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Diagnosed as Sciatica, BUT.....

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Posted 3/11/2013 5:33 PM (GMT 0)

Hi... this is my first post and I'm not sure I put this in the right forum...  the problem(s) I'm trying to deal with concern a good friend who dislikes posting online so I'm trying to help him best I can....

He has a multitude of medical conditions, some diagnosed and some not so sure.  He is doing exceptionally well according to his cardiologist after having had an aortic valve replacement over a year ago.  He also has type II diabetes and has been controlling it with diet....  (just a bit of background)

What I'm wondering about for this post here is that approximately 3 months ago, he woke up with a sharp pain in his right leg for no apparent reason.  After a few days of it continuing to get worse, he saw his primary care physician, who without doing any diagnostic tests, told my friend he has sciatica..  nerve pain stemming from the sciatic nerve and suspected that it is diabetes related.  He was prescribed Neurontin, which did not work for him at all.

He went back after about 2 weeks, told the doc it had only gotten worse and was switched to Lyrica.  He did not find any relief from that as well as he did not like the side effects it had on him of lightheadedness and a very dry mouth.  He does not like taking medication in the first place, although he does take all that he is prescribed as prescribed.  After another few weeks of the pain getting no better and some days getting worse, yet still taking and hating the Lyrica, he is about to just give up on doctors and even though he as also been struggling to get on disability after being denied and having no money to speak of....   he seems to have just accepted that he is to live in pain and with his other discomforts (difficulty breathing, great pain when he bends over to pick something up from the floor - something no docor had done much about trying to find out what that's about - excessive tiredness, constant pain, etc....) He is 58 years old and spends most of his time in bed, will make short trips to the grocery store or pharmacy then back home and gasping for air after climbing one flight of stairs to our shared apartment.

He is frustrated that his leg pain which is currently his greatest discomfort has never been properly addressed.  I feel the same way.  It seems as if they should do some sort of CAT scan, MRI, or some sort of test in order to see what is going on inside - he has Medicaid currently, but the State is going to cut that at the end of April as he only got in on an emergency basis temporarily due to the heart surgery he needed to save his life - but as of now, lack of insurance is not an issue as far as getting diagnostic tests... 

I really want to help him, but don't know what to do...

Sorry this post is so long...  I'm at wits end and hoping someone here will have any suggestions at all....

Thank you so much for reading.

Posted 3/11/2013 6:49 PM (GMT 0)
Hi there..

That's great that you are trying to help your friend/roommate...


I would suggest that he seek out a Board Certified Neurologist so they can at least do a MRI. However, it's very likely that there will be some things found as pretty much everyone past their late 20's has degenerative disc changes.

The good news is that close to 85% of those with problems can be helped NON surgically. It's just a matter of getting the scan and then he can be led to physical therapy, injections, and then making sure that he takes the medication prescribed as it does take time to work. Most all of us dislike medication.....but in some cases it is helpful for awhile, mixed with other modalities, to help with back/spine pain.

The absolute worse thing he can do is stay in bed or in a chair all day/night. This will put even more pressure on the sciatic nerve and cause even greater pain. With his Drs. ok, making sure that he does gentle stretching (there are specific stretches that help) as well as walking every day.

As far as the difficulty breathing....I would make sure he tells his cardiologist about this as this is not a normal symptom of a disc issue or sciatic nerve pain. So I would get this checked out first...

It is also true that nerve pain is prevalent with those with diabetes. So, along with a good diet (which you say he is doing) and maintaining a health weight, exercise is very important as well as finding a nerve pain medication.

May I ask how long he took the Neurontin and what the dosage was.....Same thing for the Lyrica?

Post Edited (Snowbunny21) : 3/11/2013 1:26:51 PM (GMT-6)

Posted 3/11/2013 6:51 PM (GMT 0)
Hello Wish, Welcome to our HW family. We are glad to have but also sorry about the circumstances that bring you here. I understand how your friend feels about posting on the internet. This is the first thing ive ever joined also. I am not really good at typing myself but i am slowly getting used to it.

I will tell you that im really glad i found this website. The people here are very nice compassionate people. Everyone seems to be very well educated or at least familarized with most all different types of chronic pain issues.

Im not really sure what may be going with his leg. What milligrams was the neurontin he was on? I take that myself and it works fine for me but its a large dose and three times a day. Everyones different though, just because it works for me doesnt mean it will for him.

neurontin is used to treat nerve pain. i believe lyrica is for nerves also. With that being said, if the problems not a nerve its not gonna help anyway. Many docs give those medications to treat pain and think thats all you will need. That does not cover extreme pain. Most of the time you need a pain med to go alond with it.

Has he been to a pain management doctor? Also, i believe if the doc wouldn order testing to find out the problem, i would find a new doctor. IF I were the doc i would be worried that it may be a blood clot.

its very stressful waiting to be approved for disability. I think it even takes longer in some states than others.I live in georgia and it took three years for me to be approved.

well i hope you get help for your friend. i wanted to welcome you and just to let youknow everyone else will probably be on later today. I know there will be someone that may be of some help to you.

janet
Posted 3/11/2013 7:24 PM (GMT 0)
Hi wishiknew, I don't have a whole lot of time here, but I would suggest you have your friend get to his heart doctor first, to make sure that it's not something cardiovascular related, as there are some possibly dangerous conditions, that can cause leg pain, ie vein problems, valve problems in the legs, and such. Only after ruling out cardiovascular, and diabetic related problems would I suggest having him go to a neurosurgeon or orthopedic surgeon to investigate sciatica. I don't think it would be very smart to check the more minor possibilities first. Just my two cents. I hope it works out. Take care, and let us know what happens with your friend.
Posted 3/12/2013 10:38 PM (GMT 0)
before coverage runs out try a rhuematologist, pref. with films. they are great diagnosticians also neurologist as stated above. the rheumy can test for auto-immune chronic pain syndromes ex:ankylosing spondilitis or RSD=reflex sympathetic dystrophy. if a MRI shows nothing remarkable i would do this for sure.
Posted 3/12/2013 11:16 PM (GMT 0)
Hi, Wishiknew.

I sure hope you can get your friend's GP to take his problem more seriously....I'm glad he has you in his corner. To diagnose him without any diagnostics is outrageous! (I don't suppose Medicaid would let him get a 2nd opinion?)

I'm also 58. I have a lot of experience with Sciatica, if that's what it turns out to be...some of the worst pain of my life, and that's saying something. I woke up one day, turned over, and got zapped with horrible, electric pain in my left buttock muscle. Over the course of a few days, it increasingly involved that leg and foot, too, to the point where sitting was excruciating and going to the bathroom was worse. I couldn't drive, and had no life to speak of.

I got an MRI, which showed a ruptured disc in my lumbar spine - just what the doctor and I suspected. Meds and injections did nothing, and I had surgery to remove big disc pieces off the nerve six weeks later (a year ago.) I still have a lot of numbness and weakness and some pain. The disc is still ruptured, but I'm WAAY better....I'm doing PT exercises to strengthen my core muscles.

Good luck!!! I know that nerve damage can become more long-term the longer it's left untreated.

Debbie
Posted 3/14/2013 4:45 AM (GMT 0)

Hi Everybody... and thank you so much for your thoughtful replies.  I'm sorry I haven't been back sooner, but when I just checked right now, I just feel so touched and a sense of relief that I feel less alone in trying to help him get some relief (hopefully permanently) from so many various ailments.. some of which seem so intangeable to me ...  as of now, he's not aware that I have reached out on the Internet in this forum... but after reading your replies, I think he's about to find out.   Especially as I think that it is important to pass along the info from Snowbunny21 regarding the detrimental effects of being in bed so much (although he says that often it's the only way he finds any sort of physical comfort....)

As for those who asked questions regarding the doseage and length of time on Neurontin and Lyrica, I actually don't know the doseage (I'd have to ask him and have not done that as of yet.. although he only took the Neurontin for approx 2 weeks and no longer takes it.  Since I made my post, he has also stopped taking the Lyrica - but was put on a medication to help control his blood sugar, Glyburide (sp?)... as his last AC1 test showed an increase in his overall blood sugar.  It is not as far as I know a form of insulin, but seems to be working well to keep his glucose numbers down and while he still has many bad days, at least with the diabetic numbers down some, he seems to be having a few more better days. 

Again, thanks so much  to all who replied....  best to all of you...

Posted 3/14/2013 12:20 PM (GMT 0)
My suggestions, in this order, Cardiologist, Neurosurgeon, Lawyer for disability. I took Neurontin and it shot my blood sugar through the roof. Now I'm on Lyrica and the lightheadedness is annoying for me too but I'm hoping it passes after I've been on it for a month or so.. I'm also on Glyburide it's not a form of insulin but it does stimulate the beta cells to release more insulin. I also take Metformin along with the Glyburide.

Sciatica can be debilitating. I know, as that is what I have, along with a ruptured disk and other spinal damage. Sciatica is not a disease, it's a symptom of a problem. I'm no doctor but it does sound to me as if he's ruptured a disk.

The lawyer for disability is pretty much mandatory if you want to win. Make sure it's one who takes the case on consignment. They don't get paid unless you do. I've also been through getting disability and it can take a very long time.
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