[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

[cath1]

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

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

[glenntaj]

--make sure that when the MRI is done, they visualize not only the lumbar spine, but the sacrum and the nerve roots that come through that area as well. A number of the larger nerves in the lower part of the body and legs are contributed to by a number of nerve root trunks and while it is certainly more common to have problems with lumbar spine compression, compression iof the sacral nerves through movement in the sacrum does happen (and you report of vibration in the rectal area does imply some possible S1/S2/S3 involvement).

[ukman]

many thanks for your advice and for reading post. It is scary but i try to think that sooner or later everyone comes up across severe medical problems. I guess I have thought I can avoid it so it makes you reflect on your life, makes you a little stronger and appreciate life which perhaps I have taken for granted for so long.

What shocks me is the sometimes casual approach of some medical professionals, peoples lives and wellbeing are at risk here and acting too late maybe too little too late if you know what I mean.

The forums here are very supportive though answers maybe on the horizon, we can help each other which means so much.

tony

[ukman]

Incidently i went to ER because i thought i was having urine retention. Their scan showed no urine in bladder. I get constant urge to urinate after drinking, every ten mins or so. I seem to pass small amounts of urine and the bladder seems so flacid but the bladder does drain. Nighttime is usually okay.
my GP said it is anxiety but the agony of a small amount feels like a gallon

tony

[Dr. Smith]

Originally Posted by ukman

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

Hi Tony,

That's it, isn't it? The stress can be more damaging and debilitating than the underlying issue(s). Personally, I've never found anxiety, stress or worry to accomplish anything, so I try very hard to dismiss them however and whenever possible.

Life is rife with uncertainties, what-ifs, etc. In general, it's a control issue; we are more concerned with those matters we can control or effect than those we cannot. I just googled: uncertainties what-ifs and found a whole lot better information, advice and techniques than I could ever come up with, and I'm sure there are better/more search terms/criteria to yield exactly what will help you. Things like:
stress management
dealing with anxiety
dealing with uncertainty

While brain lateralization can be a slippery slope, I do try to control my thinking processes with logic, rationality, and objectivity rather than emotion, though I don't ignore the emotions (gut feelings) - rather I try to put all in proper perspective for each situation.

What keeps me positive is actively looking for the positive and then pursuing it. When (not if) I find myself "wallowing", I first distract myself from whatever negativity I'm dwelling on. This is often self-indulgent, but as I said, I've never found the negativity to accomplish anything, so I do what I need to do. Once I break the negativity cycle, I can better focus on the positive. If I can't help myself (at the moment) I try to help someone else. Here are some of the techniques I use:
http://tinyurl.com/2c642oa

Hang in there. Learn something. Do something.

Best wishes,

Doc

[ukman]

I appreciate your wise words and will look at thoes links