Has Anyone Had Aches or Pains That the Dr. Could Not Identify?

Hi M.....

I do not know if I can be of much help to you but my sister-in-law went through something very similar to what you are going through. It was not just in her hand, it was all over her body. She went from doctor to doctor and test after test nobody knew what was wrong. She also felt like all of this pain must be in her mind. She finally heard about a doctor located in Florida who diagnosed her with "Fibromyalgia" He changed her diet and told her she needed to start exercising. Since she changed a few thing's she seems to be feeling a lot better. Again, I do not know if this is anything similar to what you are experiencing but I wanted to pass it along to you just in case. I hope you find out what's wrong soon and start feeling better.

K.

I thought I had Carpel Tunnel in one wrist, then later the other as well. I had xrays and all too & got nowhere. Finally, I went to Hand Specialist Dr. Bass on 121 & Coit ###-###-####) and within 30 seconds he diagnosed DeQuervain's Tenosynitis. I got it from the way I was picking up the baby (like everyone else picks up a baby under the armpits). DeQuervain's is common among adopting/foster moms but some new moms get it too. You can also get it other ways as well. Its a certain twisting of the wrist combined with a certain positioning of the thumb that sets it off. Like Carpel Tunnel, its often worse in the a.m. because most people sleep with their wrists turned inward which aggravates it. The dr prescribed Mobic which is like prescription Aleve, splint to wear at night to rest it and changing the way I use my hands to pick up things. In combination with all that, what helped the most was a Cortisone shot in each wrist. The shot is a bit painful, but really no more painful than my wrists were anyway, and then - relief finally! Cortisone shot might be an option if you can get a dr who can identify exactly where the problem is. I liked Dr. Bass, all he does is hands/wrists. Good luck.

If you use aspartame you might want to look up the dangers of aspartame on the internet. Alot of the stories I have read are people with "It's all in your head" problems get "cured" when they stop using it. Good luck.

It sounds like nerve pain to me (particularly with it moving around) and I've had lots and lots of experience with that. And, you are absolutely right that most doctors will not believe the pain is real because it's not something they can measure or see on an x-ray. I have found significant pain relief through accupuncture. I use Dr. Iva Lim-Peck in Plano:
http://www.integratedcenterfororientalmedicine.com/

Folks may be skeptical of this alternative approach but recent research shows that it's far more effective than many prescription pain relievers and there are no side effects. You barely feel the needles and overall it's a very calming and relaxing experience - and best of all with a skilled practitioner, the pain relief can be almost instantaneous. But, you do want to make sure that you use someone that is a licensed accupuncturist (L.Ac.), at a minimum.

M.,

Years ago, I had an odd pain/tingling feeling in my hands that I could not pin-point. I was an athlete back then and this would become worse during my races (I was a runner), with my whole hand going numb sometimes by the end of a race. I saw many sports specialists and serveral surgeons, but no one could identify the problem and I was eventually advised to seek meditation or relaxation therapy (I think that's the clinical way of say, "it's all in your head").

Anyway, for an unrelated matter (some mild back pain from an injury sustained earlier), I went to see a chiropractor. During the initial consultation, he asked me about any other problems I was having. I almost said, 'none...', but decided to tell him about my wrist/back of hand pain and the numbness. Well, even before he look at my x-rays, he said he thought I had damaged something in my neck and explained how since nerves all go through the spinal column that sometimes pain that actually originates there can seem to be elsewhere in the body. Which is also why it isn't very specific to a particular location. Basically, as he explained it, my vertebrae were mashing on one of the nerves that went to my arm and the signals were getting messed up going back to my brain indicating that the problem was in my hand and not in my neck.

He suggested that my neck had been injured at the same time my lower back had been, but because the injury was worse in my back, I had not noticed the injury to my neck at the time.

Well, to make a long story longer (sorry, I just realized this is coming off as some kind of chiropractic plug), he gave me adjustments to my neck and my hand/wrist pain went away.

I don't know if you think you might have injured you back somehow during the lifting, but that made me think about my situation. I've also known someone who thought they had carpal tunnel and went to see a chiropractor and the wrist pain went away.

It's hard to find a good chiropractor (I think I just really lucked out that first time), but I have a good one in Irving (would be quite a drive from where you are, though). I would suggest seeing a chiropractor or an osteopath who might be able to evaluate the condition of your spine to see if there might be an injury of some kind there.

Also, having said all that... I hurt something in my shoulder last year and it STILL hurts when I move my arm a certain way or lift at a certain angle (and hurts quite a bit when it does). The best the doctors (including the chiropractor) can tell me about that is that it is "tendonitis". I believe that tendonitis must take a long time to heal (if ever) or it's the catch-all phrase used by doctors when they can't diagnose your pain.

I know that wasn't all that helpful, but I do think that since the pain moves around, it is actually originating somewhere else and your brain is getting mixed signals.

I hope you feel better soon.

P.

Hey M.,

Myself and my husband have both had similar aches and pains that were un-treatable thru our "normal" doctor. We then went to see Dr. East (he is a chiropractor in Carrollton, next door to Dallas Aquarium off of Trinity Mills) and he CHANGED our lives! His was in his shoulder and tail bone (not at the same time :-) and mine was in my lower back (hurt it swimming in the ocean over vacation) and he had some specialist come in and give me some injections (really tiny needles, could bearly feel it) and then a chiropractor came in and worked his magic! I felt the relief right away, but 90% better within a week. Let me know if you want his phone number.

Hi M.,

I would recommend visiting a chiropractor. Your spine controls everything about your body and if something is out of place, it could cause the pain. If you are in Dallas, I recommend Dr. Kevin Smith, Trinity Family Chiropractic, ###-###-####.

Hi M. I'm E.. I've been a nurse for 20 years and seen more unanswered questions than answered. I have recently run across my own health issues with again the traditional doctors throwing up their hands. I have a good christian friend who works in the alternative world of medicine and she encouraged me to go to an Alternative clinic in Rowlett and see a Dr. Hammon. It's the best thing I've ever done to keep me healthy. If you are trying to find answers, they can at least look in the areas that the traditional doctors have not. Clinic Phone# ###-###-####. Liz

M.:

Thanks for sharing this. I thought I was the only one with this kind of problem.

For over 15 years, I'm suffering about almos the same simptoms you present, in my left leg, a little up from the ankle.

I'm from Guatemala and there, I visited so many Dr. for years (sport Drs., internists etc.), they ran several tests and nobody could find the cause of the pain.

Three years ago, I moved to US to married my fiancee (he's American), and here, several doctors tryed to determinate what causes the pain. Finally, few months ago, one of them sayd it is tendonitis (and before, several doctors discarted it), but is in a certain area where is hard to be diagnotic. It was, he said, because I use to wear high healls shoes for so long and started doing this being so young.

The sad part is that he said...there's no cure for this, only relief. So I'm trying to keep my mind out of this and when the pain is too hard, I just take any pain relief like Tylenol or Advil. He also recomended some exercises and cold-hot therapy.

Well...at least now I know what happen in my leg. If it turns worse, I'll try different alternatives, like accupunture or I'll continue my research about this.

If you receive any good advice, please share this with me.

Thanks,

E. T.

DIOS ES FIEL

My mom and my best friends mom have Fibromyalgia. I may not have spelled it right, but you could ask your doctor if that is what is wrong with you. It is a fancy word for traveling pain. The pain is always moving, and some days you hurt so bad you can't get out of bed. I am so sorry you are hurting so bad, I hope you will find some relief. I hope I was able to help.

HI M.,
I believe with all my heart that Mannatech products (natural supplements) can help your aches and pains tremendously. www.Mannatech.com and www.glycoscience.org and www.glycoresources.org are informative websites. If you would like to have more information, please contact me at ###-###-####. Also, there is a meeting this Thursday night. 8/24 in Plano. The speaker is a SAHM who can help you answer any questions that I might not be able to answer. She is a WONDERFUL Christian lady who speaks from her heart. Hope to hear from you soon.
Passion to help others,
A.
(SAHM w/ 3 beautiful children and 15yrs. married to my high school sweetheart)

Have you tried going to a hand clinic? You might also check out seeing an occupational therapist who is certified in hand therapy. OT is a holistic practice and they will believe you! :)

I went through a very similar situation after a car accident. No broken bones, no strained muscles, yet I was in such severe pain at times I couldn't move. After two years of pain and going to 12 specialists, I was diagnosed with Neuropathic Pain. I don't know the specifics of it but I remember that nothing would show up on x-rays, cat scans or any of the other tests they subjected me to (about 40 in all). They finally did a kind of test for the nerves and it showed a little abnormal. The doctor put me on rest for 4 weeks and a (at the time) new drug called Neurontin. After 3 weeks on the pills I was like a new woman. You might ask your doctor about it. I remember the test they did for the nerves used a little stick to check signal levels or something like that. (Sidenote, my fourth doctor told me the pain was because I was an overweight smoker and the sixth doctor told me that the fourth doctor was full of it lol)
I hope you feel better soon.... ~S.

When I was going through pains that no one could tell me where they came from I got frustrated too. After almost a year I went to a Chiropractor and he was able to help me out a lot. He treated a Fibromyalsia support group and saw noticed that what felt good to others was actually sorta painful to me when he did his adjustments (but felt GREAT after I was adjusted)He asked me if I had been having pains that no one could find anwers for etc and told me to ask my doctor about Fibromyalsia. I did and after doing the right tests I was finally able to find relief. Good luck.

I've found that modern medicine leaves much to be desired on the subject of pain management. Especially non-specific, random pain like you are describing. Pain medicine (even over the counter things) mask the pain for a while, but don't deal with the cause. I've found that our body's crazy network of muscles and tendons and joints just get kinked up every once in a while and nothing but some good therapeutic massage will work to straighten it out. I know some people that do a combination of chiropractic and massage, and others add accupuncture to the mix. I have problems with my shoulder/neck area from time to time. My doctor's solution is a steroid shot, which works, but doesn't last long (and probably not the best idea for one's liver). One visit to a massage therapist (Pauline Hethrington at the Coppell YMCA) and I'm good for 2 or 3 months.

HI I am a physical therapist, and I would recommend going to a P.T. or O.T. that is a hand specialist. Also if it is tendonitis in the wrist area, some modalities with an antiinflammatory may help. The modalitie is called iontophoresis and can be done by a P.T. or O.T.