lumbosacral plexus or proximal neuropathy - Neuropathy Message Board

tnquilter · 01-29-2009, 05:54 PM

I have had pain in my right hip and down my right leg for 2 years. I have went to several orthos, had 7 steroid shots total in my back, outer and inter hip - even back surgery for a decompression and a entangled nerve.

Still no better.
I was sent to a neurologist for the pins & needles that I was having in my feet and she said it was neuropathy and prescribed Elivil which has not helped much but it is a low dose (10mg), she said.

Today she did a EMG and a needle test. She said that my ankles and feet are okay no damage. But when she did th needle test on my right leg and my back she said I had permanent nerve damage. She said she did not believe in calling it proximal neuropathy (which I found on the internet and states exactly my symtoms). She said it was lumbosacral plexus and it was permanent and could not be reversed.

I have had several glucose test and they are always around 92 but never any with drinking the sweeten drink. She thought I might have diabetes. Though she said lumbosacral plexus had nothing to do with diabetes.
According to what I researched this is the same as proximal neuropathy and it is more common with those with type 2 diabetes and in older aduts with diabetes.

I did have a c-peptide test last October which should 9.5 (nomal range 1.1 -5.0 ng/mL) but I had not fasted before it. The endo that did the test said I might be having a problem with my pancreas not dealing with glucose but my other test was normal and he would watch - he was not worried. My thyroid was enlarged and he was more concerned with it. I go back to him again on the Feb 15th.

The nurologist just said she was sorry - nothing she could do - but try to help control pain. She is sending the info back to the ortho that I had went to.

The ortho did a second MRI and he said he seen several things but nothing that could show why I was still having the pain. He started talking about a epidurol shot in my back or a nurostimulator implanted in my back.

My symtoms are pain in the right thigh, hip, down my leg and in the front of my thigh. It is hard to stand after sitting and start walking. Very hard to walk up stairs. Sometimes it is worst than other times.

Has anyone had anything like this???
Would back massage or accupuncture help?

minstrel2 · 01-30-2009, 10:59 AM

Hi Tnquilter

I have neuropathy in both legs and feet, as well as arms and hands due to nerve in my lumbar and spinal cord compression in my cervical spine. My first symptoms were leg weakness, especially my left leg. Also my balance was bad, causing several falls. MRI showed bulging discs L4 and L5 and stenosis caused by enlarged ligament. My pain is mostly in my lower back, but can at times extend down the hip and thigh. Sitting is extremely hard, and also walking after sitting. I had three ESI's but they didn't help much. My NS doesn't think I would be helped by surgery in my lumbar. The neuropathy got extremely worse, ( I am not diabetic) and then my neurosurgeon ordered a second MRI and EMG of both lumbar and cervical spine. I had a vertabra that had slipped majorly due to a fall, and had surgery in June on C7-T1 to put things back in place. He said the cervical spine had caused much of my leg problem, since it involved spinal cord compression. I still have the neuropathy, but leg and arm strength has improved after PT. The neuropathy is becoming somewhat less, but I don't know how much it can improve. Nerves take 18 months to two years to heal if they can heal. My mother took Elavil for years for her burning toes caused by surgery 40 years before on sciatic nerve. The surgeon had to peel off the disc from the nerve root. She never got any relief. I am not taking drugs for the neuropathy, but take b vitamins and omega 3 capsules, which I think have helped me. Actually exercise seems to help the most when my leg pain gets bad. I do the things learned in PT. Especially in the warm water pool. I would consider going to a neurosurgeon rather than an ortho for your situation. Hope that you get some answers.
Kay

tnquilter · 02-07-2009, 05:28 AM

I have went to a neurosurgeon. I started going to him in Nov 2007, after looking at the MRI, he was not certain it was my back so he sent me to a ortho (3 one). After several x-rays, steriod shot in my outer hip and a steroid shot in my hip joint (done in the hospital with x ray guidence), then 6 weeks of PT, he sent me back to the NS and said it was not in my hip. Finally in July 2008, the NS said he thought he could help me with a decompression. During surgery, he did a decompression, placed a jelled sponge between disc in one area, shaved some bone, detangled a nerve from a ligament. He said it was very minor surgery and did not even send me to PT. After 2 months he released me even though I still had pain in my hip & leg. He told me to go back to the ortho for more steriod shots (I had 7 shots by this time during that year & half with not improvement).

I found on line that Proximal Neuropathy descibed my pain exactly: Pain in hip, down the side, soreness in outer muscle of hip, pain in front of thigh. Hard to walk up stairs due to pain in hip, hard to stand and start walking after sitting. Could be caused by diabetes.
Also it had several names including lumbosacral plexus which the neuro said was what I had.

Just wondering if anyone had been told they had either of these?

I go back to my endo in two weeks, I have an enlarged thyroid that he has been watching, hoping I would not have to be put on meds for it.

thanks