#1 ·
Would anyone who actually understands this kind of thing—or maybe someone going through something similar—be able to give me some insight or advice?
About three weeks ago, my son and I both came down with what I assume was the flu.
We had body aches everywhere, a sore throat, and these brutal headaches. I was totally wiped out one day, then felt fine the next. He had a cough; I didn't. But two days later, every time I take a breath, I get this sharp pain in my right side—near my lung area, I guess?
I went to see Dr. Phil. She did the usual routine—checking if the pain changes when I bend over, twist, or stretch, listening to my heart (which sounded fine), checking my legs (no issues there). She sent me for an X-ray just to be safe, though she suspects it might just be a pulled muscle.
The pain is still there, specifically when I take a deep breath. I’m exhausted too, but since I’ve been working massive hours lately, I’m hoping that’s just the culprit.
My X-ray came back clear, and my blood work looks normal. She prescribed me Diclofenac—it seems similar to our Voltaren—but I can barely keep it down. Every time I take it, I end up throwing it right back up.
Then, two days after that, the leg pain started. It’s in my shins, calves, and below the knees. Honestly, I can't tell if it's bone pain or muscular. It’s this bizarre sensation—like something is moving inside the muscle—accompanied by a constant, nagging ache. Not excruciating, but it won't quit. There’s also this burning feeling near my knee, running along where a vein would be (it's hard to explain). I feel even worse now, though my breathing is okay, my heart rate is steady, and there’s no coughing up blood or anything like that—all the things she asked about.
I’m heading back to the doctor—I live abroad, so I’m asking you all because she seems completely stumped—because now the pain is hitting my arms around the elbows and wrists, my fingers, and especially my lower back/sacrum area. I can't figure out which part of this is connected and what's just exhaustion. She did a quick urine dipstick test on the spot and said it looked fine, but she's sending it off for more detailed testing. (I don't have those results yet).
She gave me Diclofenac injections and insists everything is "clean"—blood, X-rays, heart, no fever...
I try taking the shots once a day, but within minutes, I just vomit them up. Yesterday, I took some Voltaren on my own just so I could function at work like a normal human being.
The pain isn't budging. That weird sensation in my leg—that twitching or crawling feeling—is still there. And my back occasionally goes numb, and I still feel that phantom pain in my right lung area (maybe I'm just imagining it, but I know it's there...).
If anyone can tell me what this is, or even just what specific tests I should demand, please help. My doctor is like a search engine that keeps giving me wrong answers; whatever I mention, she jumps to a different conclusion. If I ask if it's *this*, she says, "Well, maybe, let's run a test." If I mention my mom has kidney issues, she says, "Oh, that could be it too." Long story short, I never walk away from her feeling any more informed than when I walked in, and this has been dragging on for three weeks now.
I'm twenty-nine. One child—perfect pregnancy, very fast delivery, but I had an epidural.
Diet isn't great, sleep is terrible (working night shifts). The job isn't physically demanding, but my posture is awful—hours spent huntering over a microscope or a computer. Not much movement either (lots of driving and sitting). The workspace is a clean room, so the air quality is fine.
I have a naturally hunched back 😢 ((and bad posture while sitting.
I don't smoke, but I am addicted to coffee. Weight has been pretty stable for years, plus or minus a couple of pounds.
I haven't seen a doctor more than two or three times in the last six years (since my pregnancy); if something hurts, I usually just pop an Advil and move on.
On my mother's side, there's a history of kidney problems among many of the women. My paternal grandfather had lung issues and passed away from them (I'm not sure if it was cancer or not). Also, rheumatoid-type symptoms—bone pain and swelling, especially with weather changes—have been present for generations on my father's side, though nobody ever got it this early.
Sorry for the long vent, but I know diagnosing something via the internet is a tall order.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions you can offer.
About three weeks ago, my son and I both came down with what I assume was the flu.
We had body aches everywhere, a sore throat, and these brutal headaches. I was totally wiped out one day, then felt fine the next. He had a cough; I didn't. But two days later, every time I take a breath, I get this sharp pain in my right side—near my lung area, I guess?
I went to see Dr. Phil. She did the usual routine—checking if the pain changes when I bend over, twist, or stretch, listening to my heart (which sounded fine), checking my legs (no issues there). She sent me for an X-ray just to be safe, though she suspects it might just be a pulled muscle.
The pain is still there, specifically when I take a deep breath. I’m exhausted too, but since I’ve been working massive hours lately, I’m hoping that’s just the culprit.
My X-ray came back clear, and my blood work looks normal. She prescribed me Diclofenac—it seems similar to our Voltaren—but I can barely keep it down. Every time I take it, I end up throwing it right back up.
Then, two days after that, the leg pain started. It’s in my shins, calves, and below the knees. Honestly, I can't tell if it's bone pain or muscular. It’s this bizarre sensation—like something is moving inside the muscle—accompanied by a constant, nagging ache. Not excruciating, but it won't quit. There’s also this burning feeling near my knee, running along where a vein would be (it's hard to explain). I feel even worse now, though my breathing is okay, my heart rate is steady, and there’s no coughing up blood or anything like that—all the things she asked about.
I’m heading back to the doctor—I live abroad, so I’m asking you all because she seems completely stumped—because now the pain is hitting my arms around the elbows and wrists, my fingers, and especially my lower back/sacrum area. I can't figure out which part of this is connected and what's just exhaustion. She did a quick urine dipstick test on the spot and said it looked fine, but she's sending it off for more detailed testing. (I don't have those results yet).
She gave me Diclofenac injections and insists everything is "clean"—blood, X-rays, heart, no fever...
I try taking the shots once a day, but within minutes, I just vomit them up. Yesterday, I took some Voltaren on my own just so I could function at work like a normal human being.
The pain isn't budging. That weird sensation in my leg—that twitching or crawling feeling—is still there. And my back occasionally goes numb, and I still feel that phantom pain in my right lung area (maybe I'm just imagining it, but I know it's there...).
If anyone can tell me what this is, or even just what specific tests I should demand, please help. My doctor is like a search engine that keeps giving me wrong answers; whatever I mention, she jumps to a different conclusion. If I ask if it's *this*, she says, "Well, maybe, let's run a test." If I mention my mom has kidney issues, she says, "Oh, that could be it too." Long story short, I never walk away from her feeling any more informed than when I walked in, and this has been dragging on for three weeks now.
I'm twenty-nine. One child—perfect pregnancy, very fast delivery, but I had an epidural.
Diet isn't great, sleep is terrible (working night shifts). The job isn't physically demanding, but my posture is awful—hours spent huntering over a microscope or a computer. Not much movement either (lots of driving and sitting). The workspace is a clean room, so the air quality is fine.
I have a naturally hunched back 😢 ((and bad posture while sitting.
I don't smoke, but I am addicted to coffee. Weight has been pretty stable for years, plus or minus a couple of pounds.
I haven't seen a doctor more than two or three times in the last six years (since my pregnancy); if something hurts, I usually just pop an Advil and move on.
On my mother's side, there's a history of kidney problems among many of the women. My paternal grandfather had lung issues and passed away from them (I'm not sure if it was cancer or not). Also, rheumatoid-type symptoms—bone pain and swelling, especially with weather changes—have been present for generations on my father's side, though nobody ever got it this early.
Sorry for the long vent, but I know diagnosing something via the internet is a tall order.
Thanks for any advice or suggestions you can offer.