I need advice!! please!!

[kellyh32]

it started in my lower back i could hardly move, then i got better ..all of a sudden my right hip and upper thigh are in pain .. the only time the pain is tolerable is when i'm on my stomach there is PAIN in my hip and it feels like the muscle in my thigh is as tight as an outstretched rubberband .. my doc says it's a pulled muscle but i've been taking flexeral and 800 mg ib prophen for a month and it's not getting better .. please help

[jerseygirl23]

Hi again, I just went to the internet and did a little research for you. This is one of the links I found. I have always found that when I am well informed I have more peace of mind and I enjoy being able to converse with the Dr.'s with some factual info at my side. Hope this gives you some of the info you have been looking for:  http://www.joint-pain-solutions.com/bulging-disc.html
jerseygir123

[jerseygirl23]

Kelly, I have 2 bulging discs but mine are mild, it is my other issues that cause the majority of my pain -- my fibromyalgia; my sciatica and neuropathy. The only way to determine if you have bulging discs and how bad they are is by an MRI. I have gone to orthopedic docs before and all they seem to do is prescribe pain meds, some might suggest surgery (which isn't anything to enter into lightly either, especially with the back -- although sometimes necessary) but the doctors I have been most impressed with for serious back issues are the neurologists as I stated before. Go to your appt. and see what this guy says but I would ask for a second opinion whatever he says, and I would get it from a neurologist. But that is me. You have to go with your gut. I do hope someone can do something soon for you. I prayed for you that you would receive the wisdom and guidance you need to make the best decisions. I have never heard of a muscle bulging out, that is interesting. I will have to look that up. Take care, Jerseygirl

[kellyh32]

I had a doc appointment yesterday . My muscle was bulging out of the back of my thigh so it was an emergency. She thinks i have a bulging disc and i have a meeting with an orthopedic doc on Monday .Hopefully someone can do something soon! ty jersey :)

[jerseygirl23]

You mentioned the magic word "NUMB". Every time I've had serious pain issues in the last decade what my docs kept asking me was if I had any numbness or tingling. I don't know what to make of all of your symptoms but I can tell you I believe the kind of doctor that can rule some things in or out for you at this point the best would be a neurologist. I hope you have a compassionate primary care doc and one that will realize when a specialist is needed, if not then find a primary care who is and who will be willing to give you a referral for a neurologist. With the kind of pain you are talking about here plus the numbness, you could have something serious going on here. If you do see a neurologist he probably will want to do an MRI of your spine as that is how most serious back issues are diagnosed. I've had two now. I will say some prayers for you... I will say though that a good physical therapist will recognize when a patient is beyond their scope of treatment and let your PCP know that they can't do anything. I just hate to see you go through anymore pain than you need to. Jerseygirl

[kellyh32]

ty jerseygirl, this has all been going on for about 2 months now. Last night was the worst for me . I kept getting woke up through the night with pain . and i can hardly move this morning ..  When this first started I couldn't move. I tride to stay Mobil and go shopping but i had to take tiny steps and standing for more than 5 minutes at a time was excruciating. My doctor prescribed the flexeril and the IB prophen and it kept the pain at bay until it finally subsided for about a week. Then slowly my right hip began to ache about a month ago and has progressed to my thigh, hip and lower back. The muscle feels tight in my leg..and it feels like it's constantly cramping and if i sit just right the right side of my foot will go numb. I could bare the tightness in my leg but the excruciating pain in my hip when i move is off the chart and my doc wants me to do physical therapy ..i'm almost in tears here  

[jerseygirl23]

How long has this all been going on for you? I would need a little more info to be able to give you a relatively accurate answer. If it truly were a pulled muscle while the flexeral might help for the pain it wouldn't get to the source of the problem. I believe you would need to rest it and ice it such as with tendinitis or bursitis. However, there is something else (probably more than one something else) that it could be. A lot of docs unfortunately are still skeptical about Fibromyalgia as a disease. I was diagnosed many years ago by my chiropractor; my primary care doc; a doctor that specializes in pain management as well as a rheumatologist, all saying that I had Fibromyalgia. It is a condition where one has many tender points in the body that feel like an achey, pinched nerve type of pain, like needles going into your body. These tender points are in the spine; thighs; knees; neck and other places as well. You could have that. I have that as well as Sciatica; two bulging discs and something called small fiber neuropathy. The latter has to be diagnosed through a skin biopsy by a neurologist. However, even if one does have small fiber neuropathy (and has a blood test to find out why) you might never know a conclusive answer. They couldn't find one for me. Sometimes its as simple as being low on Vitamin B 12 but not in my case. I have gone through back spasms of one kind or another on and off since 1986. I started having leg pain in 2002 and was diagnosed with the Fibromyalgia in 2003. The things that help me the most is a balance of walking and rest with ice packs of which I have several. You don't want to rest too much or your core muscles will get really weak and it will make the situation worse. However, prioritizing one's schedule and learning not to take on too much especially activities that require standing or sitting for long periods of time. Find a good chiropractor -- that could be worth its weight in gold for you, it has for me because the other thing that really helps me are getting my back manipulated and having what is called electrical stem on my back through the use of electrodes. Hope this helps...