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GP changed her mind

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sarah22500
sarah22500

 I'm suddenly in such terrible pain in both thighs and cannot walk. This pain level has risen so quickly and my GP thinks it could well be spinal stenosis. I know a lot of you on here aren't medically trained but I'm needinfg advice please as my GP initially thought my ONE groin pain was due to osteoarthritis in my hip (Xray showed one side with much less joint space than the other). But suddenly my groin pain went to BOTH groins and all down the front of my thighs. Even both knees. This was so sudden. I've had terrible lower back pain for the last 15 years but it's never been 24/7. In 2008 I had really awful pains in one leg and had to use my other leg to get on a bus. Four months ago I had such pain in my right groin and thigh I had to use my other leg to be able to walk. I went everywhere limping badly. I refused to give in to the pain.

Now I'm having to use a mobility scooter. :'( I cant even walk across the room without acute front of thighs pain. But when I sit down the pain goes.....The MRI attached is 18 months old but my GP looked at this the other day and told me she feels the problem is not from my hip but from my spine due to stenosis. I now have to have another MRI but does anyone know why my doctor would say this as there's no mention of this on this old one.

Thank you if anyone can offer advice as I'm not the type to give in but the acceleration and level of both  thighs  pain is scaring me.

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • CHICO_MARX
    CHICO_MARX sarah22500

    Posted

    Hit me last October....pain through hips, butt and the back of BOTH legs.  Then you start walking bent over to relieve the pain thereby engaging your quads ALL THE TIME so they start to hurt from muscle fatigue.  So now you have the front AND back of the thighs killing you.  Could barely walk...

    Foraminal stenosis (the most common kind) happens when the nerve roots coming through the vertebrae are squeezed (compressed) by a narrowing of the foraminal canals through which they pass.  The solution is to widen the gap between the vertebrae and/or clean out those canals resulting in a decompression of the nerves.

    My L2/L3 stenosis diagnosis was suggested by an MRI and confirmed by a CT/Myelogram with contrast...the "gold standard" test for stenosis.  Doc also had his pain management partner do an injection at L2/L3 to see if that made a difference.  It did (very short term) and that completed the diagnostic set of procedures confirming stenosis.  Note: This is all done with a NEUROSURGEON!  No one else is qualified to work on your spine.

    Now for the surgery...  I'm already fused L3-S1 so this would be one vertebra above my existing fusion.  Doc gave me two choices:

    - A. Open me up from the back, remove all my metal, clean up L2/L3, insert a static spacer and re-fuse me L2-S1.  10-day hospital stay and six-month rehab.  Or...

    - B. Have a General Surgeon create a "tunnel" to my spine FROM THE SIDE, insert an EXPANDABLE spacer, crank it open to the desired gap, back-fill it with a bone graft from my hip and close. The "crank it open" part of this is done by inserting a specialized Allen wrench and turning it so the spacer expands...just like a jack lifting up a car...thereby opening the space between the vertebrae.  This would involve a ONE NIGHT stay in the hospital and ZERO rehab.

    I'll take one from Column "B".  Thank you very much.

    Had the surgery on March 24 at 10:30 AM; home by noon the next day.  Immediate relief of ALL stenosis pain...repeat ALL!!! The downside is that to do this, the docs have to move lots of muscles and nerves around temporarily. So after the anesthesia wears off, you have lots of nerve pain on the front of both thighs plus some lower back aches.  I'm taking my meds so the pain is tolerable, given that nerve pain is horrible to begin with.  The pain is normal for the op, temporary and lasts 1-2 weeks max.

    Added a picture of my actual implant.  For a great animation of the technique, go to YouTube, search for "Globus RISE-L" and watch the video.  Amazing alternative to an actual fusion.  Go see a neuro who's done these before; you will also need a General Surgeon to create the "tunnel" from the side.  I was lucky in that my neuro has done a lot of these and the GS had done over 2,000 of them for various docs in the area.  Find people with the right skill set to make you better fast.

    Good luck...

    • sarah22500
      sarah22500 CHICO_MARX

      Posted

      Wow you're so brave to have been through all that surgery and pain! I don't know how you did it, the X ray looks super scary 😱

      Thanks anyway for an interesting read! I guess I will just have to just sit it out like everyone else waiting in pain for a hospital appointment 😕

  • jessica_78456
    jessica_78456 sarah22500

    Posted

    I suffer with stenosis degenerative disc diease and fibromyalgia and inflammatory joint diease, these symptoms are very familiar. Have u had a recent MRI done. Maybe a appointment with a neurosurgeon is yr first port of call
    • sarah22500
      sarah22500 jessica_78456

      Posted

      I have an appt with a physio of all people at the end of April. I think he's called an Extended Scope Practitioner so higher up than a physio but at least I'm seeing someone other than my neighbours 🙄 Such a long wait here in East Anglia....

      Sorry to read about all the pain you yourself must be in. I hope you feel a lot better soon Jessica. Thank you for getting back to me x

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