Medical question inside... please look...

[zakatak]

Not an ER question.

I need serious opinions please... this has been going on now for almost 2 years.

Here are my main symptoms... please anyone... give me something to go on...

Back stiffness - either if I lay still for 5 minutes or try to sleep my lower right back (hip) stiffens up and SCREAMS in pain. I can no longer sleep at all without Advil PM or such. I know this will catch up to my liver and kill me soon so that is why I am starting to panic. Went for an MRI once on my wrist and thought I was gonna die (had to lay still for 40 minutes). This is every night, every day. Doesn't bother me during the day as long as I don't lay down, lol.

Wrist Pain - same time frame, maybe 6 months less. Deep aching pain in my left wrist which comes and goes. When it is here, it stays for days and aches like you wouldn't believe. Said MRI showed two large Ganglion Cysts within the wrist (can't see them from the outside). Dr. "thinks" this may be causing the pain but doesn't know for sure. Can have surgery to remove them, they may come back.

Weight Gain - Now I know I eat too much chocolate, but I don't eat enough other crap to gain 20 pounds in 2 years. I'm a vegetarian who doesn't eat cheese, dairy (except for chocolate ) and other high fat stuff. My calories, even on a bad day, don't break 1500. How does that lead to 20 pounds? Oh, I don't drink anything except water either - no pop, juice, coffee, etc...

I think the biggest thing right now is that I'm coming to the realization that something is wrong and I'll never find out. I am killing my liver with Advil PM but I cannot sleep without it (maybe 4 hours a night and then I am tossing and turing in so much back pain it isn't funny). I've tried different beds (all the same), chiropractor, massage therapist, orthopedic Dr.. nothing and nobody can tell me why.

Fibromyalgia looks like it can be the back pain BUT I have no other pain (other than one wrist) and no tender spots. Nothing else matches for that...

Ok.. any DIS opinions? Please? I'm running out of hope.

 

[BibbidiBobbidiBOO]

Have you had laparoscopy to rule out female issues?? I had BAD low back pains and they could be worse when I laid on my side at times. I had diagnostic lap and Dr. found endometriosis and an ovarian cyst. Neither was seen through ultrasound. He thinks the endo was causing most of my aches. He cauterized all the lesions he saw. The pain has gone for now.

I know it is a long shot and I don't know your full health details, just a thought since you are grasping.

Good luck, hope someone solves the mystery!

 

[ducklite]

My guess is that the back problem is related to the weight gain, or quite possibly arthritis. I have arthritis in my back, I sleep on my side with a body pillow for support and it's very helpful. (As the poster above pointed out, it could also be female problems. Kidney problems will also cause lower back pain.)

The weight gain could be a thyroid problem or something even more serious--that would be my first concern.

The wrist issue could be the ganglian cysts, or carpel tunnel, or arthritis. I had a ganglian cyst removed from my wrist when I was four years old, I'm now 46 and it hasn't come back. Have you tried wearing a brace when you are on the computer?

I would go to a good internist. Take a list of all of your complaints so you do'nt forget anything. A friend of mine was going through something similar, they ahd her keep a pain diary to figure out what she was doing when she was having different types of pains, and how severe the pain was on a scale of 1-5.

Good luck!

Anne

 

[crz4mm2]

How old are you and how much exercise do you get?
As we age our metabolism slows down.
Have to have exercise to keep the weight gain at a minimum.

 

[golfgal]

I don't know if it is related but I used to have bad back pain, ganglion cysts in my wrists and the weight gain before they diagnosed my thyroid condition. Since I have been stable, no issues with the back (unless I sleep on an uncomfortable bed) and no more cysts. I would get an appointment with a good endocrinologist and go from there.

 

[minkydog]

Well, there's some good news--your liver is safe. Advil is metabolized through the kidneys and if you're only taking it at night (assumed in proper doses--don't double up) you're okay.

Now on to the real question--I don't know what this is, but you need to see a doctor. Lying down shouldn't hurt. You may have a disc that is slipping in that position(pain at night was one of my first symptoms before i herniated 2 discs~ow). Don't put it off.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

It sounds like a disc issue.

You said you went to an orthopedic doc? They did the MRI or whatever on your back to check your discs? I know they can do something to check your discs, right?

I would focus on the back pain. The weight gain could just be a result of you being in pain and getting less exercise.

Certainly get a blood panel workup of all the basics if you haven't already. Thyroid, cholesterol, etc....

 

[sha_lyn]

Sounds like it could be soft tissue inflamation which can be from several different conditions such as arthritis, scar tissue etc. I've found a combination of cat's claw, bromelian and magnesium works for me. I have lots of mocroscopic scar tissue in my should from an auto accident and a large mass of scar tissue on my left hip from a c-section. Stress, caffine and tomatoes can really trigger the pain/inflamation.

 

[RNMOM]

Get a good physical with an internest and ask about being referred to a rheumatologist. There are several autoimmune diseases that can cause these symptoms as well. First find out if your labs and exam are normal. There are so many things that can cause your issues. It will take a while to go through the more common ones, as you have been doing, then get to the less common.

I have psoriatic arthritis and possibly sjogrens and they cause pain in my hands, back, nearly every joint and inflammation in my tendons. Pain in the lower back is also common so as I said above, there are many things that can cause this. Just keep your follow up appointments and call the doctor in between if things worsen.

 

[#1MMFan]

My hunch would be the wrist is entirely separate.

Back pain on lying? Ask for a referral to an orthopaedic doctor - without knowing you/examining you or knowing even whether you are male/female and approx age it's difficult to comment, but I have seen a lot of people with sciatica with symptoms on lying. That would be my hunch.
BTW if you are taking a normal dose of Advil you are NOT killing your liver/kidneys so stop stressing about that.
Alrighty!

Meant to add that you'll appreciate there are a lot of more worrying things posted by previous people, but in general the rule is "common things occur commonly" and the likelihood is you don't have renal/gynaecological/psoriatic arthritis/type problem which only manifests itself on lying down. I totally appreciate your pain, but please think positively - the horrible things mentioned previously are way way way way way low down on the list of probabilities. I don't think an internist is the way to go. Definitely orthopaedics, perhaps rheumatology. Get your ESR checked (blood test). PM me if you wish.

 

[Green Tea]

I had a terrible problem with hip pain. The physical therapist was stumped because x-rays were clear. He asked how long since I'd had an ob-gyn exam because ovarian problems can cause referred hip pain. Just a thought, albeit a scary one. Thankfully when he asked about the ovarian issue, I'd had laprascopic surgery a few months before, so I knew that wasn't causing the pain.

 

[acadia1960]

May I ask? Are you in your 40's? The reason I ask, is once I turned 40, things began to happen to my body It was like, OK YOU ARE NOW 40, you will have this pain here, this numbness here. Been to the DR., had x-rays, blood work. I strained my back, bursitis in my knee, tore my rotator cuff. Advil has become my friend. Doc says exercise more, keep everything moving, & this has helped. I always go to the Doc to find out what is happening. Hope you feel better.

 

[DawnCt1]

For some reason, people with hypothyroidism often develop carpal tunnel. Check your thyroid.

 

[#1MMFan]

For some reason, people with hypothyroidism often develop carpal tunnel. Check your thyroid.

Yeah, but she's also had an MRI which showed two ganglions in her wrist. The chances are there are not two things going on in the one joint.

You are right, thyroid probs can be one cause of carpal tunnel syndrome, however so can a multitude of other things.

Anyways, it sounds like you have the diagnosis regarding your wrist. But check the back out, as I said above.

 

[Disney Doll]

I would start with the ortho and rheumatology work-ups. Keep a kidney doctor (nephrologist) in the back of your mind, as sometimes back pain is kidney related.

 

[EpcotMom]

It sounds like OsteoArthritis. Talk to your PCP, and get some X-rays. If anti-inflammatory drugs like Advil and Motrin help, then its a good indication. One of the mani symptoms is pain when at rest, easing when the stiffness is over. When you lay down, you get stiff. Good Luck.