Where in the spine is all this comming from please

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Where in the spine is all this comming from please
Hi
Sorry if this is very long and confusing, I am very tired and on a lot of meds just now.

My symptoms are, numbness in rear end, noticable difference in the feeling of the toilet seat and loo paper, I have to empty my bladder by self cathing 4/5 times a day since this time last year The rectal/bladder problem is severe rectal/vaginal spasms these spasms last up to 30 mins and knock me off my feet, imagine the most severe sciatica pain and times by ten deep inside your rectum/vagina, it hurts big time
My consultant ordered an emergency MRI there and then he was very concerned about that lack of reflexes in both ankles, right knee and rectum also he kept telling me he thought I had left it too long {too long for what ?
I don't know how to feel just now, I just hope the neurologist finds something cos I cannot go through another night/morning like the last one again. I really don't think the doc understands how painfull these rectal/vaginal spasms/pains are, I really can live with the numbness/wierd sensations ect but the water works. sciatic pain and spasms I cannot.
I have developed numbness on one side of my genital area, one butt cheek and the back of my thigh it feels very strange I have had some loss of sensation before but this is very more pronounced and not on my usuall bad side I also have what feels like someone using a blow torch on the back of my thigh and my back pain and rectal spasms are severe just now as well as pain in my ''you no what'' Should I be concerned about these changes? I am so confused right now I don't know what to do for the best, doctors get on my nerves at the mo, one test after another with few answers apart from ''you will prob have to live with the cathing for ever''
why they think it's ok to be like this is beyond me. Re the self cathing for life, I have been told by 3 different consultants that once the nerves are gone they are gone, they do not grow back, I would rather self cath a million times a day than be back to not peeing at all, it's simple and not really a bother, I am more concerned about the back, rectal/vaginal pain and the pain and numbness.
where in the spine do you think my symptoms are comming from? any ideas? also do you know why they testied my legs/feet via EMG/nerve conduction when my most painful probs are in the pelvic area?
I need to know why I have to live like this, I cannot cope anymore. Things started bad last Dec since then I have to self cath, have developed saddle numbness with constant pain and feel like I am sitting on something like a rock that burns and is very painful. I have constant pain in my vagina and rectum, my vaginal area burns and is numb, the numbness continues into my inner thighs and down the middle part of the back of my left leg. I have numbness and pain in my right leg too but not as bad, My back pain is around a nine and if I touch where it is it can make mty dizzy with pain. The outside of my foot hurts as well. I am sat here with a heat pad wedged into my you know what, don't know what else to do. When I have my bowels open {that's when they work} it feels strange, numb on one side inside and I cannot tell when I have finished? Also when I cathed at the start when the flow had finished my bladder would sort of push the cath out if you know what I mean, now it doesn't the muscle must be weak or something.
I am still having many problems with numbness, pain/bladder/bowel ect and still no diagnosis as yet. Still sitting with a heat pad wedged into my you know what, really fed up. I got a copy of a letter that the Neurologist sent to my GP with ref to my EMG test but I haven't seen the Neurologist {I need the results from the full spine MRI I am having tomorrow first} so I don't know what this means as I haven't spoken to the doc. {{''This lady's electrophysiology is quite clear in that it shows S1 innovated neurogenic change which is indicative of lumbar pathology'' }} What does that mean in English please, does it show there is nerve dammage? I cannot understand why my problems do not relate to the dermotone maps, S1 probs are not the same as the ones I have???? Anyone got any ideas please.
out of the blue I peed myself and I mean a gush not a trickle, not a leak, no coughing, no warning, no overflow incontenence, felt nothing at all till it was down my legs what the hell is going on here? I cannot go to the loo hence the cathing now out of the blue I just go with no feeling Now I am fed up and embarrassed, good job I was at home.

Just a quick update, I had Urodynamic testing and guess what??? I have perm nerve damage to my bladder. The Urologist told me that when my discs last ruptured they ruptured centraly and to both sides, this was never mentioned before The nerves to/from bladder were squashed and are now ''dead'' great, just what I wanted to hear. Anyway I have to continue to cath every day 4/5 times, he did say at some point years down the line they could just come back {yes, like I believe that} but he didn't want to give me false hope, he has discharged me as there is nothing more he or anyone can do. I don't mind cathing it beats walking round with 2 litres inside me, what I do mind is that no one explained about the ruptures.
The problems I have are def neurologic as per Urodynamic testing,. My problems started last Jan when I got up from sleep and just could not pee, this happened a few more times up untill May when all of a sudden I could not go at all on my own I then needed to self cath 5 times every day and will need to for life. The wetting myself started a few weeks ago, out of the blue, I have no sensation to go, I just go these incidents are also related to nerve damage as well. At the mo I am not wetting all the time {thank goodness} but when I do I could just crawl under a rock with shame {I feel like a 2 year old}

Thank you for listening, I just want to know what is happening to me
chazy x






Answer:

Purple98Lady « Reply #1 on: February 04, 2007, 11:26:49 PM »
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Hi chazy and welcome,
This must be just awful for you. I was wondering if you had previous symptoms like back pain, leg numbness prior to not being able to urinate. You mentioned ruptured discs so I was curious about prior symptoms leading up to most recent ones. I'm not the Dr. but did the neurosurgeon even discuss the option of surgery with you? Is it possible I mean? It would seem something could be tried. I sure hope something can be done for you. Please keep us posted.
Purple98Lady

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