Hi, I am new and confused about the idea of meralgia paresthetica. I went in for rotator cuff surgery on Feb 2 and was told not to lay on my right side. The anesthesiologist saw me before surgery and he and the nurse played with my 'fuse box' - he put somethin in my neck (prob a large needle) and looked for a nerve, different things jumped up and down then he found the right arm and said he would put things in it to deadin it for surgery. He called it a block. This was outpatient surgery. I was sick that day and the next. IT was difficult to move with the arm so sore and I was told not to lay on it. On the 3rd day I noticed the left leg going numb and mentioned this to the physical therapist. They told me we would keep an eye on it and let the doctor know if it got worse-which it did. At the end of the 4th week (last friday) during physical therapy it gave me electrical shocks or something like it shooting down my leg or if it touch it...i would screem during pt. My husband and the pt both said they thought i should now see a dr. We went right to the dr office and told him everything we could think of, including that my sister had had soft tissue sarcoma and my husband was worried about that. The doctor said he would have thought it was a blood clot because it was after surgery, but he really thinks it is this meralgia paresthetica. He sent me for x-rays and is scheduling me for nerve conduction velocities - but not till the 9th and did not say what to do till then. It is getting more difficult to find a good position. I have been trying to find things about it on the internet and found this site. It sounds like this can go on for years....
The only thing I have found about how you get it is -to be obiese (yes I am be I was before surgery too and nothing changed after surgery except weight loss from being sick and I didn't have this) to wear tight clothing - no and while at home I even take them off so nothing touches my leg - and I am not pregnant - I had surgery to remove everything. One thing said it would be sensitive to the touch more than to pressure...so I tried pushing on it and sometimes that is true mostly if something just brushes against it - it can trigger a scream. Will I be able to control this and go back to work?
AM I doomed for life with this? I don't think I can do this. What should I do?

Hi, and welcome to NeuroTalk! This is a great place to hang out with many interesting forums, and lots of friendly and helpful people.

I'm sorry you are having to deal with so much pain.

I have posted a link to the Peripheral Neuropathy forum. Maybe this will be of some help to you.

http://neurotalk.psychcentral.com/forum20.html

MP is quite often misunderstood. There are other things in the hip that can give similar pain. One is trochanteric bursitis.

MP pain occurs when the lateral femoral nerve is pinched somewhere in the abdomen or at the exit in the inguinal area.
You can also have a blood clot which will affect this nerve.

This nerve is SENSORY only and does not affect motor function.
It stops above the knee. It does not go down the back of the leg.

Here is a something to read:
Figure 2b shows this nerve.
http://www.aafp.org/afp/20000401/2109.html
MP often arises from abdominal surgery where the nerve may become entrapped, or from L4 issues where nerves may be pinched. People who get bone biopsies or donate marrow sometime have damage to this nerve.

Lying on that hip could be causing bursitis which is a different thing. Often an injection can help this cause.
The trochanter bursa is shown in Fig. 1.

Perhaps seeing a sports medicine doctor would give you a better evaluation and treatment for this hip problem.

Hello and welcome to NeuroTalk. Great to see you have come to be with us. You will find a great number of caring, supporting members here willing to help each other as they can.

Again welcome, looking forward to seeing you around.

Darlene