11 replies to this topic

[calman367]

Hi,
Can anyone help? I often get these sharp shooting pains in my legs or bum. To describe it is to say its like labour, it comes on lasts for a few seconds stops then after a few seconds starts again. It can range from very slight pain to screaming the house down, Ive had it for last 3 days and Ive never had it so bad. It is ten times worse than the pain i had with all 3 of my children! It can be triggered off by me moving or someone touching me, or a loud noice like someone clapping.
I always thought it was spasms but reading other peoples thoughts on spasms they dont seem to hurt much! What is it?? Also ive tried loads of pain relief but nothing helps.
Please get back to me ASAP!!

[wriggley]

first things first with anything that hurts that much

see a doctor asap

sounds like sciatica to me. i get sacro iliac pain when the joints dont align properly and feels like a cross between someone biting me on the butt and being struck by lightening down the leg

[edlee]

Are you taking gabapenti or lyrica? They both work to reduce the severity of the pain that is most common to use. But it is still there. I've been seeing different doctors with different approaches, for about two years,, If I find something,, I'll let you know.
ed

[araitn]

I'm sorry to say that I've had the same type of pain for over three years and NOTHING helps. I've tried the drugs that Ed mentioned, along with all the other typical drugs, and none of them have provided any relief. I truly feel sorry for you, knowing what you experience.

One positive from your post is that I can now tell my wife and other people that this pain, as told by a woman with triple experience, is ten times worse than child birthing, labor pains!

My neurosurgeon wants me to have a neurostimulator (spinal cord stimulator) implanted to provide pain relief. I'm still not sure if I'm going through with it but, I'm scheduled to have the temporary version put in soon, pending insurance approval. Anyone have any experience with these devices?

I wish you luck in finding relief for your pain.

[edlee]

I checked into it, A train,, but was told that unless the epidural shots worked,, they doubted the stimulater would. This pain we have doesn't seem to come from any one place. That new publication that Trinity posted gives you a feeling of what's available chemically. Start on page 118 if you don't want to fall asleep on your keyboard.

I'm told that the epidurals work for some,, so if you haven't tried that,, you should. I've never been proscribed amitriptyline,, and it's the first on that list,, so I think I'll talk to my doctor about adding it to my Gabapentin. What have I got to lose?
ed

[araitn]

Thanks for the info Ed.

I've had the epidural shots at four different levels and none of them worked. So, maybe the stimulator is not the answer for me?

I used amitriptyline for about a month. It did seem to take a very slight edge off the everyday, burning, pins & needles pain but, did nothing for the electrical, stabbing, shooting pain. The major side effect for me was that it knocked me out and I had a difficult time waking up in the morning. Then I had a lingering, cloudy headed feeling till after lunch. So, I decided the benefits didn't outweigh the side effects. Some may find it helpful in getting some sleep though, along with pain relief.

I find the constant, burning, pins/needles pain easier to deal with even though I would rate the pain normally at a five or six on a scale of ten and at times an eight or nine. I find if I keep my mind busy that I can distract the pain and I guess I'm just getting use to it. Their is no way to distract from the electrical, stabbing, shooting pain that I experience which I would rate at a strong nine when it rears it's ugly head. Luckily it's not constant but, it visits much more than I can tolerate, somewhere between three to five days a week. Stress and exhaustion seem to be the major culprits.

[edlee]

Mine is much the same. The more severe stuff is becoming more and more frequent,, hence my search for something that works. I've been going the route of acupuncture for about a month,, I'd have blown it off already, but the acupunturist is nice and I hate to tell her that her science is crap. I will soon, tho.

The gabapentin makes me sleep a lot more than I'd like,, but I've noticed that if I have something I want to do early ( that I like doing),, I have no problem getting up for it. I guess a lot of it is getting used to it and taking your mind off it. Tough to do at times.
ed

[wriggley]

one of the things about a lot of these drugs is that they can take up to 6 weeks to hit there peak.

for the first three weeks i usually end up being pretty much dead but ive found a drug im happy with called doseulpin but its relatively uncommon

i still need to top up with codine though

[barbara9999]

re acupuncture. i was going to a very cheap acupuncture clinic in seattle wa and it was very relaxing - lie back in the lounger and fall soundly to sleep but i wanted something that would stimulate the spinal cord and help me to walk better and after six treatments i told the therapst and she said i would need to go to a well trained acupuncturist and probably get the needles placed around the spinal cord, i haven'i done that yet. cost is a factor. always best to be honest whatever u do.

[bornagain]

Hi
I may be wrong but what you are experiencing sounds like rootpain to me. Referred pain.
My husband has a simalar thing except his is in his side. Any little thing can trigger it off. ie his clothes brushing against his skin, a draught, stress. It is like someone stabbing him and twisting the knife. He screems in pain. Nothing seems to help.
he took gabapentin for a while but the side effects were so bad he had to come off them. He is on other pain killers now, the name of it escapes me at the moment. These just take the edge off the pain.
Let me know if you come up with a solution to this problem.
bornagain.

calman367, on 27 February 2011 - 09:33 PM, said:

Hi,
Can anyone help? I often get these sharp shooting pains in my legs or bum. To describe it is to say its like labour, it comes on lasts for a few seconds stops then after a few seconds starts again. It can range from very slight pain to screaming the house down, Ive had it for last 3 days and Ive never had it so bad. It is ten times worse than the pain i had with all 3 of my children! It can be triggered off by me moving or someone touching me, or a loud noice like someone clapping.
I always thought it was spasms but reading other peoples thoughts on spasms they dont seem to hurt much! What is it?? Also ive tried loads of pain relief but nothing helps.
Please get back to me ASAP!!

[Jennifenni]

calman367, on 27 February 2011 - 09:33 PM, said:

Hi,
Can anyone help? I often get these sharp shooting pains in my legs or bum. To describe it is to say its like labour, it comes on lasts for a few seconds stops then after a few seconds starts again. It can range from very slight pain to screaming the house down, Ive had it for last 3 days and Ive never had it so bad. It is ten times worse than the pain i had with all 3 of my children! It can be triggered off by me moving or someone touching me, or a loud noice like someone clapping.
I always thought it was spasms but reading other peoples thoughts on spasms they dont seem to hurt much! What is it?? Also ive tried loads of pain relief but nothing helps.
Please get back to me ASAP!!

I get the same shooting waves of pain in my right quad, not anywhere else. Sometimes they're mild, other times they are intense enough to make me yell out in pain. From what I've read so far, it may be neuropathic pain. I haven't found a way to treat the pain yet, I've been told stretching helps.

[Tetracyclone]

Barbara-

From what I know your acupuncturist was inventing suppositions based on her Faith in Acupuncture.

There has been lots of research in China re acupuncture and SCI. There is a mild therapeutic advantage, on average, but no causal effect. It is thought of mainly as a tool against pain.

The highly-skilled acupuncture doctors i have encountered would NEVER place needles "around the spinal cord", but then I doubt she said exactly what she was thinking. There are valid points to either side of the vertebrae and some over spinous processes (the part that sicks up in the middle of each vertebra).