Diagnosis Unknown! Heavy Legs and Pain all over...

I hope I am in the right place!

Sorry everyone but this is my last resort! I have been to a Rheumatologist, Spine and Disk, Dermatologist, 2 ER's and one primary doctor! No one knows whats going on with me.. They keep running more test with no results..

Okay let me start from the beginning.. Not sure what is relevant so I am going through everything.

Variable 1? about 3 years ago I noticed about 6 months after I got back from overseas (Afghanistan) that on my left ankle I had some discoloration.. Some brown spots that almost looked like popped blood vessels.. As I said this might not be relevant to the other issue I am mentioning.. Just putting all of the variables out there.. After that last year after my legs swelled on a flight to Hawaii the discoloration has spread all the way up to my calf on both legs..

Variable 2?
I started getting some pain in my legs. Then one day after a 2 hour car trip it felt my that back side of my calf on my left leg was being stabbed with a knife almost to the bone.. So when I got home my wife rushed me to the ER.. The doctor gave me Narco, Naproxen and some nerve medicine I could not afford to get filled. As I have had back problems in the past he thought that was the cause.. Also I told him the lower par of both thighs were tender and you could see the veins some and they looked bruised..He asked " What did you hit yourself one?" I told him nothing and it looked strange he brushed it off.
So I gave that a couple of days for the medicine to work.

Variable 3?
So the pain started shooting through both legs one night and my left arm to the point of me almost about to scream.. I waited.. Then getting ready for bed I noticed one of the veins had burst on my left thigh then I noticed the my calf had swollen 1 1/2 bigger then the other..
So again late night another ER trip they did an ultra sound and sent me on my way..

So the next day went to the primary doctor that had been helping me with my back.. He put me on Flexeral, Narco, Prednizone and Naproxen. He also refered me to a Dermatologist and a Rheumatologist... As at this point my back was fine.

Right before I went to the Rheumatologist I started to get some back pain along with the rest of it.
She put me on Gabapentain allong with the rest of the medicine..
Also she sent me to go see a Spine and back doctor... One MRI later it's not my back although I have a little bit of a perforated disk it's no where near touching any nerves... But thank god finally have some relief with the Gabapentain.. So she takes me off the other medicine..Slowly..

The Dermatologist sent biopsies off for my legs as she is concerned about the brown spots everywhere.. She didn't like the results and sent them to another lab.. And now she is also confused and has no idea whats causing them...

So currently! I have taken myslef off the Gabapentain and am dealing with some of the pain.. Been off it for 2 days now.. Because 2 days ago I started losing sense of temperature in my legs(Cannot feel an ice cube freezing them after about 1 second of it touching it... Just feels like nothings there no matter how long I hold it there..
Also I have been getting really dizzy, cold sweats and a vibrating feeling on my legs like a cell phone is going off on it..

Also bad bad body aches all day..

Hope someone can point me in the right direction as my doctors are confused and keep ordering more labs...

We're not Drs., nor are we qualified to diagnose anything. That said, I'd guess something auto immune. Get yourself to a clinic that works in teams like Mayo or Cleveland or a teaching hospital. The ordering of many labs is good. Did the prednisone help?

Hello Robin & welcome to the chronic pain forum. First off, please understand none of us are drs here we just speak from our own personal experiences.

You do have some things going on with those legs no doubt. Why did you stop the Gabapentin, especially if it was helping? I don't think I would have stopped it. The thing with it is it takes time for it really kick in & work if its going to. Side effects usually are gone within a couple of weeks. Since it helped you & it being a medication used to treat nerve pain that says something right there.

I am guessing that you have been checked for blood clots n the legs. What about checking the blood flow & circulation in your legs? Have you seen a vascular dr? I would look for a vascular dr if you have not been seen by one. I have circulation problems in my legs & from the knees down my legs are discolored.

If you cannot find the answers you need from your drs, then I would suggest going to one of the big teaching hospitals. There they start from scratch & run their own tests. They are not like our main stream drs. They have access to equipment & knowledge that our regular drs do not. So, this may be something to consider. Lots of folks end up doing this very thing when drs cannot find the problem. More often than not, they get to the bottom of things. They will even work with your drs once a dx has been made.

You mentioned having something going on with your back, I am guessing a herniated disc. Something else I would do is consult with a board certified neurosurgeon & have him review my MRI. I know you saw a spine specialist, a 2nd opinion is very much worth its weight in gold some times. A neurosurgeon has more experience & training in dealing with nerve issues in the spine. We have seen more than one 2nd opinion be different than the original dr..

Anyway, I wanted to say hello & welcome aboard & give you my 2 cents worth. Take care.

I go to a research hospital and it's like night and day in regards to my local docs. Up here they can treat symptoms, but not the individual diseases.

I drive 3hrs south, but it's TOTALLY worth it.

Up here I'm a medical oddball, but down there, we are all oddballs.It's like finding a seat an the cool kids table:)

Good to hear from you & yes what this dr is telling you could very well be what you have going on. So, stick with this dr or drs & get whatever tests he is wanting to do. I am guessing its an EMG studies, why such a long wait? You had mentioned previously going off of the Gabapentin even though is was helping somewhat, that there said there was a nerve problem of some type.
There are several here with it but the good news is there is treatment for it. I suggest educating yourself about it. Stick with reputable web sites there is a lot garbage out there.

Keep us posted.