It was just supposed to be a routine appointment.
[warning: long, rambling and not very interesting
– just the way it actually happened!]
Last January when I had my post-surgery check-up I mentioned that since the operations (this had been my third in seven months) I’d been experiencing a painful burning sensation along the outside of my right thigh when I was in bed. I couldn’t remember if I’d had it before the ops, and the surgeon thought it was worth me getting it checked out. Though he clearly didn’t think it was too serious as my appointment with neurology was made for six months later. Yesterday, in fact. Of course, last January I didn’t know I’d be back on chemo . . .
As a result, I woke up feeling exhausted and knew I wouldn’t be able to make it to the hospital by 9 o’clock but, rather than wait another six months, I thought I’d just head over a bit later and see if they could fit me in. By the time I got there it was just after eleven and when I showed my appointment slip to the nurse she said I was way too late and would have to come back another day. So I started to explain that I was on chemo and hadn’t been feeling well earlier and – this keeps happening to me – I started crying! Honestly, I can barely say the word chemo out loud anymore without my eyes filling with tears, which gets quite embarrassing at times. But this time it also got me in to see the doctor, probably quicker than if I’d made it to the original appointment.
Was ordered up on the table and my legs were poked and prodded (with pins!), my reflexes and general muscle strength tested, and was told there was some “nerve thing” going on but it was unrelated to either the operations or the cancer. Then the doctor said she could set up some further tests, took one look at my face and said … “you don’t really want any more tests, do you?” And I said that I reckoned I was spending enough time at the hospital as it was. So the deal is that I’m going to see her again in six months unless the pain gets a lot worse.
A waste of time? Probably. But I decided to take advantage of being in the same building as the pain clinic and check back with them about my port. Why? Because every time one of the chemo nurses goes to put the IV shunt in they say – “oh, is this a double port?” I’d checked with the pain clinic once before and was told they were sure it was a single one, but when this happened again last Thursday I asked the chemo nurse if it mattered whether it was a single or double … and she said that if it were a double port both vias would have to be flushed out regularly or I COULD GET A BLOOD CLOT AND DIE. And so I thought I’d better make really sure.
After talking to a couple of people at the pain clinic I finally got to see the boss, who poked around and said she was quite sure it was a single port (quite sure? they don’t have any records they could check?) but said to put my mind at rest she’d send me upstairs for a chest x-ray. On her way out I heard her say to one of the nurses that she was sending me for an x-ray because she wasn’t 100% sure it was a single port. Sheesh.
So up Nog and I went to the x-ray department and after waving my URGENT petition around I was in and out of there in about ten minutes, with the freshly developed print in my hand. And it was confirmed. A single port. What a relief!
After that Nog and I went out to celebrate. I’ll tell you why tomorrow…
casa azahar 
Gravy! What a day!
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Sounds like hospitals are all the same everywhere. Nothing wrong with the service or the food or the cleanliness, really, but no idea on how to communicate with people. None at all. Ah well, at least it is a single port, you won’t get a blood clot and die and you and Noggin are out celebrating. All good stuff.
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Okay, you want to check your gluteus minimus muscle on the side where the burning sensation is.
Usually, when people say “I have this pain down my leg when I lie in bed” they describe more of a dull toothache feeling to me, but burning is not unheard of in nerve entrapment. The muscle that can trap your lateral femoral cutaneous nerve (almost sings, doesn’t it?) is located both fore and aft of your trouser seam below the crest of the hipbone. Here’s a good image page from a randomly surfed massage therapist’s website, which lifted it from the Travell texts on muscle pain:
http://buckheadbodyworks.com/index.php?module=article&view=33
Sitting for long periods can shorten this muscle and lying in bed has a curious knack for setting off its pain pattern. The X’s on the picture are trigger point loci where you might find yourself to be incredibly sore — dig in a knuckle or find something like a tennis ball and roll on it. If you find a hot spot and the pressure relaxes it a little, see if that abates the burning feeling.
Something totally different could be going on, but this is safe and costs nothing to try.
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Why aren’t hospitals more like episodes of House, that’s what I’d like to know. They should be slapped with ‘Trades Description’ infringement notices in my opinion. Far too much waiting around, filling in forms and being poked and prodded and not nearly enough gorgeous doctors to look at.
Scientists should stop cloning sheep and get on with the vital business of cloning Hugh Laurie – one for every oncology department and dermatology outpatients clinic for a start. Are you with me? 😉
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But they should clone him a bit less crabby…
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Sounds like sciatica, and Sledpress’s suggestions should make it feel better. If they have chiropractors over there, you might have an adjustment, too. The yoga you are doing should help, too. Can’t wait for tomorrow.
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I used to get sciatica quite often when I was younger, and this feels nothing like it. Also, it only happens when I’m lying down and really burns like fuckity. I will try the pressure points, Sled, though I’m sure your elbow in my butt would help a lot more.
The doctor said that this condition is often caused by people either gaining or losing a lot of weight, so perhaps it’s a result of me packing on the kilos over the past 5-6 years?
I’m sure the yoga helps, as does riding the exercise bike at a comfortable “walking” pace while watching tv. Will get back to doing that next week (during week one I’m just too exhausted to do this).
As for chiropractors – can’t abide them! I think they’re all quacks, to be honest.
“Scientists should stop cloning sheep and get on with the vital business of cloning Hugh Laurie”
I’m with you on that one, sister.
“Can’t wait for tomorrow.”
I think you in particular are going to really like tomorrow’s blog post, SS.
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I have a wonderful chiropractor, and have had some others. I’ve also known some supreme bullshitters. At least none of them have ever done me the harm that MDs have.
Sciatica covers a lot of options and the nerve I think you’re hearing from is actually a different nerve, but gets easily confused with the sciatic trunk, which is medial and posterior to it. Weight changes could affect either as the muscles adjacent to both nerves have to maneuver your weight as you move around.
The lying down thing seems to be a combination of the muscle shortening as it cools during disuse and actual mechanical pressure on the nerve. I have been through some lulus with this pain pattern and sleeping with one leg slung up over a long pillow cut down on the grief a lot.
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Great Blog! I added you to my blogroll. Also…Open invitation to you and your readers to participate in the Being Cancer Book Club. This month we are discussing “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch. “…the lecture he gave … was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because “time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think”). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.”
Monday is Book Club day; Tuesday Guest Blog and Friday Cancer News Roundup.
Also check out Cancer Blog Links containing over 225 blog links and Cancer Resources with 230 referenced sites, both divided into disease categories.
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Take care, Dennis
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I don’t know. It may have been rambling, but compared to some of my posts it is just regular length, right? Plus it was fairly interesting for people who actually care what is happening to you.
Glad it turned out to be a single port.
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Also, in my professional opinion, I think sledpress has it nailed and has described the location of the spot very well. Do use the pressure points. I’ll bet her elbow would be great, too. Sometimes there are feedback situations going on in the body that respond better if someone from outside the system intervenes. Yoga should eventually help it too.
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