Quote:
Originally Posted by ukman
Hi
Well having been put to one side by 5 GP’s ( or so its seems ). The last doctor said that with back pain you imagine other symptoms !. How about a Physio.
I went to the Emergency room out of inspiration / desperation due to utter despair and was there for 5 hours and was seen by their assessor who then called for the Orthopaedic Consultant.
The bladder problem is not retention ( Thank God ). They did a bladder scan which showed empty when my brain is saying full. It is probably linked to the nervous system, ie messages being sent from the brain / spinal cord so I get the constant urge to urinate.
However they found things that the GPS overlooked, ie, loss of important reflexes on left side leg and wasting of muscle tone in leg ( even I didn’t notice that ). The other symptoms I have are erectile dysfunction ( 3 years ) and some difficulty keeping gas in and some pain and strange vibrations in rectal area.
The odd thing is I now have little back pain or sciatica now, that seems to have resolved over the last three weeks. I have some tingling in lower legs and although I can feel the saddle area, the pin tests showed that the right side more sensitive than left. The left leg is weaker and has lost a lot of reflexes and the consultant noticed muscle atrophy which I didn’t realise.
The upshot is that the consultant was concerned and has ordered an MRI scan which I will get shortly, followed by consultancy.
The consultant said that he wouldn’t get the knives out just yet because he thought that surgery isn’t critical at this point, an option based on MRI findings. Of course, I have assumed it to be a slipped disc but the MRI may or may not clarify whets going on. He things that a disc may have shunted just off -centre against the spinal cord roots at the lower end This can happen but it is unusual to be central shunt. Having said that my colleague has the same situation 2 years ago. He did observe Osteoarthritis with possible unstable spine on an Xray.
I am concerned about further damage. Bearing in mind this started nearly three years ago and has been left until now / not taken seriously until I went to the emergency room.
I am wondering if the suspicion is a red herring like pressure on the caudia Equine which I have signs of or perhaps some other co-existent conidition.
At the moment the worst thing is dealing with it as it is more distressing than the condition. How do you all deal with uncertainty, what keeps you positive
Take care and thanks for reading / and for any advice
Tony
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Wow, 5 GP's... you sure have been trying to get someone to listen to you. That does seem like half the battle. At least you finally have an MRI. It's hard to stay postivie, it's such a long road from symptoms to diagnosis, it took me almost a year from that to my surgery (which is now a short 3 weeks ahead of me). And for 6 months I was being treated for the wrong thing!
Try to control your pain and symptoms the best you can, but make sure you are insistent on getting heard, don't let them dismiss you. Only YOU can convey what is wrong with your body, you know yourself better than any doctor can. MRI's can't show pain, they can only show damage, it's up to you to make them understand what you are feeling and what you want fixed.
There is a lot of good people & information on this forum, the people on here have been so helpful for me. Try to remember you are not alone, there are LOTS of people who understand, even if it's not the doctors. I wish you the best in getting your diagnosis so you can be on your road to recovery!
Take care,
Cathie
