Am I going to die? (Not Covid)

[ray1970]

So, I was climbing a steep hill the other day when I suddenly felt a shooting pain in the back of my right calf.

It happened when I was pushing off of that leg so I figured I probably strained something.

Anyhow, the calf pain is bearable and I don?t have any limited range of motion or anything but the weird thing is now any time I stand up or walk around my right foot goes numb and I get that whole pins and needles thing going on.

I?d like to avoid a trip to a doctor right now but at the same time I don?t want to let this continue if it?s something serious.

Anyone stay at a Holiday Inn last night and want to make a guess whether I just need to heal up or if I am going to need medical attention?

[SideShow Bob]

Yes,
Sooner or later you are going to die.........



Is your calf muscle a bunched up ball above or below its normal location & not stretched between the natural anchor points ?
If it is normal otherwise, you just had a ninja squirrel bite. You will need to find the offending rodent & have it tested, or will have to have a round of rabies shots.

[WillysWagon]

Might be sciatic nerve is being pinched from something in your lower back ??

[Bailey Guns]

Nope...not gonna die. Those symptoms are the first signs of immortality.

[SideShow Bob]

Might be sciatic nerve is being pinched from something in your lower back ??

That too, I know first hand. Two deteriorated vertebrae and several bulging discs in my lower back. And tingling / pins & needles in my right foot and leg below the knee, comes and goes.

[Rucker61]

Yes. Please post a list of your stuff in "Pay It Forward".

[Great-Kazoo]

NVM

[FoxtArt]

Well, I'm no doctor, but that sounds like full-blown-in-the-butt AIDS.

Disclaimer: This does not constitute medical advice. For medical advice, hire a licensed doctor.

(nobody should take this too seriously. If any reader has full-blown-in-the-butt AIDS, you have my sincere condolences, and please don't protest outside my house)

[Duman]

I had something similar many years ago, a muscle strain during a hike. Some numbness, burning sensation, tingling sensation. Apparently some nerves were unhappy. Unpleasant, but eventually went away.

That being said, you're gonna die. We're gonna split up your gear.... please post a list. First dibs!

[Irving]

Have you tried rolling the muscles out?

[theGinsue]

This could be as simple as a muscle tear (doubtful)

or as serious as sciatica (probable)

or possibly even a blood clot (unlikely, but possible).

I'm no Chicken Little, but severe pain and numbness is something I think a professional should take a look at. If nothing else, they help you get past the pain and on the road to recovery sooner. At my age(yours too), I've learned that it's better to address medical issues sooner rather than later to reduce my long term suffering.

[sako55]

With Ginsue on this one. You are describing exactly what i had on the 4th of July. It’s started on the side of the calf and progressed. Waited 5 days and went to the Doc. Turns out blood clots in superficial veins but damn has it been painful. Like someone cut me down the inside of my leg from my groin to my ankle. Get in and the anticoagulants if it tuns out to be clots. They will send you for an ultrasound to verify. If you have varicose veins, good chance its clots

Good luck

[O2HeN2]

I'll third Ginsue. Worst case is a DVT, which is not to be taken lightly.

Have you been relatively immobile in the last couple days (long car trip, plane ride, etc.)?

O2

[buffalobo]

Lack of blood flow or pinched/damaged nerves cause tingly/numbness. Both can be serious on own and be indicators of more serious damage issue beyond just muscular/skeletal.

Three days max on symptoms, then get checked out.

[sniper7]

Not a bad thing to head to the doc to get checked out. Go on any MD website and you think you will croak out any second, but realistically it’s something that can be fixed with time, surgery, meds or alcohol or a combo of that list.
Recently went in to the docs office and it was a piece of cake. Less busy than a King soopers checkout line on a Tuesday at 2.

[ray1970]

Thank you all.

I?m going to give it a few more days and if I don?t get better or die I?ll likely go see a doctor.

[fitz19d]

The sudden numbness etc when standing makes it considered more emergent as far as sciatica problems go vs just having consistent but relatively dull pain. I blew one of my lowest discs out and suffered with it for almost a year with gradually worsening symptoms before I got my surgery. Should have had it addressed sooner, sometimes speed of being addressed will affect long term recovery.

[Waldo1]

Nope...not gonna die. Those symptoms are the first signs of immortality.


There can be only One...
82373

[Jer]

Thank you all.

I?m going to give it a few more days and if I don?t get better or die I?ll likely go see a doctor.

Isn't that what you've done here? Crowd-sourced medical advise from strangers on the world wide web. What could possibly be better?

[Aloha_Shooter]

Yes, you will die but probably not from this.

I got hit with sciatic pain in mid-Feb, between business trips. Muscled my way through 2 more weeks of business trips popping acetaminophen and ibuprofen like a mad man then endured it through "work from home" until I thought enough was enough in May and set up an appointment at the clinic. 2 sets of X-rays and an MRI later, the NP at my clinic and the PA at the ortho clinic both agreed with my sister that it was sciatica, probable impingement from a herniated disc (I think that's what they said). Have had to change painkillers and am trying PT before resorting to surgical options.

I feel for you. I've had worse pains but I got over them. This crap every day all day is life-changing.

[Bailey Guns]

Should have had it addressed sooner, sometimes speed of being addressed will affect long term recovery.

Excellent advice there. I hurt my back out at Buckley ANGB way back in the Desert Storm days. I went to the clinic the day of the injury, got the basic "take two of these and call me in the morning" exam/diagnosis, and just learned to live with the occasional discomfort I started having. 15 years later occasional had turned to chronic. "Well, I'm just getting older", I told myself. By 2017 I couldn't walk more than a few minutes without excruciating pain. The stenosis in my lower back is now so bad that it causes all kinds of nerve problems in my legs and elsewhere. I have persistent issues with falling because I'll take a step and one of my legs will go numb...like it's not even there. The entire front side of my left thigh oftentimes starts to feel like it's got an extremely cold ice pack on my bare skin...even though it feels normal to the touch the sensation in my brain is that my thigh is freezing cold.

Do yourself a favor and have it checked out sooner rather than later.

[ray1970]

Like some of you, I have been dealing with lower back issues for a while. (Herniated disc) Everything was fine and dandy until I pushed off with my leg on a steep, uphill incline and got a sudden pain in my calf. I?m fairly certain I strained or tore something in my lower leg and the foot numbness/tingling/burning started immediately afterwards. I could be totally wrong, but I?m certain tweaking something in my lower leg started this mess and it isn?t something going on with my lower back.

I have things to get done at work today and tomorrow and then I?ll reevaluate the situation.

[VDW]

I?m coming out of my self imposed break to offer some hard learned advice on this subject. For those of you who have no prior experience with spinal injuries, make sure you get an MRI. CTs and X-RAYs don?t show soft tissue (disc and spinal cord) damage. Sometimes you have to insist on it, against the resistance of the all knowing, all caring doctors. Once you have that information, I would highly recommend a good chiropractor (assuming you don?t have spinal cord damage) and/or epidural injections of steroids before considering surgery. That being said, sometimes surgery is necessary, but don?t expect a cure all. I have a lot of long term damage from multiple spine surgeries. Surgery is also dangerous and may cause other issues and/or death.

Bailey, you need an MRI and most likely surgery. Complete loss of feeling indicates an impinged spinal cord which could lead to permanent nerve damage and/or paralysis.

Feel free to PM me for more life lessons on this subject, and I?ll be happy to share what I?ve learned the hard way.

[VDW]

Ray1970, you need to call a doctor. It sounds like a reasonable possibility of a blood clot, but a doctor would be the one to tell. If it is and breaks loose, there won?t be anything anyone can do before it?s all over.

This is also one of those things I learned about the hard way as a result of spinal surgery. 🙄

[Bailey Guns]

Bailey, you need an MRI and most likely surgery. Complete loss of feeling indicates an impinged spinal cord which could lead to permanent nerve damage and/or paralysis.

Feel free to PM me for more life lessons on this subject, and I?ll be happy to share what I?ve learned the hard way.

Sent you a note. I've had 6 or 7 MRIs since 2015 and I've seen two neuro guys, the last within the past 8 months. I have options, it's just none of them are particularly appealing.

[Aloha_Shooter]

Like some of you, I have been dealing with lower back issues for a while. (Herniated disc) Everything was fine and dandy until I pushed off with my leg on a steep, uphill incline and got a sudden pain in my calf. I?m fairly certain I strained or tore something in my lower leg and the foot numbness/tingling/burning started immediately afterwards. I could be totally wrong, but I?m certain tweaking something in my lower leg started this mess and it isn?t something going on with my lower back.

I have things to get done at work today and tomorrow and then I?ll reevaluate the situation.

Ray, get it looked at. My pain has primarily been in the calf but when I described it, my sister (correctly) diagnosed it immediately as sciatica and X-rays and an MRI confirmed impingement on 2 of my discs. I just started physical therapy and am scheduled for a shot this week. Pushing off with your leg on the incline may have just been the last straw for your herniated disc to act up.

[ray1970]

Thanks. I actually spent hours on the phone today trying to get someone to look at me but didn?t have any luck. Called several places that weren?t seeing new patients, got stuck on hold in the automated system at a couple of places until I finally just decided to hang up. Had one place say they could get me in in a couple of weeks. I told them I?d just keep calling around because I?d likely be better by then or dead.