Hi Everyone,
Just a quick note to let you know that I haven't made it to the ER yet. The pain has moved now and while still bad is not nearly so excruciating as before.
JuneOntario, thank you very much for the book recommendation. I'm an avid reader and will definitely check that out asap. Think I will also check 1st to see if my local library has it or can obtain it.
From some of your comments, I think I may not have communicated the fact that I have spinal stenosis as a result of an auto accident some years ago. This is a fact based on MRI & other diagnostic methods, not conjecture. Spinal stenosis is, essentially, a narrowing of the spine (usually just at one or more vertebra). It can be congenital or due to degenerative arthritis or, as in my case, the result of an injury. The narrowed area of the spine often irritates or impinges on the nerves traveling through it, thus causing pain and inflammation.
I have lumbar spinal stenosis which means my damaged vertebra are located in my lower back. Until just a couple months ago, I was on strong pain killers along with a prescription NSAID. I took the pain killers 24/7 (not as needed but the way you take other essential meds) for some 6yrs or so. I am still taking the NSAID (when my stomach allows) but am only taking a the pain med in small qtys when I can't take the pain anymore.
For some 7-8yrs since the accident, I have had constant, debilitating, & very severe pain in my lower back or hip area. The pain is always in my LEFT lower back or left hip region. The pain sometimes varies (usually by becoming even more severe for brief periods) but never goes away. This is all consistent with the diagnosis of spinal stenosis and sciatica.
Sciatica, of which spinal stenosis is a frequent cause as it is in my case, occurs when the sciatic nerve is irritated or pinched. The sciatic nerve travels through the spine and branches so that it goes down both legs. When this nerve is irritated or pinched in some manner, it causes pain in the lower back, usually on one specific side as mine is. The pain may also radiated down one leg.
In my case, the lower back pain is constant but the leg pain has been, thankfully, infrequent. Leg pain due to sciatica can be quite extreme. Years ago a guy I met on jury duty described his as having been so severe that he actually wanted to have his leg amputated. His words were all the more impactful as they emanated from an apparently healthy, physically fit, young male (30-35yrs) in his prime. He was, btw, quite attractive, and it was more than a little difficult to imagine him WANTING his leg amputated, but he said the pain was actually that bad. By the time I met him, his problem had been surgically corrected, something I plan to look into, and he was completely symptom-free, his dreams of leg amputation, just a bad memory.
In the 1st year or so after the accident, before I got on the pain meds full time, I had some leg pain. The leg pain I had back then was quite horrific but, mercifully, brief. The leg pain I've been experiencing for the past few weeks was occurring in the leg which is effected by my sciatica; however, this pain was substantially different from anything I've had previously, but that doesn't mean it isn't the result of my spinal stenosis and sciatica. Sciatica pain radiates and may vary depending on what is going on (internally) at a particular time.
So, all of the above, the diagnosis of sciatica due to spinal stenosis, the 6+ yrs on strong pain meds, and the resultant disability and effect on my life are all fact. The problem with the leg pain I was experiencing recently was that my Dr said severe leg pain could also be caused by a [potentially life threatening] blood clot and that, while my pain might have been due to the sciatica, there was no way to know for sure w/o high tech imaging. The sciatica and the very real possibility that the pain was actually emanating from my back are all facts which are not in dispute. The only question was whether this particular leg pain was due to the sciatica or due to a blood clot. The Dr said just because I have sciatica and know that it causes severe leg pain, I should not assume that all severe pain (in that particular leg) is to be 'ignored' as just the sciatica.
I hope the above is helpful and not more confusing. I just want to clarify that I already have a diagnosis of spinal stenosis and sciatica, something which in all probability was the cause of the leg pain. My Dr just wanted to rule out the possibility of a blood clot, a potentially life threatening condition which could cause the same kind of pain. I'm still going to read that pain book though, as it may provide additional insights and ideas for pain control.
