time employee, full time business owner and full time mom I was always on the go when I had time to work out I would, and my diet hasn’t always been the best but I’m 5’8” and 170lbs. Not obese by any means. Not diabetic.
January 2014
Starting back in January of 2014 I developed burning sensation in my hands while they feel burning, like they were removed from a pot of boiling hot water, they were freezing to the touch like cadaver hands. The color was inconsistent and the swelling was uncomfortable. They would turn red with orange splotches and a little bit of blue and purple. Then I started to develop this rash on my legs and arms at times red with orange splotches, sometimes shades of blue and purple. Same goes for my toes. Doesn’t matter the weather or season.
I also had noticed swelling in my lymph node under my right arm. The OB/GYN didn’t seem to think it was anything to write home about but it was still a concern to me.
I was concerned with the rash along with excruciating back pain I made an appointment to see my neurologist in March 2014 He ordered MRI’s of my Cervical Spine, Lumbar Spine and the Brain. This resulted in the following:
• L5-S1 there is a central disc herniation with mild impingement of the descending left S1 nerve root, mild bilateral neural forminal stenosis.
• Nonspecific bone marrow edema right side of S2 segment of sacrum could present an insufficiency fracture or contusion, recommendation further mri or ct of Sacrum
• Inclusion of follow up MRI STIR images is recommended and bone scan ....
• C4-C5 there is a disc osteophyte complex
• with mild impingement on spinal cord.
• C5-C6 disc osteophyte complex with mild impingement on spinal cord, mild spinal canal stenosis Moderate right and mild left neural forminal stenosis
• C6-C7 there is a disc osteophyte complex with mild impingement on spinal cord.
• There is a right maxillary sinus retention cyst or polyp
He also ordered an EMG of only my right side and everything in the EMG came back normal. Since these tests were done my pain has not only become more consistent and more painful but just about making me disabled. We tried a few different Nerve blocking anti depressants to take away the painful feelings but all of them had horrific side effects so after switching between the three Cymbalta, Lyrica and one other, I cut them out completely.
Fast forward to January 2015
The pain is so bad there are some days I can’t get out of bed, let alone exercise. My symptoms list started to get longer.
• Loosing feeling in my fingers/ where they turn purple (not all at once but 2 on the left then two on the right the next day)
• Muscle weakness
• Fine motor skills were decreasing in ability to hold things and grasp
• Shooting pain going down both legs almost simultaneously and increasingly painful
• Aching feeling in calves
• Aching feeling in arms
• Lymphnode under right arm is now larger more swollen.
• Sharp pain when I breath in my mid lower back
• Sharp pain radiating from neck down right shoulder
• Migraine (once in a while may not be related)
• Red rash that pops up on my chest arms and face at random times like inflammatory, not hives but felt like it was on fire
• Muscles in some parts of my body are tense and not able to relax
• Stabbing pain in lower back
• Dizziness/ loss of balance
• Helicopter noise in left ear
• Blurry vision
• Loss of feeling in my right arm completely
• Bilateral loss of feeling in both legs
• Random muscle spasms all around
February 3rd 2016
I drove myself to the local ER because I couldn’t feel my right arm at all. The ER doctor didn’t ask me to put a gown on get undressed. They did nothing. No blood tests or urine samples he said I have Raynodes syndrome and sent me on my way. I can partially agree, but was extremely angry. I went home the right arm numbness lasted overnight but two days later.
February 5th 2016
I was unable to move or get out of bed, I had a migraine that was debilitating at the back of my skull on the left was where the centralized pain was. I was weak, I couldn’t stand for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I was going to pass out or fall over. I spent most of the day in bed, crying hiding under a pillow, curled up into a ball but not sleeping at all. I was unable to get comfortable and had excruciating pain from my neck all the way down to my feet.
February 6th 2016
I got up out of the bed to go to the bathroom and I couldn’t feel either one of my legs, I couldn’t move them, and I couldn’t walk. My legs collapsed making me have to grab on to the dresser and part of the door frame without having to hit the ground. I felt off balance and my vision was blurry. This brought me to my second trip to the ER in 3 days. This time the doctor could see the pain and Un-comfortability in my face. They gave me a shot of dilaudid to help ease the pain and they did a full blood and urine work up and everything came back normal. NOTHING. The doctor had nothing to tell me, because everything was fine. He told me to follow up with my neurologist and recommend finding a rheumatologist because it could be some off the wall autoimmune disorder, or have something to do with the spinal cord impingement. They gave me a shot of Prednisone and a 7 day taper down prescription for when I got home. This made me feel about 70% better the next day. Throughout the day I could feel the decline but maybe because I felt better I pushed myself a little harder.
February 7th 2016- Approx February 16th,2016
The blurry vision was in and out it wasn’t consistent. But enough to keep me from driving and doing anything that required typing, reading or writing, It was difficult to grasp and hold things I was constantly dropping things. Once the steroids wore off the pain was completely off the pain scale.
February 26th, 2016
I finally got in to see my neurologist, and he double checked the pressure points that would fall in the category for fibromyalgia. He said over a certain amount it would place me in that category. I believe 11 out of 15, but as he was poking and prodding at me I think that I only had 7 or 8 that were extremely sensitive. He said my left side reflexes were poor and that’s partially because now the pain is all in my left side, my left leg constant tenseness and cold to the touch but radiating red with shooting pains. My left lower back to the back of my thighs but it’s not sciatica. I have sciatica also but this is worse. My neck hurts when I turn it left to right. He re-ordered my blood work even though it was normal last year and re ordered MRI’s for my Cervical Spine and Lumbar spine in hopes that they will show something I asked for a Lumbar puncture but they wouldn’t do it. He’s sticking to peripheral neuropathy/ raynodes/ fibromyalgia.
All of those are just wide spread “ I don’t have an answer for you but you need a diagnosis” answers.
I’m at my wits end. I don’t know where to go from here, or what I’m going to do.
I’ve had wide spread back pain for years, I have two children ages 6 and 3 and needless to say my pregnancies haven’t really helped my back pain. I’ve been seeing a chiropractor for over 10 years, switched to one that does manipulation and massage as well. It seems to have progressed along with a number of other symptoms my neck pain and back pain would only be temporarily relived. It has come to my attention that degenerative disk disease runs in my family.
Work: Before becoming almost unable to function (currently) I worked 60-70 hour work weeks and was extremely dedicated to my job, and my family. Between life as a full time employee, full time business owner and full time mom I was always on the go when I had time to work out I would, and my diet hasn’t always been the best but I’m 5’8” and 170lbs. Not obese by any means. Not diabetic.
January 2014
Starting back in January of 2014 I developed burning sensation in my hands while they feel burning, like they were removed from a pot of boiling hot water, they were freezing to the touch like cadaver hands. The color was inconsistent and the swelling was uncomfortable. They would turn red with orange splotches and a little bit of blue and purple. Then I started to develop this rash on my legs and arms at times red with orange splotches, sometimes shades of blue and purple. Same goes for my toes. Doesn’t matter the weather or season.
I also had noticed swelling in my lymph node under my right arm. The OB/GYN didn’t seem to think it was anything to write home about but it was still a concern to me.
I was concerned with the rash along with excruciating back pain I made an appointment to see my neurologist in March 2014 He ordered MRI’s of my Cervical Spine, Lumbar Spine and the Brain. This resulted in the following:
• L5-S1 there is a central disc herniation with mild impingement of the descending left S1 nerve root, mild bilateral neural forminal stenosis.
• Nonspecific bone marrow edema right side of S2 segment of sacrum could present an insufficiency fracture or contusion, recommendation further mri or ct of Sacrum
• Inclusion of follow up MRI STIR images is recommended and bone scan ....
• C4-C5 there is a disc osteophyte complex
• with mild impingement on spinal cord.
• C5-C6 disc osteophyte complex with mild impingement on spinal cord, mild spinal canal stenosis Moderate right and mild left neural forminal stenosis
• C6-C7 there is a disc osteophyte complex with mild impingement on spinal cord.
• There is a right maxillary sinus retention cyst or polyp
He also ordered an EMG of only my right side and everything in the EMG came back normal. Since these tests were done my pain has not only become more consistent and more painful but just about making me disabled. We tried a few different Nerve blocking anti depressants to take away the painful feelings but all of them had horrific side effects so after switching between the three Cymbalta, Lyrica and one other, I cut them out completely.
Fast forward to January 2015
The pain is so bad there are some days I can’t get out of bed, let alone exercise. My symptoms list started to get longer.
• Loosing feeling in my fingers/ where they turn purple (not all at once but 2 on the left then two on the right the next day)
• Muscle weakness
• Fine motor skills were decreasing in ability to hold things and grasp
• Shooting pain going down both legs almost simultaneously and increasingly painful
• Aching feeling in calves
• Aching feeling in arms
• Lymphnode under right arm is now larger more swollen.
• Sharp pain when I breath in my mid lower back
• Sharp pain radiating from neck down right shoulder
• Migraine (once in a while may not be related)
• Red rash that pops up on my chest arms and face at random times like inflammatory, not hives but felt like it was on fire
• Muscles in some parts of my body are tense and not able to relax
• Stabbing pain in lower back
• Dizziness/ loss of balance
• Helicopter noise in left ear
• Blurry vision
• Loss of feeling in my right arm completely
• Bilateral loss of feeling in both legs
• Random muscle spasms all around
February 3rd 2016
I drove myself to the local ER because I couldn’t feel my right arm at all. The ER doctor didn’t ask me to put a gown on get undressed. They did nothing. No blood tests or urine samples he said I have Raynodes syndrome and sent me on my way. I can partially agree, but was extremely angry. I went home the right arm numbness lasted overnight but two days later.
February 5th 2016
I was unable to move or get out of bed, I had a migraine that was debilitating at the back of my skull on the left was where the centralized pain was. I was weak, I couldn’t stand for more than 5 minutes without feeling like I was going to pass out or fall over. I spent most of the day in bed, crying hiding under a pillow, curled up into a ball but not sleeping at all. I was unable to get comfortable and had excruciating pain from my neck all the way down to my feet.
February 6th 2016
I got up out of the bed to go to the bathroom and I couldn’t feel either one of my legs, I couldn’t move them, and I couldn’t walk. My legs collapsed making me have to grab on to the dresser and part of the door frame without having to hit the ground. I felt off balance and my vision was blurry. This brought me to my second trip to the ER in 3 days. This time the doctor could see the pain and Un-comfortability in my face. They gave me a shot of dilaudid to help ease the pain and they did a full blood and urine work up and everything came back normal. NOTHING. The doctor had nothing to tell me, because everything was fine. He told me to follow up with my neurologist and recommend finding a rheumatologist because it could be some off the wall autoimmune disorder, or have something to do with the spinal cord impingement. They gave me a shot of Prednisone and a 7 day taper down prescription for when I got home. This made me feel about 70% better the next day. Throughout the day I could feel the decline but maybe because I felt better I pushed myself a little harder.
February 7th 2016- Approx February 16th,2016
The blurry vision was in and out it wasn’t consistent. But enough to keep me from driving and doing anything that required typing, reading or writing, It was difficult to grasp and hold things I was constantly dropping things. Once the steroids wore off the pain was completely off the pain scale.
February 26th, 2016
I finally got in to see my neurologist, and he double checked the pressure points that would fall in the category for fibromyalgia. He said over a certain amount it would place me in that category. I believe 11 out of 15, but as he was poking and prodding at me I think that I only had 7 or 8 that were extremely sensitive. He said my left side reflexes were poor and that’s partially because now the pain is all in my left side, my left leg constant tenseness and cold to the touch but radiating red with shooting pains. My left lower back to the back of my thighs but it’s not sciatica. I have sciatica also but this is worse. My neck hurts when I turn it left to right. He re-ordered my blood work even though it was normal last year and re ordered MRI’s for my Cervical Spine and Lumbar spine in hopes that they will show something I asked for a Lumbar puncture but they wouldn’t do it. He’s sticking to peripheral neuropathy/ raynodes/ fibromyalgia.
All of those are just wide spread “ I don’t have an answer for you but you need a diagnosis” answers.
I’m at my wits end. I don’t know where to go from here, or what I’m going to do.
Go to a Rheumatologist! To me it sounds like osteoarthritis is also in your back and neck. My dr didn't do the trigger test for fibro he said its not accurate. He simply used my symptoms to dx. The headaches could be from the neck- you also need to see a pain management Dr. You must Tell them that "I Can't live this way any longer" they will do something! Spinal stenosis is no joy ride get ready. I've joined support groups on FB for support Good Luck honey!
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