Diagnose me! (Not really, but...)

February 2, 2009 6:14 PM

Medical mystery! Useless, rubbery leg: can it be as simple as sciatica or am I in for some bad news?

(I know you are not my doctor, I'm not asking for a diagnosis, I have an appointment with an orthopedist on Wednesday, but this is on my mind now.)

I threw my lower back out last Monday (not atypical since I sprained it lifting something about 7 years ago; it happens now and then but not usually this bad). Went to the urgent care clinic, had X-rays the doctor felt were normal, but he suggested it may be sciatica since I also felt pain in my left buttock. He gave me Tylenol with codeine for that night, wrote me scripts for Oxycontin and cyclobenzaprine (muscle relaxer) and suggested I get a referral for an orthopedist, which I did. Again, the appointment's in a couple days!

I took the Tylenol that night and the following morning, then began a schedule of the Oxycontin with the muscle relaxers, carefully following the dosage instructions. Not much pain in the back anymore. Midweek though, I began feeling excruciating pain throughout my entire left leg -- like, really excruciating. I was moaning and crying like I was in labor again. It felt like it was throughout my whole leg, concentrated in the front and outside, in the major muscle groups of my thigh and calf. I mentioned this when I called my PCP for the referral, and to the orthopedist's office when I called for the appointment, but no one seemed particularly concerned. Eventually I stopped experiencing the pain.

I discontinued all medication as of 2:00am Sunday. Throughout the day on Sunday, I had no back pain and no leg pain, just a weird pins-and-needles type sensation throughout the leg. I called the advice line on my insurance card and spoke to an RN, who asked me a zillion questions and then recommended I either see a doctor within 72 hours or just wait for the orthopedist.

Today, the leg is devoid of any feeling really. I mean, I can feel external sensations like if I tap my skin, but in general the leg just sort of feels weirdly useless and jelly-like. My walk is a little stiff as a result -- sort of like when you step gingerly onto ice because you're not sure your leg can bear your weight. It kind of feels like my whole leg is asleep, without the pins-and-needles.

Soooo, with my orthopedist appointment pending, I just wondered if anyone with confirmed sciatica had experienced these symptoms -- excruciating back pain, disappearing and being replaced with excruciating leg pain, followed by pins-and-needles, then just dead jelly leg. Online searches for numbness on one side produces very undesirable results like multiple sclerosis and mini-strokes, so some anecdotal evidence of less scary stuff would be nice.

(Oh, and in case it matters, I'm early-mid 30s, female, healthy except for a little extra padding, not pregnant, no diseases, no meds besides Aleve for almost 48 hours.)

posted by justonegirl to health & fitness (8 comments total)

The paresthesia you're experiencing can be due to circulatory problems, nerve inflammation, nerve compression, or at least 20 other causes. Only through proper medical evaluation can your symptoms be properly diagnosed. IANAD.

That said, get thee to a doctor ASAP -- and go to the ER or an urgent care center if you notice that your left leg is colder than your right and/or it is a different color shade (i.e., it is whiter, bluer, or redder) than your right.
posted by terranova at 6:52 PM on February 2

Ditto. There is no other possible good advice you're going to get here except "get thee to a doctor ASAP." If you don't, you are risking permanent nerve damage.
posted by beagle at 7:02 PM on February 2

Serious disc problem, most likely. See an orthopedist stat. Delay could lead to permanent injury if this is really that bad. If you can sleep, you can probably wait until morning to call, but I am not a doctor. If you have one I would call him or her right now.
posted by caddis at 7:28 PM on February 2

Again, ditto. This could be a major problem which needs medical attention now, particularly in view of the paralysis. Other signs demanding immediate medical attention - difficulty with urination, numbness in the genital area.

Hours count with this problem. It cannot wait for a couple of days.
posted by yclipse at 7:29 PM on February 2

. . . and by that I mean an emergency room. In a hospital with full services, not an ambulatory care /walk-in center. You need a place where the ER will have you see a neurosurgeon within an hour, if that is what you need.
posted by yclipse at 7:35 PM on February 2

I know someone who was experiencing something similar. She saw a neurologist in her town who took x-rays and said, "well you might as well go see an orthopedic surgeon for a consult," but was otherwise unconcerned. Her partner was not convinced and spoke to her nephew, a cardiologist, who recommended a neurologist in Mt. Sinai in Manhattan. It turned out that a bulging disc in her neck was compressing one of her nerves which was causing the tingling and numbness in her leg. The doctor looked at her x-rays and said, "You have to get surgery now. If you were to get in a car accident or fall or experience some sort of trauma like that, your bulging disk could further damage your nerve and cause you to become paralyzed." She had surgery on her neck 4 days later. Now she is doing well.

You need to get to a doctor and if they are not very concerned, get another doctor.
posted by chelseagirl at 8:01 PM on February 2

To me, sciatica hurts in the buttock and then down the back of the leg -- not the front.

You know how sometimes on AskMe, someone has a question about their private parts, and then everyone piles on with, "Dude! This is your PENIS! ER NOW!"? Well... my gosh, this is your leg! Your biggest limb! The thing you use to walk! :)

Please go to a doctor now, and don't wait for your appointment on Wednesday. Maybe it's just something simple, but it might be something bad. Best to go now, just to get peace of mind if nothing else.
posted by Houstonian at 3:12 AM on February 3

If this were happening to me, I'd get myself to an ER as soon as possible.
posted by Zed at 9:25 AM on February 3