23 year old female and living with chronic back pain, advice welcome
Ever since an ovarian cyst burst last July, I’ve had chronic pain in my lower left back that never fully goes away. My GP mentioned possible nerve damage at the time, but the pain has continued ever since and affects my daily life significantly.
I can’t lift things anymore, even with proper technique, because it hurts too much. Standing for long periods is difficult and I subconsciously shift all my weight onto my right leg because my left lower back hurts and my left leg often goes numb. Sitting in cars is also a major trigger, 40 minutes in the car now feels like what 3 hours used to feel like. I live rurally so this isn’t ideal.
The pain is always there but gets worse by the end of the day. When it flares badly, it starts in my lower left back, radiates through my left glute and all the way down to my toes, my leg tingles and goes numb. At the same time, I can also get aching and sharp pains up the left side of my body, into my shoulder, collarbone, elbow, fingers, neck, and even behind my ear/scalp.
It’s also exhausting. I constantly feel drained from being in pain all the time. Pain relief doesn’t really help, so I mostly just use Deep Heat on bad nights. The only position that’s consistently comfortable is lying flat on my back.
I feel ridiculous because I am so young, and this kind of back pain just shouldn’t be happening. I have shame around this, like it’s ’not real’ because I’m only 23, so I mostly keep it to myself, and just get through the day to day. I’m terrified of not being taken seriously.
Has anyone experienced anything similar after a cyst rupture or with chronic nerve related back pain? What is likely my next step, healthcare wise here?