Posible sciatica. Please help

[Tommy Gunn]

6 months ago I was doing deadlifts and I felt a pain in my lower back. A week or two later I had a pain in my left testicle. I went to the doc and she said it may be a hernia. I went to the hernia doc and he said I didn't have a hernia in my testicle but I had an umbilical hernia. I had it repaired in April. But even after the operation I STILL had pain in my left testicle. So I than went to a urologist. They did an ultrasound on me. He found a small vasercol (sp?) vein on my testicle but said that wouldn't be causing the pain there. He said I could have the vein removed but I never did.

A month after that the pain went away. I had a torn pec repaired in May and have not touched a weight since than. 3 months later and now the pain in my testicle is back. Now, not only do I have pain in my testicle area but also feel it in my hip, lower back, and even in my knee and down to my foot. Yeah, my foot! It's starting to be a pain and it's been harder and harder to sleep. Between this and my torn pec surgery recovery I'm having a nervous breakdown.

My friend suggested that when I hurt myself doing those heavy deadlifts 6 months ago I probably damaged something and that it might be sciatica. I have an appointment to see a back doc Sept. 28. Here are some questions I have:

1) Are there any tests they can do to see if I have sciatica or any other problems that may be related to this?

2) Let's say this is sciatica, what would I need to do? Take meds? Take a shot? See a chiro? Do PT? Get surgery?

3) Let's say worse case scenario...I need surgery. How long would I have to be out of work for? I really can't afford to be out of work for that long. How long would I be out for?

4) Again worse case scenario...I need surgery. How long would I have to be out of the gym for?

Thanks in advance.

[Doc.Sust]

sciatica doesnt present with pain in the balls, but radiating pain the leg to the foot is sciatic like symptoms.

[Doc.Sust]

did you telll your ortho doc about this?

[Tommy Gunn]

I didn't tell my pec surgeon about this yet. I have an appt with him Weds. regarding my pec so I'll mention it to him than. I saw my primary doctor today. She evaluated me and said that my one hip feels way off and said that a chiro should be able to readjust me. She also suggested it may just be arthritis in my back. She gave me steps to take with this:

1. Get an X-ray of my back
2. If the X ray is normal than go to a chiro for 4 weeks (2x a week) (if the Xray is unusual she will than send me for an MRI)
3. If after 4 weeks at the chiro (provided the X ray was normal) I'm still hurting than she will send me for an MRI.
4. Than she will send me to a neuro back surgeon to look over the MRI, NOT an ortho back surgeon

I told her I wanted an MRI BEFORE I went and saw the chiro. She said no and she wouldnt write for the MRI until after I go to the chiro for 4 weeks. I'll get the Xray taken today and wait for the results but I'm gonna go see the ortho back doc Sept 28 and see what he has to say.

Could my hip being out of place be why I'm having this pain? Would a chiro put it back in place? Would that take my pain away? Could it be possible arthritis?

[Tommy Gunn]

I had an Xray taken today (laying down NOT upright). I had xrays taken of my back and left hip. The Xray tech told me that my spine looks fine but my hip seemed to have some impingement. The tech told me not to tell my doc that she went over the xrays with me because she can get in trouble. They gave me copies of my xrays.

My primary doc called me. She said the xray was negative and I should go see the chiro. She said in 2 weeks of seeing the chiro if I don't feel better she will write for the MRI and than I would go see the back doc to go over the MRI results.

I'm just gonna wait until I see the ortho back doc Sept. 28. I'll show him the xrays and the x ray report and see what he has to say.