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Severe Pain spine, back, chest

Trying to find answers. March 2 on a Sunday night thru Monday night I had what I thought was the stomach virus, throwing up. Then when I woke up on Tuesday morning I was hurting badly on the right side of my chest (rib area). The pain starting spreading thru  my back up and down my spine. It moved up to my neck by Saturday. I could not walk to good always in severe pain. I finally went to the ER on Saturday night March 8. They did all blood work and x-rays but nothing showed up. They said maybe it was pleurisy and gave me pain meds and inflammatory meds and sent me home.
  I took the meds like it said to but nothing was helping. By Thursday night  March 13 I felt like my insides was burning and still having severe pain, so back to the ER, I went. This time they just came out and said we don't know what is going on. and  Gave me steroids and sent me home again. The pain has spread up my whole spine and into my neck causing headaches a lot. The pain has also spread down my spine to my butt bone and my entire back is on fire on the inside. It is going down into my thights on the outside area. Here it is March 18 and nothing has helped the pain is covered my spine and lower back and my legs.....My insides are on fire at all times I can't walk to fast or move to fast . The pain is severe and I can't seem to find out what is wrong. Every doctor says they dont know to go to another doctor.

  CAN SOMEONE PLEASE HELP ME! IF YOU HAVE BEEN THRU OR GOING THUR SOMETHING LIKE THIS PLEASE LET ME KNOW. I CAN'T TAKE THE PAIN AND THE BURNING ANYMORE. IT KEEPS SPREADING THRU MY BODY AN I CANT MOVE WALK OR BREATH SOMETIMES CAUSE OF IT. PLEASE HELP ME OUT
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Avatar universal
He said he might in a couple of weeks but he wants to try the meds first, and thank you very much
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Avatar universal
I did say that it sounded like Sciatica. Are they going to do an MRI to see what is actually going on? Although there can be times that a person has symptoms and nothing obvious can be seen on a scan, in many cases a scan is helpful. Really hope you feel better soon.
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Well I went to a different doctor yesterday, although he didn't run any test he said I have severe sciatica nerve damage. So he put me on different meds and said if I'm not feeling any better in a week to come back. He is only treating my leg problem. I tried to tell him over and over that it all started with my spine but we will see how it goes this week. I know I just started the meds yesterday it just numbed my legs but the pain in my spine is worse. I'm so hoping and praying that this goes away. I don't know how much more I can take.
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Avatar universal
Go back to your Doctor, you have a right for an explanation. Maybe they need to refer you to a specialist if they have not already done so. Let me know how things go. Good luck
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Thank you again. I only threw up the first couple of days before all this started. I haven't done it since. It has been three weeks and the pain is getting worse an spreading.
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Avatar universal
No problem at all.  Sciatica can be caused by disc problems but often no obvious problems with discs can be seen. Any doc worth their salts knows this, it's well documented! You can get numbness or strange pins and needles type sensations in the legs and feet. I actually lost all feeling in three of my toes on two separate occasions and it took months for the feeling to return to normal. Pain, numbness, strange sensations typically happen on one side but can be both sides as it is in my case. With the lump in your throat, I'm guessing that maybe the trauma of vomiting  may have caused some irritation. Remember, stomach acid when vomiting can irritate the whole tract and throat and can be quite painful. Also, if you are anxious about your situation (and I totally understand why you would be seeings as no one has given a diagnosis) this can also add to the whole difficult to swallow thing.  As I've said before insist on tests if symptoms persist. I found this for you on patient uk, thought it might better explain the feeling of having a lump in your throat.                                                                                                                

When acid from the stomach leaks up into the gullet (oesophagus), the condition is known as acid reflux. This may cause heartburn and other symptoms. A medicine which reduces the amount of acid made in your stomach is a common treatment and usually works well. Some people take short courses of medication when symptoms flare up. Some people need long-term daily medication to keep symptoms away.

Understanding the oesophagus and stomach
When we eat, food passes down the gullet (oesophagus) into the stomach. Cells in the lining of the stomach make acid and other chemicals which help to digest food. Stomach cells also make mucus which protects them from damage from the acid. The cells lining the oesophagus are different and have little protection from acid.

There is a circular band of muscle (a sphincter) at the junction between the oesophagus and stomach. This relaxes to allow food down, but then normally tightens up and stops food and acid leaking up (refluxing) into the oesophagus. In effect, the sphincter acts like a valve.


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What are reflux and oesophagitis?
Acid reflux means that some acid leaks up (refluxes) into the gullet (oesophagus).
Oesophagitis means inflammation of the lining of the oesophagus. Most cases of oesophagitis are due to reflux of stomach acid which irritates the inside lining of the oesophagus.
The lining of the oesophagus can cope with a certain amount of acid. However, it is more sensitive to acid in some people. Therefore, some people develop symptoms with only a small amount of reflux. However, some people have a lot of reflux without developing oesophagitis or symptoms.

Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (GORD)
This is a general term which describes the range of situations - acid reflux, with or without oesophagitis and symptoms.

What are the symptoms of acid reflux and oesophagitis?
Heartburn: this is the main symptom. This is a burning feeling which rises from the upper tummy (abdomen) or lower chest up towards the neck. (It is confusing as it has nothing to do with the heart!)
Other common symptoms: these include pain in the upper abdomen and chest, feeling sick, an acid taste in the mouth, bloating, belching, indigestion (dyspepsia), and a burning pain when you swallow hot drinks. Like heartburn, these symptoms tend to come and go, and tend to be worse after a meal.
Some uncommon symptoms: these may occur and if they do, can make the diagnosis difficult, as these symptoms can mimic other conditions. For example:
A persistent cough, particularly at night sometimes occurs. This is due to the refluxed acid irritating the windpipe (trachea). Asthma symptoms of cough and wheeze can sometimes be due to acid leaking up (reflux).
Other mouth and throat symptoms sometimes occur such as gum problems, bad breath, sore throat, hoarseness, and a feeling of a lump in the throat.
Severe chest pain develops in some cases (and may be mistaken for a heart attack).
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What causes acid reflux and whom does it affect?
The circular band of muscle (sphincter) at the bottom of the gullet (oesophagus) normally prevents acid leaking up (reflux). Problems occur if the sphincter does not work very well. This is common but in most cases it is not known why it does not work so well. In some cases the pressure in the stomach rises higher than the sphincter can withstand - for example, during pregnancy, after a large meal, or when bending forward. If you have a hiatus hernia (a condition where part of the stomach protrudes into the chest through the diaphragm), you have an increased chance of developing reflux. (See separate leaflet called Hiatus Hernia.)

Most people have heartburn at some time, perhaps after a large meal. However, about 1 adult in 3 has some heartburn every few days, and nearly 1 adult in 10 has heartburn at least once a day. In many cases it is mild and soon passes. However, it is quite common for symptoms to be frequent or severe enough to affect quality of life. Regular heartburn is more common in smokers, pregnant women, heavy drinkers, those who are overweight, and those aged between 35 and 64 years.

What tests might be done?
Tests are not usually necessary if you have typical symptoms. Many people experiencing acid leaking up (refluxing) into the gullet (oesophagus) are diagnosed with 'presumed acid reflux'. In this situation they have typical symptoms and the symptoms are eased by treatment. Tests may be advised if symptoms are severe, or do not improve with treatment, or are not typical of GORD.
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Avatar universal
Thank you so much. They told me that it wasn't a disc but that they didn't know what was wrong. My right leg an foot is very sensitive to the touch now and I have what feels like a lump in my throat. Everything I eat gets stuck or when it hits my stomach it causes more pain. I just don't know what else to do. Doctors after Doctors and no one knows anything. Its so crazy. But thank you so much I will ask again about the disc
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Avatar universal
Also, don't let them fob you off, if you are in extreme pain, insist on more tests, it's their job to find out what's wrong!
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Avatar universal
Ok, I'll try and help but of course I'm not a doctor so this is just a theory. I suffer from sciatica due to disc bugles in my spine.  If I have a severe attack I can barely walk and experience extreme pain which radiates down the legs and buttocks too in my case. So firstly I'm  wondering if you are experiencing sciatica. The symptoms certainly sound similar to mine. You said you had had been vomiting, so I imagine that you where bent over when doing so. I know a lot of muscles are involved when we vomit, it can cause quite a strain. It's possible that the pain you felt in the rib area was due to the muscles around that area being strained when you were being sick and if you were bent forward and vomiting I'm guessing that it is possible that the straining hurt your back in some way. When you vomit/gag you can actually feel all the muscles tensing up from the top of your spine (neck also) tight down to the base of your spine. So I'm wondering weather the actual vomiting was the cause of the back, chest and leg pain and that maybe you had some sort of bug that caused the vomiting, and maybe the burning that you are feeling is due to acid. As I said I'm not a doctor and if you are still not well go back. Maybe ask if what I have suggested might be what's going on in your case. Hope you get better soon.
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