Thursday, June 10, 2010

I need your help.....

Yesterday I got a phone call from my Mom, she had just got back from a Dr.'s appointment....
Mom has been going to the Dr. for over a year...trying to find out what is causing her severe pain....last April she was going out her back door...and her furbabies came running out behind her...normal activity...well this time they ran into her and sent her foward...she put out her hands to catch herself to keep from hitting a concrete bird bath....a few days later she was really sore...especially in her wrists...well it didn't get better so she went to her Dr....
well...you are over 50....(thanks Doc)...still she kept having problems...but being the hard worker she is...she continued with her activities...and heavy...(I do mean heavy) yard work....she works like a man....this went on for months...
then the Dr. told her she was suffering from depression...but how can depression cause her hands to go numb....to have severe pain in her arms...she demanded an x-ray....found nothing there...so finally she was sent to a neurologist...he ran a battery of tests....must be coming from your neck or back...sent her to a orthopedic Dr.....he ran a battery of tests...found her neck in bad shape...told her she needed pain management and physical therapy....so she went to see the physical therapist...hands going numb...severe pain in the arms...physical therapist said...you need to go back to your Dr.....this is not normal...now the pain therapy Dr. comes in....several treatments...lot's of money....more prescriptions....would feel better a few days...then back to square one...so she tries a new Dr.....he has had his back rebuilt...so he sends her to his Dr.....she goes...he looks at her neck....sees the treatments she has had have not worked...went another route...well her neck is in good shape...but still her hands go numb...severe pain in the arms....her Dr. thinks it is tendinitus...so he puts her on a regiment and said you will see a big change in 2 weeks....so here we are...no change...actually is is getting worse...the reason I am telling you all this is because we are at our witts end...and I was wondering if you or anyone you know may have or have had this problem...she explains to me that it is like someone puts a vise on her arm and stops the circulation...she has severe pain in her wrists....it wakes her up at night....she can not do normal activities...she will get one arm back with feeling and the other goes numb....it is a constant struggle...she can pull on each one of her fingers then it feels like the blood starts flowing again...but it doesn't last long...she props...ices...massages....any help you might give me would be greatly appreciated...I'm tired of seeing my Mother who has always been active and vibrant...in pain...and unable to do the things she loves to do...she goes to work every day...but it is a struggle....Say a little prayer that we find answers.....

19 comments:

Beth said...

Gosh Deb, so sorry to hear what your mom is going through! I wish I had suggestions,but I don't. Has she tried a chiropractor? That's my only thought. Praying for relief for you mom!

joysong said...

I'm so sorry to hear about your mom...wish I had answers to help. May God give wisdom to you and the doctors as you search this out...and may He give you peace as well.

Nancy's Notes said...

Oh Deb, I am so sorry, it's so sad that she is in so much pain, bless her heart. I will keep her in my prayers. It's hard to see our parents at this stage in their lives when they are ill, isn't it?

Take care.

Nancy

Stacey said...

I too am sorry to hear that. My goodness she sure has been put through the wringer this last year.

I want to say, if I recall correctly, something similar was happening to a friends mom once. After it was all said and done, it was a side effect due to some medication she was on. Has your mom started any new medication around the time this started? Could be a long shot, but it was what first came to mind.

Andrea said...

I'm so sorry your Mom is going through this! I will say a prayer for her. Wish I knew what could be causing it. My only guess is that it could be some kind of nerve damage from when she fell. My girlfriend has numbness in her hands and fingers, and it's from nerve damage from chemo when she had cancer :-(
I pray your Mom finds the answers, and soon!

deedee said...

They had me do therapy first (which was stupid!). Then I was given the steriod shots for the pain.... then I could do therapy. They didn't suggest the "shots"?

Deb said...

Deedee...they did the shots...but it only worked for a few days...it helped her neck but not the arms and hands...

Nola said...

I'm so sorry to hear your Mom's going through such an ordeal! I just wanna shoot those dang doctors who fall back on depression as a diagnosis when they can't figure out what's going on!

Emily & Scott said...

I'm sorry to hear about your mom and all the pain she's been in. I wish I could offer answers, but all I can offer is my own experience. I fell about 4yrs ago in my basement, and I too put my arm out to stop my fall. I jammed my shoulder so bad that now my arm goes numb at any given point throughout the day. The doctors have told me that all I need is Therapy on it, but I don't believe them. I did Therapy for a long time and it never helped or made it back 100%. I also did the steroid shots and they only helped for temporary relief. All I can offer is to stay vigilant with the doctors, try new ones .. which I KNOW SUCKS. But eventually you might just find the one who will be able to help. Best wishes and prayers for a healthy recovery to your mom!

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

What a hell-ish story! -sighhhhhh-

What do I know but......... Her first doc, mmmmmmmmm... All he could do/say was; "Well, you are over 50"? Yikes!

So if she had a time machine, she would turn back the clock to that first doc visit... Stop doing anything heavy... And see another doc... Maybe... But none of us have a time machine.

I hope someone has some real help to suggest.

Gentle hugs......

Tanna said...

Deb, this must be awful for your mom and for you to feel helpless about stopping her pain/numbness. I agree that trying a chiropractor might help... I'm sorry she is in such pain.

Ana said...

Hi Deb,
I'm so sorry to hear about what your mom is going through...I know it can be very frustrating dealing with these doctors...Please know that I will be keeping her and you in my prayers. Hope you find the answer soon. Stay strong my friend.

Hugs and Kisses,
♥Ana

Cheryl said...

Your mom's symptoms remind me of mine when I was diagnosed with Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Would wake up at night with the feeling of my arms being on fire...a specialist confirmed it and I had day surgery to do a Carpal Release and it gave me immediate relief! Hope this helps...And I hope she finds relief!

Diana Ferguson said...

Will do!! Keep us posted.

Sue said...

I certainly will be praying Deb, for your mother. I would suggest a chiropractor. Please keep us posted.
Hugs,
Sue

Susie said...

I was wondering the same thing as Cheryl. Has anyone suggested Carpal tunnel syndrome? I use to work for a plastic surgeon and he use to do this surgery. There are test to confirm the diagnosis. Maybe a long shot but you never know.

Deb said...

they did test her for Carpal tunnel syndrome...

Thank you so much for your ideas...and your prayers...I new I could count on you all to come through....

Janie said...

I'm so sorry your mom is having such difficulty. The numbness makes it sound like a neurologic problem, but sounds like that's all been checked out and the doctors still don't have a clue.
My wrists were sore and sometimes would go numb after I lifted a bunch of hay bales one year and must have stretched the tendons beyond a comfortable limit. Time and staying away from anything that stretched those tendons seemed to give it time to heal. I assume your mom has already tried resting the injury, though.
Please give your mom my sympathy. Wish I could offer more.

Laura said...

It is so hard to be shuffled from one doctor to the next- with a different diagnosis each time.

What if she started over and went to a new family doctor?

Laura