I’ve had this weird pain for the last four months, maybe longer. It’s on my thoracic spine, about an inch or two directly on the spine itself. It doesn’t affect my mobility; I can still move around as easily as ever without pain. But that part of my spine is tender to the touch, even if I’m just sitting back in a chair. I don’t know what started the pain. I was waitressing when it began, but I can’t remember any reason why it may have begun.
I waited until three or four weeks ago to get it looked at. I figured if it wasn’t hindering my mobility, it probably wasn’t serious. (I’m an otherwise healthy 28-year-old woman.) Anyways, I’m having trouble finding a family doctor in my city and so I’m still going to my doctor in my hometown, which is 3 hours away. As such, for most aches and pains I visit walk-in clinics, which means a minimum 2-hour wait.
Finally, when I realized how long this pain had been there, I decided I’d waited long enough and went to a walk-in clinic. The doctor mumbled something about scoliosis and gave me a referral for an x-ray.
I was called in for the results a week later. After another 2.5 hour wait, the incredibly smarmy and unpleasant doctor told me the x-ray looked fine, but my liver looked enlarged. Now a referral for an ultrasound. When I kept asking “but why does my spine hurt?” he would shrug and tell me to go see a chiropractor or something.
I go for the ultrasound. My liver is perfectly fine. There was absolutely no reason for me to go in there at all.
So now, after roughly 15 hours of waiting for doctors and getting needless x-rays and ultrasounds done, I still have no idea what’s wrong with me. Thankfully, I have an appointment in two weeks with my family doctor back home, and maybe she can tell me something. I don’t want to go to a chiropractor (bad history) and I don’t want to go back to the “We Don’t Know What’s Wrong With Your Back, So We’ll Take Some Tests On Every Other Part Of Your Body” clinic. I just want to have a pain-free back again.
WHY THE HELL WON’T ANYONE TELL ME WHAT’S WRONG WITH ME?
Does it feel like your spine is out of alignment which a chiropractor actually could help or does it feel like a bruise or what? Have you tried icing it? Does aspirin affect it? What about massage? Can you stretch/bend/move in exactly all the same ways as you could before this pain existed?
Does your “bad history” with a chiropractor mean that you can never go to another one for the rest of your life even just for a diagnosis? I know some chiros are weird flakes, but I love mine. I would be sad if someone had a bad history with dentists and thus decided they should never go to one again. I know dentists are more “necessary” than chiropractors, but you get my meaning?
If you don’t like what the current doctor is telling you, then it is up to you to go out and get the treatment you need. Continue to “shop around” until you find one that will take care of the problem. If that means seeing somone who can refer you to a proper specialist, then do it. It’s your body. You have to live with it for the rest of your life.
I was already considering asking for an MRI, as I know x-rays aren’t very practical if it’s a slipped or herniated disc or something. But (pardon my complete medical ignorance) why a CT scan? 'Course, for all I know, that’s just the way to do things.
If it were me, I’d ask my doctor to tell me why I shouldn’t worry. But, I trust him and he knows when I should & shouldn’t worry. At the very least, you can ask your GP to talk about the actual symptoms, which it sounds like the others won’t even bother to do.
I’m not a doctor or an expert, but I thought a CT scan would show more details of the bones that an x-ray might miss, and an MRI to look at soft tissue.
I hope I didn’t upset you, I was just suggesting getting tests to rule everything out for your own piece of mind. Like js_africanus said, I wouldn’t worry but it really does suck being in pain and I don’t blame you for wanting to get to the bottom of it.
Back problems are really hard to diagnose. My dad had a problem that started with not being able to walk at all and it took 6 months, 5 doctors, a lot of tests and some failed treatments before he even got a definite diagnosis. By that time he could walk, and then got surgery, but the nerve damage was beyond repairable.
I’m not saying you’re going to be crippled for life…but it’s an example of how frustrating it can be to get a good diagnosis on back problems and how long it can take.
The patient has to be persistent. Be persistent. Good luck!
I’ve been through the wringer over problems with my back, neck, and shoulder so I know where you’re coming from. I have frequent pain in my thoracic spine and visible displacement around the C6&7 area. Most likely due to an old injury. I’ve been to a few general practitioners and a couple orthopedic surgeons. None of them seemed overly worried, since I don’t have any problem with range of motion and test negative for neurological symptoms.
Chances are if you’re not having problems moving, aren’t experiencing any numbness or tingling, no pain in your arms or legs, no headaches, etc. and your doctor isn’t worried, it’s likely not neurological and an MRI or CT scan would be overkill. If you start presenting neurological symptoms though, definitely bring it up with your doctor and have them check again.
It sounds kind of cheesy, but have you paid attention to your posture and exercise you’re getting lately? Our bodies tend to correct for things, and when you have a tendency to favor one side or position, the muscles and bones will shift to bear the burden and it can produce chronic pain and soreness in that area.
I’ve had both good and bad experiences with chiropractors, but either way it’s only temporary relief and won’t actually fix the problem. I wish you luck in finding some relief.
I hope when you go back home you get some answers from your current doctor but if you don’t please make an effort to find a new doctor in the city in which you live. Your life will be much better if you can find someone who’s close enough to visit without interrupting your life. Think of it this way, if the walk-in always makes you wait for 2 hours then you could have a doctor who was 45 minutes away and you’d probably still get seen sooner.
It just doesn’t sound like you’re getting the treatment you want from that walk-in clinic.
Spinal pain is one of those things that could be caused by a bunch of different things and really, really, really needs to be looked at by a “super-specialist” type doctor. I have seen some people that have had spinal fusions only to be told later by a “super specialist/expert” spinal doctor that the pain was something else entirely and now they fucked up their spines permanently. When it comes to your spine it makes sense to get the best of the best. You will probably have to fight to see one of these guys, but I would suggest it.
Do not see a chiropractor until you have exhausted most other possibilities.
I have found that very intensive and aggressive stretching exercises helped reset/re-seat & un-pinch my sciatic nerve when it became inflamed but that was less a spinal issue and more a nerve caught in the spine scenario.
Thank you everyone for your insightful and kind responses. I’m definitely going to look into all these possibilities. I’m very, very frustrated by how incredibly difficult it’s been to get this taken care of, but these suggestions will definitely help.
At the very least, you can ask your GP to talk about the actual symptoms, which it sounds like the others won’t even bother to do.