Posts by Douglas Fowler19

mistywolf15 said:Lately, I've been getting this weird pain in my hips quite a bit. It usually pops up if I drink water first thing in the morning—like, if I knock back two glasses of water right after waking up. The pain is super uncomfortable, though it doesn't last all day.

I was wondering, is this actually normal? And if not, what do you guys think could be causing it?

Has anyone here ever dealt with kidney stones?
Maybe it’s related to your digestion or something?
Or, I don't know, did you take a nasty fall on your tailbone recently?

Possible culprits: man, it could be anything from lower back curvature issues to kidney stones, or maybe just some muscle strain from an old injury.
It's honestly pretty hard to say for sure without knowing a bit more about what's going on.

Chris Gonzalez3 said:So, for the past year, I've been dealing with these crazy body pains... they're super short but really intense. It actually drove me to go see a neurologist because I honestly thought maybe a nerve was getting pinched somewhere.
The doctor seemed totally baffled, though. He started going on about whether I've been stressed or whatever, and I was just like, "Look, if I didn't have these pains, I wouldn't be stressed!" 😁
Anyway, the guy decided we needed to check if all my nerves in my arms and legs were functioning right, so he hooked me up to this machine that sends electrical pulses to measure my nerve impulses. I think it was an EMG test plus some other thing that measures muscle contractions.

Long story short, the tests came back perfectly fine, but the pains in my limbs are absolutely killing me—it feels like I'm being electrocuted everywhere I was touched by that crazy test.

And then, after all that, the guy just goes, "Eh, everything looks normal, just go see a spine specialist."

So, two days later, I call him back to ask when my arms and legs are finally going to stop hurting from his insane test, and he basically tells me, "Oh, it doesn't hurt. You can't be in pain. Don't make things up."

WTF!! Not only did he not help me, but now I'm stuck in massive pain.

Any advice, experiences??

Even painkillers aren't doing anything! :'(

Where exactly are you feeling the pain? Is it strictly in your limbs or is it all over your body? And are you getting any tingling sensations, or is it just straight-up pain?
It’s possible there’s some kind of intermittent nerve blockage happening due to muscle issues. Maybe you had an old injury, or maybe you spend way too much time sitting at a desk for work, which could have messed with your posture. You might have scoliosis or lordosis, but honestly, I'm just guessing here. It's hard to say anything specific without a proper exam and a real conversation.

Honestly, though, your experience with the American healthcare system doesn't surprise me one bit. They usually just focus on the symptoms instead of actually finding the root cause.

casualbadger22 said:I remember seeing these kinds of symptoms before, so maybe look into it. The condition is called fibromyalgia.

Saying it's fibromyalgia is a total shot in the dark. Plus, she didn't even mention muscle stiffness, which is usually the big giveaway alongside the pain. She also didn't mention headaches, insomnia, or anxiety, which almost always come along with that condition.

Nicholas Myers said:Sir,

Even from your tone, it’s clear you're dealing with quite a bit of health stress. That likely explains the friction with your family doctor. Let's be realistic: with how strict medical oversight has become lately, it's difficult to justify endless rounds of tests when every single result comes back perfectly normal, yet the patient keeps returning with new symptoms.

Before jumping to conclusions about vitamin or mineral deficiencies, you really ought to have a neurological exam. Only then can you decide which specific tests are actually necessary. These symptoms could potentially point toward something like polyneuropathy.

Testing for certain vitamins is expensive. Most hospital systems won't run those panels without a specialist's referral, so your doctor is technically correct on that front.

Oh man, don't go scaring the poor guy with talk about polyneuropathy! There are literally thousands of other things that are way more likely (and totally harmless) than that. Plus, that usually pops up with diabetics, and he didn't mention anything about that.

And seriously, stay away from Google. You'll always find something there that scares the life out of you and makes you feel like you need to rush to a clinic. A lot of those articles are written by doctors who just want you to show up at their office and (usually) spend money you don't need to spend.

Patrick Lopez33 said:To cut a long story short, I’ve dealt with plenty of issues that have since cleared up, but that’s beside the point. What matters is this: I was on PPI—pantoprazole—for about three months. Around that time, I started developing this tingling sensation in my hands. Over time, it evolved into muscle stiffness and a burning sensation in my forearms, even though I haven't touched the medication in months. My blood work comes back normal, though I haven't actually checked my vitamin levels—I'm not even sure if they bother testing for those specific things here in Indianapolis... I had my thyroid checked, and they say it's fine, even if the reference intervals look a little funky, but again, that's irrelevant... As for a gastroscopy, it showed some gastritis caused by pain relievers, but almost everything has healed up, so that's okay... I went to see a psychiatrist, who prescribed half a 100mg tablet of Fever in the evening and one Normabel 2mg as needed because I struggle with anxiety. They also suspect panic disorder because I find myself constantly Googling symptoms, sometimes for hours at a time... We still have to confirm all that... So far, I've been diagnosed with OCD, somatic affective disorder, and depression. Here is what’s actually eating at me: I feel better mentally; I don't Google symptoms nearly as much, I've rarely felt that paralyzing fear of death, but my arms just won't stop burning. It’s been going on for months now. Then my neck will seize up like it's on fire, or I'll get these sharp pains... or the last two fingers on my left hand will cramp up and ache deep inside... And most of the time, it all just triggers a massive wave of panic. Sometimes it feels like my nerves have simply stopped obeying me, like a nerve is hurting so badly that I can't even move. 🙂 It's constant pins and needles; I don't have the energy for anything. My whole body stiffens up and I think, "This is it, it's over." I don't lose my cool or fly off the handle—I'm 100% composed—but my body just refuses to cooperate. Then, suddenly, the tension breaks (and my nerves start hurting insanely, everywhere), but my hands won't stop burning. 😕 So, folks, what am I supposed to do? I just can't wrap my head around the idea that this is "just anxiety"—that I can have these physical "attacks" that feel totally different from my usual panic attacks, or that my hands can burn continuously for months. And when I squeeze my right arm, it feels like my bicep is crumbling?? Then my vision gets blurry, my head burns, I start shaking, and I get these electric shock sensations in my elbows... It’s driving me crazy, and I’ve even had thoughts of ending it all. I won't, obviously—I'm too much of a badass for that—but I honestly don't know who else to turn to, and I feel embarrassed 🤦 My mind jumps to things like herpes (I've had this kind of wart near my anus for a few months, I don't know...), chlamydia, or maybe a vitamin deficiency (I've been taking B12 from the drugstore for two weeks, and I've taken magnesium)... everything seems fine until my muscles start seizing and those electric shocks hit. Honestly, I could just die right then and there. Is it truly possible that my brain is playing this many tricks on me? Because this hurts; it physically hurts every single damn day. Everything is perfect when I'm sleeping and during those first ten minutes after I wake up before my brain fully kicks in. Then the show starts... Help, I'm begging you, please say something 🙂 Should I push that woman, my doctor, to refer me to a neurologist or something? I am begging you guys not to ignore this; surely someone out there can offer at least a little insight. Even if you just tell me to go jump in a lake.

I had a gentleman come in to see me about a month ago who was in a very similar situation to yours. He was complaining about the exact same stuff—stiffness, pain, burning arms, panic attacks... basically the whole package. He had headaches, anxiety, thought he might have cancer or something, was sweating excessively, lived in fear... He tried everything with doctors and medications, but nothing seemed to touch it.
So, after getting regular medical massage sessions for about a month now, things have actually turned around big time! He’s telling me his symptoms have dropped by like, 70% or so. He’s finally smiling again, his mood is super upbeat, and honestly, he says he hasn't felt this good in years.
Since you had that accident on your bike, there's a chance you might've messed up your cervical vertebrae, which can cause nerve blockages. I mean, when you don't know what's going on, it's totally normal to panic and react this way. This is all just me guessing, of course, but I've seen these exact symptoms quite a bit, so I can make an educated guess. It would be best if I could actually check you out in person and chat with you to give you a more solid answer.
If I were you, I'd really try to find a top-tier, professional medical sports massage therapist in Indianapolis. Seriously, stay away from those random beauty salons or those "limited time offer" deals you see everywhere—they won't be able to help you much. You really need someone who is a true expert and experienced in medical sports massage to get results.
You've already tried the doctor route, so maybe it's time to try something a little more natural.