Localized Numbness

DirtyDirtyVagrant

I don't have health insurance, so you guys are pretty much my best bet.

I've had pain in my back (Sort of right above where my hip connects to my pelvis. The upper part of my ass), and localized numbness in only a hand-sized portion of my upper left thigh.

I've checked a few possibilities myself. The most alarming was Diabetic Neuropathy, the least, a pinched nerve.

The DN is out, I think. Mostly because I'm told that it onsets invariably with numbness in the toes or fingers.

The numbness does not seem to be because of any kind of circulatory issue. The area is warm, and the skin blanches. I have complete muscular control and it seems to not be getting either better or worse. It's not that it's painful or debilitating. It's just kind of annoying.

And the pain in my back. I work as a dishwasher and a fry-cook in a bar and grill right now. The appliances and the sinks are kind of low for me at 6',3", so I bend over a lot. Suggestions on how to alleviate or prevent further pain and damage?

Ruthven

It's may be cancer. Get health insurance and then get it checked.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

It's not cancer. Shit.

Ruthven

It probably is, but it's treatable if you have insurance. My advice is get insurance and then ask a doctor. If you don't you'll probably die.

Thanatos

Unless someone says "I've been handling radioactive waste for the past ten years, and have strange growths," calling something "probably cancer" from the internet is retarded.

Even if it is cancer, getting insurance at this point probably won't help, because it's going to be a pre-existing condition. You should see a doctor anyway (look for a clinic or a doctor willing to work on a sliding scale) and see about getting financial aid from whatever state you're in (I'm assuming you're in the U.S., since you have the internet but no government health insurance).

Feral

Sounds like a pinched nerve, or nerve damage.

You need to get this looked at. It could be nothing, or it could be a spinal problem like a herniated disc, which can get worse over time.

Try to get some health insurance, even if it's just "catastrophic" insurance, before you go to a doctor. That way you won't get hit with a pre-existing condition.

In the meantime, buy a lower back brace from a drug store and wear it when you're at work. Start kneeling instead of bending over, if you can (remember: lift with your legs, not with your back!) and take some ibuprofen if the pain in your back gets bad.

FyreWulff

You should be able to get cheap insurance from your local social services.

dispatch.o

Inflamed disc pressing on a nerve. Take some ibuprofen to reduce the swelling and try and lay flat and stretch a bit. Also, learn proper lifting technique so you save your spine from serious injury.


edit: I say this because if it were herniated or a slip-disc you would be in so much pain you wouldn't "wonder" about it at all. There is a possibility of fusion, and some conditions such as ankylosing spondylitis start in the base of the back by fusing the small spaces of the pelvis together, then move up slowly fusing the spine and numbing some nerves causing pain while they fuse, then numbness once it's done.

YodaTuna

Lower back? Most likely a pinched nerve.

witch_ie

Sometimes, tingling or numbness can be caused by a vitamin B deficiency, so you might try taking some suppliements for that. If it's something that persists though, you shoudl probably go see a doctor.

DirtyDirtyVagrant

I'm pretty sure the pain in my lower back is muscular. You see, I'm always kind of hunched over these sinks at my job.

I'll see about a back brace, too. Although I do practice proper lifting technique. People actually give me shit about it.

Thanks, too. I'll check on social services type things.

Edit: I take a multivitamin.

Malkor

DirtyDirtyVagrant wrote: »

I'm pretty sure the pain in my lower back is muscular. You see, I'm always kind of hunched over these sinks at my job.

I'll see about a back brace, too. Although I do practice proper lifting technique. People actually give me shit about it.

Thanks, too. I'll check on social services type things.

Edit: I take a multivitamin.

Other than the numbness(!), I've had lower back pain like you describe. It turns out that when I worked out, I completely ignored my back because hell, what the fuck muscles are in a back? Turns our they are important though. Streching the right way and doing back excercises helped me a ton.