Whole left side body pain and muscle mass loss
Posted , 10 users are following.
I had this left side of my wholebody muscle pain off and on since the age of 18. I'm ok for few year or so and than it comes back. I lost muscle mass on my whole left side close to inch and half due to that reason. I had two neck surgery and I thought it would fix the issue but it stays the same. I done 8-10 MRI in my brain or neck, saw 6 different doctors and no one can pin point the cause of my pain. Last two years pain is very frequent and I don't know what to do. Anyone experiencing this kind of pain? Please let me know your thoughts. Thank you!
0 likes, 18 replies
will24 anowar88
Posted
anowar88 will24
Posted
Jason1327 anowar88
Posted
I'm in a similar situation myself.
Mainly left sided muscle weakness, from neck to foot.
Mine began after accidentally over extending my neck backwards in 2014 which caused an immediate onset of pins & needles all down my left side.
I've been experiencing left sided muscle weakness/aching ever since.
My leg tires very easily just walking and I cannot run more than 50 yards without feeling like my leg is about to collapse.
My arm shakes when doing any kind of lifting task, hand will literally cramp up when doing intricate tasks with fingers, such as tightening up a bolt by hand.
The left side of my neck constantly feels tight, almost like its being pressed.
I've had an MRI and X-ray of my cervical spine, but these came back as normal.
I've been researching endlessly looking for a self-diagnosis and I think I've narrowed it down to either an obstruction of nerves in the neck or maybe even some kind of stenosis of the carotid artery.
You say you've had 8-10 MRIs; what did these show, anything significant?
I presume the results of the scans must have been conclusive to warrant two neck surguries; what did the surgries involve/what was 'corrected'?
anowar88 Jason1327
Posted
I had vertical spine c3.c4 and c5 surgery back in 2007 and c6 and c7 this year. MRI didn't find anything about my whole side pain. It all started when I was 18 when I was playing soccer. It started same way yours did over extending my neck backward. My biggest fear is losing muscle mass. I can tolerate dull pain but hand leg left side body face all losing muscle. I'm going back to dr again in few weeks and fear he would say nothing looks unusual.
Jason1327 anowar88
Posted
Did you have disc compression at those levels or was it something else?
When referring to neurological pain, you have to work on a 'top-down' theory, i.e. that any spinal injury can cause body pain/weakness anywhere below that level. If your doctor/surgeon comes to a conclusion that everything appears to be normal from scans after your surguries, then it is possible that nerves may have been 'scarred' from being compromised for a duration of time before corrective surgery and may either remain as they are or eventually improve over time.
I've noticed a loss of muscle power/stamina for sure but not actual mass thus far; my left arm has always been thinner than my dominant right, but playing football (soccer) in my younger days I was/am left footed so that was my strongest leg and always put most of my weight through it as my right leg is the slightly longer of the two. But I can't do this now without serious aching in my left leg and feeling the need to either sit or lie down.
I can totally appreciate your fears as I too have similar concerns that what I have will just get worse. It is most definitely the biggest thing on my mind at the moment and can really get me down.
anowar88 Jason1327
Posted
Hello Jason,
Yes surgeries due to compressed disk. But pain started back in 1986 and surgery done from compressed disk in 2007 and 2017. I will have a detail conversation with dr when I visit him. I thought pain would go away after the surgery and my dr was clear that it was coming from compressed disk. But now that pain came back and my last MRI that I did after my surgery shows everything normal making me think something else is wrong that is not showing in the MRI or we're not doing the right diognastic.
CheriByGrace Jason1327
Posted
Very good sharing Jason!!
Everything does effect from that spinal point down. Thanks for that.
and thank you too for saying, just because you have a "normal" MRI doesn't mean things are all normal. Your symptoms are telling you it's NOT normal.
It's impossible to see the nerves compressed by discs or nerves affected by other things on an amRI. And as you said, even a temporary disc compression (which mean nerves got compressed even more because they are in between the disc and the bones) can still have a lasting affect on the body.
You can have spinal cord nerve damage from a needle in the spine that was maybe placed in the wrong place or just hit a nerve. Maybe the needle was for a spinal or epidural or some kind of test. You can also have spinal cord nerve damage from surgeries! Surgeons can nick a nerve, or many nerves, without knowing it. So SYMPTOMS are what guide docs when it comes to so-called soft tissue injury or nerve injury.
i find most MRIs are focused in spinal stenosis, a compression of the spinal cord. That's the biggie it seems they are ruling out. But let me say, I've had MRIs show spinal stenosis that later MRIs do not show. ? Spinal stenosis does not suddenly go away! So I've had to drag all my MRIs with me to show my docs that it is indeed there.
One last thing... I would certainly find another doctor if you have one that isn't acknowledging nerve issues and also find a neuro who likes to read the MRIs himself. Just from the simple change is the unchangeable results some of these Nero test readers get, I'd find a doc who reads them him or herself.
God bless!
john_43599 anowar88
Posted
I am a patient of Backpain. This is suffered me very much. I can't do anything properly. Today I have found this forum and in this forum I have read some information. Some people recommend to eat medicine but I want to remove it in different way. Some people recommend to use Inversion table. Then I have found an article which is covered about inversion table. Here is the link
Now my question is how can remove back pain? or which types of inversion tables can I collect. Please help me.
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http://patient.uservoice.com/knowledgebase/articles/398316-adding-links-to-posts
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rebby23 anowar88
Posted
Hi I'm currently having this same issue. I am 24 and the muscles in the left side of my body have wasted away. I have pain too. Like you it comes and goes and that's when my muscles seem to start withering away again. I have been diagnosed with chronic lyme disease and 2 coinfections called babesia and bartonella which can be life threatening. I suggest you get tested but be warned, this is a VERY controversial disease amongst the medical community and the tests are very inaccurate. Seek your information from lyme disease alliance websites and LYME LITERATE DOCTORS. If you've ever been bitten by a deer tick there is a chance you have this.
maureen_65564 anowar88
Posted
Did you ever get any answers on this is happening to me and I'm getting nowhere fast too!
maureen_65564 anowar88
Posted
Did you ever get any answers I'd like to know cuz this is happening to me and I can't get any answers.
It's scary I seen every doctor I can think of and I'm not getting any answers how about you?
sally37849 anowar88
Posted
diane_70853 anowar88
Posted
I was wondering how you are doing now...any answers found that explain the muscle wasting and pain on one side?
I found this forum by asking about why a single muscle would wither, my sternocleidomastoid muscle ( the thick muscle on the side of the neck) has greatly shrunken and I feel the difference in strength when I do crunches and recently could hardly hold my head up when I did a “back drop “ on the trampoline.
Anyway, our issues may not be the same but I’m very interested in how you are doing and if you’ve found guidance. I’m concerned for everyone that answered your forum question... answers need to be found and don’t give up until you find them! And in response to the Lyme disease post I say thanks for mentioning that, it’s one of the mysterious diseases that people don’t think of that can cause many many symptoms that mimic other things. It’s worth looking into .
Take care
sally37849 anowar88
Posted
Well I still have the pain it seems to have centralized in my left hip and goes down to my knee...then the outside muscle of my calf ... no longer my arm and shoulder ... some days it’s light and other it’s crazy painful ( as u said efoevisly at night) nothing neuroligical appeared in tests ... mri revealed ‘ possible bulging disc ( very small tho) causing pinched nerve ... ortho pedic said ... I’m eating a low imflamation ketigenuc diet to reduce any imflamation ... no Lyme disease ... I’m still looking for answers
Have u had an mri of your spine and neck yet?
CheriByGrace sally37849
Posted
I just want to encourage you that a bulging disc pressing on any nerve is no small thing. Every person is different and every body's bodies are designed so differently that no doctor can tell you that even a mild bulging disc is a minimal thing. They are just using terms that compare to major neurological findings.
I'd find a neuro who reads his own MRIs, stick to what your body is telling you, and keep telling it to the docs.
Sometimes I wonder if most of these docs and even the wording of the MRIs these days are minimizing the results because they are afraid of prescribing pain medications. That is a very understandable concern, but it's no reason to minimize people's pain, especially pain that debilitateds and effects the persons entire daily life. The docs don't have to go home with the pain, we do. So hang in there, advocate for yourself, keep it as natural and focused on healing as you can and God bless you.
sally37849 CheriByGrace
Posted
Blessings to you
Sally