Hi, Im new to these formums and have been posting in the ms one... I feel as if my syptoms are similar to ms.... Im going to a nuero in cpl weeks... been to several other docs, no one thinks there is anythig wrong with me. I just picked up the reports of mri of lower lumber to take to new doc.. it says i have mild degenerative changes in the mid to lower lumbar spine and posterior annular tear.. and disc protrusion on left side... My question is that i was wondering if a buldging disc can cause severe pain down both legs and hip area.. I had emg and it was negative for nerve damage.. I also get terrible leg cramps at nite.. the pain keeps me up..sometimes its so bad when walking around i feel shortness of breath..Sometimes the pain is so bad it makes me feel sick.. I get that flu-like feeling... I also have lighheadedness and headaches on right side of head.. i also get wierd chills in my arms and legs that sometimes hurt.. The docs say since all tests are negative i couldnt have ms and that the pain is most likely just from the buldging disc and maybe i have some arthritis in my bones making the pain worse.. does anyone else experience anything like my symptoms from a buldging disc or arthritis??? Thanks in advance for any help!
Tiffany

I have a bulging disc at L5/S1 and was fused 9 weeks ago at L4/L5. The bulging disc could indeed be causing your leg and hip pain. MRI's don't show it all. For 3 years.. all the surgeons assumed my pain was coming from the bulging disc, but my current surgeon performed a discogram.. and it the pain was actually eminating from the L4/L5.. as it was leaking very badly (yet the MRI did not show this at all). So maybe more testing is in order, and I would insist that they keep testing until you have an answer. Something is wrong.. it's not a figment of your imagination.

Maybe you have fribromyalgia perhaps.. it's a meriad of symptom type disorder/disease that effects many people. Are you seeing a Neurologist??
What meds are you taking? Are they leg cramps or nerve pain.. there is indeed a difference. If it's leg cramps.. are you drinking enough water, are you stretching as best you can, are you getting enough potassium, and you are probably deficient in calcium/magesium if you are/have been on lots of medications. I certainly was after surgery.. and had ghastly leg cramps. The calcuim/mag pills have kept that under complete control. Give some of things a try and they are natural and should not harm you. Good luck to you. Tammy:wave:

Bulging discs can and will cause leg and hip pain. As well as many other symptoms depending on area effected. I have a CT Scan from 1996 that shows every disc emflammed and bulging. Everything hurt, even takeing a breath, or eating a large meal or haveing a full blatter would put etra pressure on the effected nerves and cause symptoms to get worse. I bet they do no whats wrong but don't want to tell you cocerning your age of 35. Thay want you to be as active as possible, and I think some Docs feel that if they tell you your back problem is seriuos you will milk it. So normally they say something like oh it's real common take two pain meds, and resume normal activity, I've had back pain since I was 16 years old, and finally they took x-rays at age 22, I am now 30. They seemed discuraged with my back issues, but I assure you not as much as I.....

Just curious but have you ever had an actual c spine MRI done?the symptoms you have stated could possibly come from a problem up in the c spine area,espescially around the c 7 T 1 area.Marcia

Hi, thanks for all your help.. I have never had an mri of the c spine only lower lumbar.. Im not on any medications, I really only started to go to the doctors for this in march of this yr. I've never had back pain in the past.. But when the pain started this march i just couldnt take it anymore, and i was concerned because of feeling lightheaded and having so many other of the wall symptoms. Somedays i feel like someone has tied sandbags to my legs and i just cant move them.. And if its gonna rain then i just ache from my neck down.. I get that all tied up in knots feeling. The doctors say the buldging disc i have is too small to cause any of the symptoms i have.. but since my emgs were neg. and all my bloodwork was fine they say nothing is wrong with me and eventually it will all go away. Hopefully when i go to new neuro he will be able to help me!!