Numb leg with pain

I noticed numbness in both inner thighs the day following surgery, which progressed to cover the front and side of my right thigh. The pain and sensitivity was so intense at one point I couldn't have any fabric touching it. The numbness is mostly on my upper front thigh now and a bit on the left. I also experienced pain, sort of an ache in my right shin, which continues and keeps me awake sometimes. I found that an ice pack on my thigh helps. And alcohol...taken internally! Now that I am exercising daily the numbness and pain in my thigh is subsiding substantially. I will be seeing my dr soon to ask about physio (if it would help), esp. for my shin. I was told it could take up to a year to heal.
This *****. <admin note: please do not override the site censor!>

A year? Yes, that does

I felt numbness in my hands and hot searing pain down my arms intermitently after the first week. A doctor at the clinic told me to take a pill and go to sleep. Three weeks later I woke up with numbness in my feet and hands, the hot searing pain, and I was seeing double. When my eyesight was involved I went to the emergency room. Funny me, I thought that I had a blood clot from lying in bed so much-- really, the nerves in my neck were being compressed.
Apparently the muscles in my neck were in really bad shape from my practice of sleeping in whatever posture I fell into bed. I was sent to physical therapy where he worked some knots out of my muscles, gave me a couple stretches for my neck and shoulders, and taught how to relieve the knots in my muscles without having to come in. The numbness went away in less than a week.

It is sad, but I could have had that pain addressed a lot sooner if I wasn't told to take a pill and go to bed. I wonder, Are doctors so overworked that they don't care anymore?"

	Quote:
Originally Posted by 39 daisies I felt numbness in my hands and hot searing pain down my arms intermitently after the first week. A doctor at the clinic told me to take a pill and go to sleep. Three weeks later I woke up with numbness in my feet and hands, the hot searing pain, and I was seeing double. When my eyesight was involved I went to the emergency room. Funny me, I thought that I had a blood clot from lying in bed so much-- really, the nerves in my neck were being compressed. Apparently the muscles in my neck were in really bad shape from my practice of sleeping in whatever posture I fell into bed. I was sent to physical therapy where he worked some knots out of my muscles, gave me a couple stretches for my neck and shoulders, and taught how to relieve the knots in my muscles without having to come in. The numbness went away in less than a week. It is sad, but I could have had that pain addressed a lot sooner if I wasn't told to take a pill and go to bed. I wonder, Are doctors so overworked that they don't care anymore?"

Personally I think doctors should have to post their grades from college! I don't want the one that barely graduated with a 2.0!

Hey Noni and Wpooh. We three have the same date. I have been especially wondering how you two are doing. Noni, I am a nurse and worked in surgery. Does your pain start like at the center of your bottom and travel down your leg? If so that's probably sciatia which could make walking difficult. Despite trying to pad patients and keep their bodies in good position during surgery, sometimes nerves can get a little compressed since your aren't moving at all during your surgery to relieve pressure points like you do even in your normal sleep. Also since nerves are cut at the incison site, one can experience all sorts of weird sensations up and down that nerve's pathway. I personally have been dealing with labia pain that feels like my underwear is cutting me in two even when I'm wearing loose or no underwear. Parts of my tummy feel numb on the outside, and parts burn at times. The joys of healing I guess. Don't be afraid to take your pain meds and take some ibuprofen like drug too. The NSAIDS will help decrease swelling that may be tight around the nerve causing the pain. Hope I'm making sense. I still have to take a half of Lortab during the day and take a whole one at night to sleep as turning in bed is still a chore. To all my healing sisters.
Molly

Hi Molly!

Yep - that's what I got - ALL OF IT! My belly decided to "swell" and "wake up" after being numb. Now it is on fire and sensitive to touch! (I'm really familiar with nerve pain).

I'm taking my Vicodin, Ibuprofin, and Lyrica. This all helps me to sleep at night. I will be happy when it feels better.

I am approaching 1 yr and still have numbness and pain. I was told the retractors used to hold you open touch or pinch the nerves that run down to your legs. Ive read that if its not gone in a year, plan its a new part of your life. I will say that mine has lessones in severity some over the last few months.

Noni,
What you and some of the others are describing is called "meralgia paresthetica" or "lateral femoral cutaneous nerve palsy". Lots of big words for mainly a gigantic PAIN IN THE LEG! It's usually confined to one leg on the outside, from roughly top of thigh where the lateral femoral nerve starts to about 3-4 inches above the knee where it ends, covering more or less the whole outside thigh. The sensations are of numbness and/or severe burning in spots or all over the area. Mine didn't appear until 2 days after surgery, making the walking, walking, walking routine nearly impossible to bear in the hospital. A neurologist told me that it's usually from compression on the nerve by a retractor placed during abdominal surgery and although it doesn't happen often, it does happen. They were pretty nonchalant about it, but man oh man, can it hurt! It can be more or less severe, depending on how long you were in surgery with the retractor in place and also on your tolerance for pain. Mine wasn't very good. I thought my leg was on fire and kept looking at it under the sheet to make sure it wasn't. They gave me some neurontin to help with it and told me it would simply take time to recover. When I was able to do searching on the web, I did what you did and found all the medical info on it. Didn't help all that much: Don't wear tight underwear (after a hyster?), don't wear your tool belt on that side(?), lose weight, rest as much as possible, surgery could be indicated (?). May go away with time...... Hmmm.

Mostly, they were right in my case. The burning diminished after about 2 weeks and the numbness is slowly receding. I'm kind of used to it right now, but for the first weeks it made life pretty much hell for me. I don't notice it as much anymore though occasionally I'l turn some way or the other and a streak of burning sensation runs up the leg briefly. If you check the Search feature on the board, you'll find more of us that have had to endure this. Talk to your doctor about it because it IS very real and hurts. For most people, it appears to go away with time. One more thing to have to get used to, I guess. I don't know if this helps or not, but from my 11 weeks out from surgery, I can say that it is fading away slowly. Hope you feel better soon, and good luck!

	Quote:
Originally Posted by feederlady Don't wear tight underwear (after a hyster?), don't wear your tool belt on that side(?), lose weight, rest as much as possible, surgery could be indicated (?).

Doggone it! I was sooo wanting to carry my tool belt, too!

Noni

HI, NONI.
Well, I don't want to alarm you or anything but, it's been 10 months since my hyster and............ only half of the sensation in my left thigh has come back and the pain? sometimes it feels like a have a sword swimming downstream inside my leg! I'm a massage therapy who stands for long periods of time so you can imagine how MY pain gets... Ohh, a good therapy for nerves to heal is cold\heat therapy. 10 min. moist heat followed by 5 min. of cold compress, repeat three times. and, last but not least rubbing, lots of rubbing even if it bothers, use some lotion to prevent friction. It helps because you keep the lymph flowing. good luck sweety.....