So many symptoms I don't know what to tell my doctor!

08-15-2008, 08:29 PM

I need to see my doctor for a physical. I have so many symptoms I don't want to overwhelm him and make him think i'm a hypochondriac.

The biggest thing I'm worried about right now is the pain my body is in. Maybe someone here can help me to figure out what is important and what isn't.

For starters, I'm 37, overweight, and haven't worked since January. I just went back to work. I spent most of my time sittng on my butt while off work. Now I'm quite active again. I know that that would probably cause some muscular pain but what I'm experiencing is crazy.

It started in my neck. Great pain there. Headaches and dizziness caused by this neckpain. I've had it on and off for a couple of years but it's gotten to the point where it's so severe I can hardly stand it. it's at the bottom of my skull, sometimes it hurts in the front too. I missed my second day of work because I woke up that morning unable to move my head. The doctor said I had muscle spasms. The stiffness went away within a day.

Now my legs are KILLING me. They burn. My calves hurt. My thighs hurt. The sides of my hips hurt and my lower back is aching. I took 2 Ibuprofen and now they feel heavy and thick. The tops of my feet still hurt though. And my wrist hurts.

Could this all be due to working? I only worked a total of 38 hours in 2 weeks!

I'm a health care aide so I do alot of walking, pulling and pushing.

Why would my legs hurt? I've had sore legs before, I have always felt it was from inactivity, this started in 1999. It has come and gone all this time, but this time it's really severe. I'll go through periods where I can barely walk. But it will get better within a few weeks.

Stretching feels really good on them. Sometimes it feels like something is lightly touching my calves even though there is nothing there. The veins in the top of my feet are throbbing. I have numbness at night, I'll wake up with a numb hand or foot and one time my shin was numb. I've felt pins and needles in my hands, arms and chin while sitting at the computer. My arms also feel really weak sometimes. with pain radiating down them.

I don't know if this is all connected. I don't know what to tell the doctor. I am anxious that I have MS or something. I just don't know how to approach him.

I do have Anxiety, and Graves Disease, which is in remission right now.

08-15-2008, 09:29 PM

Hi PumpkinSeed,
Good heavens, you've got anxiety and Graves, it is no wonder you've got all those symptoms. Have you posted this messge on the Thyroid board?
I'd like to see what all those knowlegable thyroid veterans would make of this lot of symptoms.
GO on give it a try over at the thyroid board, they'll be able to give some constructive feedback.
Take care waratah

08-15-2008, 09:35 PM

While auto-immune disorders can cause a lot of pain all over your body, spinal narrowing between the discs can pinch nerves which will cause pain that radiates. Activity to the areas will make it hurt. I have sciatica in my lower back which affects my hips and legs down through my feet. I also have osteoarthritis with pinched nerves in my shoulders and neck which radiates to the side of my face, and sometimes into my ear, upper jaw and across my eyebrow.

I would see about getting some spinal tests done to see if it could be pinched nerves.

Please let us know how it goes.

Lindaru

08-15-2008, 10:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lindaru

While auto-immune disorders can cause a lot of pain all over your body, spinal narrowing between the discs can pinch nerves which will cause pain that radiates. Activity to the areas will make it hurt. I have sciatica in my lower back which affects my hips and legs down through my feet. I also have osteoarthritis with pinched nerves in my shoulders and neck which radiates to the side of my face, and sometimes into my ear, upper jaw and across my eyebrow.

I would see about getting some spinal tests done to see if it could be pinched nerves.

Please let us know how it goes.

Lindaru

''

where does sciatica originate? i mean how far up does the pain go?

i'm seriously thinking pinched nerves. but my anxiety tells me crazy stuff like blood clots in my legs or some disease.

08-16-2008, 11:36 AM

Sciatica begins in your sacral vertebrae (the ones above your tail bone). There is one continuous nerve that runs down the legs to the feet, and even wraps into the hip. If you have to compensate for your lower back, your pain can go up higher into your back just because you are using those muscles in a different way than you would be if you did not have low back pain.

My most common symptoms of sciatica in addition to the pain itself have been numbness and tingling in the legs and feet, charlie horses and even feeling like someone set my legs on fire (just lasts a few minutes all of these). Getting up and walking around seems to help them go away.

Sciatica is a very common condition. It can be brought on by an old injury, poor posture and excessive use of the lower back (bending and lifting heavy things).

Let me know if you need any more information and I will try to help.

Lindaru

08-16-2008, 08:15 PM

thanks, that sounds really familiar, the tingling, numbness, and definitely the fire in the legs.

can the pain be anywhere or is it just on the front, back or sides? i seem to have pain that is more in the back, but i know my muscles are hurting too.

i will ask the doctor about that. what treatment is good?

08-16-2008, 09:58 PM

The pain can be anywhere along the legs. Mine tends towards the back until it gets down to the knees and then sometimes twists around to get to the tops of my feet, especially when charlie horses come on.

They will probably recommend anti-inflammatories (which I personally cannot tolerate) and an over the counter pain reliever.

I take Tylenol for mine, avoid activities that I know are going to hurt my back or make it worse, try to find time every day to get my legs elevated, sleep in three-fourths profile on my tummy with one leg bent as high as I can (changing later on if I wake up to the other leg), sit with a pillow to support my back so that my knees are not hitting the edge of a chair or sofa, and do not sit for periods too long at a time. Make some excuse to get up and do something on commercials if you are watching television.

When I first got this, I thought soaking in hot water would be the answer but discovered that for me, it feels great while you are in there but after I have been out for a while and cooled down, it seemed to stiffen things up to where they were before or worse. Others I know swear by hot tubs, so it will likely be trial and error for you.

Hope you feel better soon!

Lindaru

So many symptoms I don't know what to tell my doctor!

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