I'd Like to Say Hello

Hi everyone,

I have been reading posts on this forum for the past couple weeks and have found it to be a great wealth of knowledge, as well as compassion. My name is Logan and I'm 22 years old. For the past three months I have been having moderate to severe pain located in the center of my lower back. This has been getting progressively worse since I first noticed it three months ago. In addition, I have a weird burning sensation in my right buttocks and the back of my right thigh. Sometimes my right foot feels like there is a pins-and-needles feeling on the bottom of it.

The main reason I have decided to join is because I am scared that this pain is developing into a chronic condition. I have been to my primary physician, who has yet to make a diagnosis, but says that my x-rays appear normal. He prescribed an anti-inflammatory and several different muscle relaxants, which have a very minimal effect on my pain. I have also been seeing my chiropractor regularly for adjustments. However, they can't tell me much except that the "L5 nerve on the right side" is acting up. The cause is as of yet unknown.

I don't want to consider that this pain may be a continuing condition, as I am so young and have not ever had any serious injuries to my spine, but I can't help but feel 3 months with worsening symptoms points to a serious underlying problem. Both my personal life, work, and schooling have suffered due to my pain, and I don't want my quality of life to be affected to such a degree.

I would therefore like to ask the community the following:
What is the youngest age at which you or someone you know started to experience CP?
What is the longest that a moderate to severe pain has remained without the cause being diagnosed?
It bothers me quite a bit that the cause is unknown, should I request an MRI in order to find out more?
My doctor mentioned opiate painkillers, but I don't want to just treat the symptoms while leaving the cause behind. Are there any treatments that I may recommend to my doctor or chiropractor that are not so superficial?

Thanks in advance for your consideration. I don't know if my friends or family, or even my doctor understands how I feel.

Spacebutler, pain knows no limits whether by age  or any other limitation. Some of us are older but have dealt with pain for many years. If you have been trying the meds the PCP has given and there is no relief, I suggest you go see him again and ask for an MRI. If he does not think it reasonable, ask for a referral for an ortho or neurosugeon. They will probably be willing to look further. That does not mean you need surgery as they have non surgical approaches nas well. I certainly would encourage you to keep looking. We are not doctors but we know from experience that nerve root compression, calcium deposits, bone spurs, buldging disk can cause the radiating pain starting in nthe back and then douwn through the buttock and leg to the foot. Depending where the nerve is compremisedm where the pain will be. Best of luck as you continue to look for a cause.

Hi, Spacebutler,
Welcome to the chronic pain forum of Healing Well. I think you're very wise to be proactive and want to avoid this becoming a more chronic condition. I and many others know how easily that can happen. I have many of your symptoms and more, and have had double fusion surgery that failed, so I'm pretty much stuck with medications to manage pain. But I'm a lot older than you.

I would really suggest going to a specialist - either a neurologist (would be my first choice because of the nerve pain) or maybe an orthopedist. Let them order additional tests like an MRI because truthfully your PCP isn't trained to interpret such tests. Your PCP might want to refer you for a course of physical therapy first, though. Often they do that, and if the PT doesn't help, then a specialist is definitely in order. If I were you I'd avoid chiropractics for now, especially because it seems it's not helping you. You want to find out where that nerve is being irritated or compressed. Try to find a good PT, which isn't always easy to do. Sometimes PCP's know which ones are good, but we've had some recent threads here discussing the importance of asserting yourself even with a physical therapist. I've had some wonderful ones (just had a session today, as my insurance is running out), but have had some that hurt me more. Anyway, I think PT is worth exploring, but if after a couple of months of PT you're not improving, please insist on seeing a specialist. Whether your insurance will pay for the tests may depend on your plan, but it would be important to not let it go on indefinitely.

Hope this helps a bit. Again, welcome.

PaLady

 

 

WElcome Spacebutler,

I started having problems with my back when I was about 20...I am now 42.  Through the years I have had bulging discs, herniated discs, ruptured discs, spinal stenosis, bone spurs, nerve damage....I have had 2 back surgeries...I was recently told that my spinal stenosis was inherited from my father who also had it, and had back surery when I was only about 3....

 

Having CP is horrible...Not only do we suffer with the pain, we also suffer the stigma from the public because we take pain meds.  We are a close knit family here who welcomes all who suffer....We all know what we are talking about, although we are not experts...

 

Welcome and good luck,  Me.

Hi SpaceButler and welcome to Healing Well. As you can see all of us here on the forum

have one thing in common-pain. I do really hate to see someone young like you have this problem. Lets hope your dr can get to the bottom of what is causing your problem and come up with something that will take care of it.

Unfortunately, as the others have said pain has no age limit. Since you have been suffering for three months I think its reasonable to request your PCP to refer you out for an MRI. Once you get the results of the MRI, then see about a referral to a specialist. That cuts down on time if you have an MRI film in hand when seeing a specialist too.

For many of us here our pain medication gives us back some quality life. I have an intrathecal pain pump, prior to it, I had no quality life. None of us ever wanted to start opioid medication either, but when you have the choice of being in horrible pain all the time or trying to have a life it many times  becomes a part of a CP.

The burning you describe in your buttock really sounds like you have some nerve involvment going on. You really do need some proper workup done to find out the cause of this pain. Keep pushing for more work-up and a referral to a specialist.

Keep us posted on how you are coming along. Again, welcome aboard.

Hi space! It is wonderful that you have posted with us but again horrible that you too are in pain. I agree with all the posters here.

I began noticing symptoms after I hurt my lower back at work. I was 36 when I started down this road and I'm sure hoping that someday I can find another path out. Unfortunately its not looking like its going to be anytime soon.

Anyway, I wanted to welcome you to the family and I sure hope that some one can help you through this pain that you're having. If you need a shoulder I am alway here...or at least I try to be, but that is not always the case since I am now being bounced around from appt to appt. But you can email me anytime.

Scarred

Hi Space,

Welcome to HW! As you've already noticed, this is a wonderful compassionate, caring, supportive group! I am sorry that you have to join us because of pain! I hope that you will get some answers & will not have to live with it forever! I couldn't wish that on anyone!

As for your questions, I'm only 21, and I have had CP since I was 18. It all started with a traumatic injury, but it appears that it has now developed into, or revealed an underlying central nervous system disease. However, I still do not have a diagnosis. I've been at this for two & a half years, and although we keep learning more "pieces of the puzzle" as time goes on, we still aren't sure how all the puzzle pieces fit together. Unfortunately, it is possible to go for many, many years without a diagnosis. We know a lot about medicine, but at the same time, we know very little! I hope that this is not the case with you!

I can understand you not wanting to take pain medication, I avoided it for well over a year, but was forced to give in when I had exhausted all other options. Pain medication hasn't been an answer for me though. I'm actually in the process of withdrawing from my "last hope" opioid. It seems that I have some kind of genetic condition that blocks the effects of these medications. There are a great many more medications to try, though. I'd also suggest that you seek a specialist. The first, second, or third doctor that you seek out may not be able to help you, but there is somewhere out there who can! Just don't give up!

Keep posting with us & let us know how things go!

Skeye

Welcome to the family...  I hope you stay with us and you don't have to have CP to post here.  Chronic pain can mean many things to different people.  Any pain for any time sucks...

I would therefore like to ask the community the following:

What is the youngest age at which you or someone you know started to experience CP?

I starte with pain at the age of 17 or 18.  Acute pain that came and went with kidney stones.

What is the longest that a moderate to severe pain has remained without the cause being diagnosed?

Wow this one was a long one for me.  20 years if you can imagine that.

It bothers me quite a bit that the cause is unknown, should I request an MRI in order to find out more?
MRI's are VERY helpful in any situation.  If I had mine earlier I would of had a DX sooner.

My doctor mentioned opiate painkillers, but I don't want to just treat the symptoms while leaving the cause behind. Are there any treatments that I may recommend to my doctor or chiropractor that are not so superficial?

First of all why not take something for pain control.  Why stay in pain?  You can use pain medication to help you through with furthering your testing to find what is causing you such grief.

Once again welcome to the family

Laurie