Severe lower leg pain

[Devils_Advocate]

Hi, I have severe lower leg pain, that feels like I am being electrocuted every 30 seconds. I haven't slept and gabapentin and co odamol are not working. I am chronically ill so I am used to pain but this is unbearable!

I had a micro discectomy about a year ago due to quite a severe prolapse. It left me with nerve damage so the leg was hyper sensitive in parts and numb. But I have been fine pain wise since, and the op was a success. This pain is also in a different place than my sciatica was as it is more towards my shin and is much worse (who new that was possible).

The doctor thinks it might be nerve related or may be infected (as it is red). Has anyone had anything similar? Any pain relief tips?

Thanks

[Ellijaygal]

Have you seen a neurologist or neurosurgeon? When mine acts up I do a lot of stretching and it helps. There are a lot of videos on you tube that help. Be sure to take anti inflammatory meds.

[Devils_Advocate in reply to Ellijaygal]

Not since my surgery and follow up. Essentially he said the numbness etc was unlikely to get better. I will try some stretching, thanks.

[Batty1]

Is your doctor treating you as if you have and infection since you said its very red ?

[Devils_Advocate in reply to Batty1]

Yes I have antibiotics to be on the safe side x

[Emma2017]

Could be another disc issue where the branch off goes to the front of the leg. I had 4 ops on disc l5s1 where the pain was at the back and side of the leg. Then had pain at the front and it was from the l2l3 disc. Just an idea. The only thing is that you said your leg was red so yeah it could be infected? Best way is to treat at least the possible infection/inflammation and get something stronger for the pain. I found that pregabalin worked better than gabapentin and dihydrocodein better than cocodamol. Am taking both now for severe flare up which does eases it.

[Devils_Advocate in reply to Emma2017]

Thanks. I have antibiotics and the pain has thankfully reduced to a more bearable level. I hope not but the doctor said I may need to be referred if it continues. I've had a lot of surgery too(I have endo) so I'm keen to avoid more on my back. Are you still in a lot of pain post surgeries?

[Emma2017 in reply to Devils_Advocate]

I was getting better but then it suddenly got more painful.

[Dozydora71]

Hi there I have cervical myelopathy which is compression of the spinal cord so suffer pain numbness. I’m taking pregabalin which is again for nerve pain and deadens the pain massively, it works for me just a suggestion:))

[Devils_Advocate in reply to Dozydora71]

Thankfully, my pain levels have dropped so I can manage it just about. I think that is the one that makes me sick. The doc said my alternative would be amitriptyline x

[Dozydora71 in reply to Devils_Advocate]

I hope you find something that works for you x

[PainConcernHelpline Moderator Community Champion Pain Concern]

Dear Devils_Advocate ,

Thank you for your post and I'm very sorry about your lower leg pain. It sounds like you know your body very well and this pain is different from the ones you experience due to your chronic illness.

You mentioned that your doctor thinks this pain might be nerve-related or infectious. I wonder if this will be examined soon as the pain can signal something that needs to be treated.

The most important thing is to rule out anything that needs urgent attention but I understand that you want to seek relief asap to be able to sleep. One of the hardest things when you are in pain is not to stress, as this can actually make your pain worse. To help with this, I recommend our leaflets on Stress, Pain and Relaxation which you can find here: painconcern.org.uk/stress-p... as well as our leaflet on getting a good night's sleep here: painconcern.org.uk/getting-...

I hope this will be helpful and that you will find a way that works for you soon!

Best,

Moderator 3 on behalf of Pain Concern.

[Devils_Advocate in reply to PainConcernHelpline]

The doctors wont see anyone at the moment. They said if it continues I will need to be referred again.

Thanks for the links.

[MiriamW]

Just read in your replies to others that you have been given antibiotics, I also noticed you had a procedure about a year ago and wonder if you were given any antibiotics then, maybe as a prophylactic (just in case!).

While most of us know that not all antibiotics are made equal, not many of us realise that some can actually cause nerve and muscle pain, anywhere in the body. These are the more heavy duty antibiotics e.g. Ciprofloxacin (and other fluoroquinolones).

Do you remember if you were given an antibiotic a year ago? Can you remember the name, and also the names of the ones you were given more recently? This might help to at least rule out what is causing the pain.

[Devils_Advocate in reply to MiriamW]

Hi,

No I am only on erythromycin and had none post surgery. I have been on strong antibiotics before and for long periods (I had sepsis, infection from previous surgery and issues with my stomach) But did not have any problems from this.

Thanks