 Posted 28/03/2012 15:57:24
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| Have any members had the experience of having very severe pain( considered to be rib and vertebral compression fractures) but chest and spinal xrays show no eveidence of fractures? I was diagnosed with borderline bone density in 2008,after being sent for dexa scan due to having multiple risk factors - M.E ; 2 yrs oral steroids;crutches and wheelchair due to Meningitis damage in 2008; gluten and dairy intolerences;pseudo menopause due to treatment for gyn condition. I had a horrific 3 monthrom Jan.Ist a chest infection,pleurisy which left me with an uncontrollable cough.On 5 separate times.I coughed and heard huge cracks and pops from ribs ,folllowe by excruciating pain,like being stabbed every time I took a breathe in and out.Rib fractures where initially suggested,but out of hours Dr didnt send me for Xray.This went on for 2 weeks, with pain and breathlessness getting worse and worse taking 8 pethidene,8 paracetamol and 900mg gabapentin a day,until I ended up in hospital with a suspected clot in lung.They x rayed my chest and did venous xray but didnt look at spine.When chest xray results came back,Dr said it was clear so the pain was muscular and inflammation.They did say that because I am unable to take NSAI s it would take longer to heal and it would be very painful for 10-12 weeks.I was sent home from hospital after 4 days,in total agony and was almost completely bedbound for 6 weeks ,when Gp decided she should send me for spinal Xray -this has now come back clear also.  While I am relieved that my spine is not crmbling with a cough,Im confused at the extent of the pain,and wonder if it is possible that fractures can be missed?I asked 3 radiographers and all said that it is possible,and that any imaging procedure result is only as good as the person who interprets it.
Sorry to give such a long winded story -I have posted some oif it already,but thought better expalin full stoy,for those that may just be browsing forum. I am now, 12 weeks on almost pain free.At week 10 the pain very suddenly seemed to ease and I no longer am on any strong pain relief.My Gp however ,has said that given no fractures there is no need for any preventative treatment and I have just to await my dexa scan -there is a 25 wk waitlist,so it will be August at earliest.I have the option of paying for one which I could get next week,but am not sure if timing matters now?My Gp had said an emergency dexa scan would be arranged if fractures present and treatment would be started immediately if that was case. My gut feeling is that I had fractures,but it seems Drs go completely on the xray results.Do I worry any more and push for a quicker scan ?Gpmsaid that if,they had been missed any fractures would show as a hot spot on dexa scan? Many thnaksd for taking time to read this.Best wishes to you all.Gillian
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Posted 28/03/2012 16:53:54
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| Gillian, Sound like fractures to me! The thing with compression fractures of the spine is that they can collapse very slowly as has happened to me on several occassions. X rays taken at one hospital - diagnosis NO fractures . X rays at another hospital 3 weeks later showed totally collapsed vertebrae (same painas 3 weeks previously). So although the pain is there from the moment it starts to collapse, it may not show up immediately. Also I know all about the stabbing pain, both in my back and ribs - horrible. Time is a healer but while it lasts it's a killer. You have really suffered and I totally sympathise with you. Good Luck
figan
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Posted 28/03/2012 16:59:34
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Gillian
You feel you broke something - and from your description you probably did. X rays can be read incorectly, I fractured my kneecap and the Xray alledgedly said 'No Break' but 3 months later, after me nagging and nagging, the same xray revealed a fracture of the patella.
I would push for an MRI scan, I thought DEXA scans were just for bone density? I must be wrong
But from the pain you have had you must feel utterly demoralised, and I beleive that your GP should support you discover what is wrong.
Sarah
Tscore Lumbar spine -3.3, Femoral neck -2.6, Hip -2.2
Alkali diet (+ no caffeine/sugar/salt/rhubarb/spinach) and exercise and supplements of Vit D (2,000IUs daily), Vit K2 as MK7, vit K2 Menatetrenone, Cod liver oil.
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Posted 29/03/2012 13:20:29
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| Hello Figan, Many thanks for your reply-I reckon people who have experienced are better placed to advise and I certainly feel in my "gut" that I have had fractures.It is just so frustrating that medical professionals seem to take very test,x ray or procedure as totally correct -they are surely only as reliable as the person who interprets them,and as you and Sarah have suggested mistakes can be made. I asked a question on helpline and nurses have answered,so it may be worth a look especially about dxa scans -I didnt realise they only did the bottom 4 in lumber area?They have clarified my query about missed fractures showing up as "hotspots"(what my gp said) so it does appear that if you have had a fracture (but only if in area scanned) it would show up as an area of denser bone,presumably because repair going on.I am going to phone helpline for more info as am still a little unsure as to how to go forward. once again,thanks for your support.I am so glad I came across this site.
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Posted 29/03/2012 13:24:39
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| It's not unknown for radiographers not to notice fractures. After a non-OP related accident 2 separate radiographers both missed a fracture till I queried why there was a detached lump of bone. Also they tend to ignore anything more than a few days old, calling it an 'old' fracture and dismissing it as irrelevant.
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Posted 16/04/2012 20:50:44
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Hi Gillian
Ask your doctor for an MRI Scan. This can pick up fractures that x rays or people cannot see. Last year I sustained an injury to my knee, I knew I had broken my leg but x ray ok. I was told to go home as I had only bruised my leg. I refused to leave the A and E dept untill I had a scan. I. Was given one which showed a tibial plateau fracture and a femoral condyle fracture. You have to be very pushy to get the investigations that you obviously need.
Best wishes
Gina
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Posted 28/04/2012 21:51:55
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Hi Gillian
Like the others already said, I am also pretty sure that you have had fractures. I am still recovering from 6 of them which started end of November, one after the other and that pain is something else. I know the stabbing pain that almost stops you from breathing. I was lucky that I got an MRI when I had 4 fractures and I know there were 2 more after that. Sneezing, coughing or the slightest wrong movement can bring it on - some years ago I was stretching whilst lying in bed and heard an almighty crack. A good ways to check is to see if you have lost any hight - I have lost 10.5 cm.
If I was you, I would insist on an MRI and DEXA, after all, that is what our NI contributions have paid for. So, take what is yours and don't let them fobb you off with feeble excuses for incompetence.
However, a word of warning - they may end up putting you on all kinds of drugs, which you MUST research fully first. There is a lot of info here and on the US Inspire Forum which is dreadfully frightening about what some of the drugs have done to unsuspecting OP sufferers.
I am now starting to be able to do some things again and am doing a lot of walking - ok, I do have to rest a lot in between, but I am certainly getting stronger, which has helped a lot with my mental state as well. I never suffered from depression, but I was in such a bad place which is now history.
Good Luck and stay on the case - remember the Medics are NOT gods and many of them do not know a lot about OP.
Regards
Sieglinde
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