Leg pain - My mum thinks a&e and i don't

[TheOriginalNutcracker]

Ive had it for roughly 2 weeks now. It starts off in my ankle bone, and travels up the right side of my right leg, and it is agony. It is like someone is crushing my leg, and it makes it feel weak and like it will give way if I walk on it.

Painklillers are not quite getting rid of the pain, and aren't lasting the full time between doses.

I know i should have been to the gp, but I just haven't had chance yet. My plan is to go tomorrow, but i probably won;t get in until the evening.

My mum thinks I should go to a&e incase it is a DVT. I don't think it is, and don't want to waste anyones time. She said if i go to the gp on monday night, they will probably want my leg scanning or x-raying anyway, which would mean going on tuesday, and I start my new job that day.

WWYD ?

Phone NHS direct...

if it is crushing agony then im with your mum on this one. get yourself off to a&e please.

I had a clot but the pain was in my calf, it had swollen up as well, I would say it doesn't sound like DVT if its coming from your ankle, but I'm not a medic .

It's only crushing when i don;t take the painkillers.

There is no swelling, hot and cold areas or anything else suggestive of a dvt.

It actually feels like it is the bone that hurts, if that makes any sense.

Pah, i feel like i'd be wasting their time. Urgh, why do these things always happen at inconvienient times lol

Oh NHS direct (online) said see gp.

I would say ring NHS Direct or your emergency doctors. If you've had it for two weeks it's probably not likely to kill you before tomorrow morning! And waiting hours in A&E to find out you could have just nipped to the GP tomorrow would be a pain. Also it doesn't sound like a clot, has it swollen? Does it feel warm when you touch it? I would guess at some kind of injury rather than a clot but I'm not a doctor.

Oh sorry OP, cross-posted :)

I'm surprised that NHSdirect said GP - their default position seems to be A&E no matter how inappropriate. I also think GP tmrw will be fine.

I had a painful swelling at the back of a knee, but GP went through the lists of symptoms - swelling, yes, painful, yes, hot , yes, RED, NO. So said it wasn't a thrombosis.

I don't know what it can be, but pain for 2 weeks must be investigated.
Good luck

Sounds horrid. GP tomorrow. Could it be a stress fracture/fracture do you think? Have you done anything that you can think of that has caused the pain? I had shin splints after suddenly going on a 4 mile walk with no build up to it and being quite unfit. It was really really painful and took a few months to settle down. New shoes? Higher/different heels?

I can't think of a single thing that I have done to it so it's a complete mystery. I would quite happily chop my leg off if someone offered me an axe lol.

It's v puzzling when you can't think of anything that might have set it off. Definitely needs checking out. It sounds horribly painful. Poor you. Hope your GP can cast some light on it. If it gets any worse though before tomorrow you might want to follow your Mum's advice and see someone before. Good luck.

Hi,

If you're ever unsure where to go, ring NHS Direct on 0845 46 47.

Instead of going to A&E, why not visit your nearest walk-in centre where queues are likely to be quicker.

Sounds like referred pain from your back travelling down the nerve in your leg. Notoriously painful. Have you tried ibuprofen? Is there a position that eases it at all? Do you have any back pain?

No back pain at all no.

Saw the G.P today and he checked my back, looked at my leg and was a bit puzzled. He is however concerned that the pain is slightly worse at night, and so has referred me for an x-ray and blood test to rule out bone cancer. He said it is highly unlikely, as not all of my symptoms fit, but he would rather rule it out. So, blood test next Mon, and x-ray when they send for me.

He has given me co-codamol which is helping, but not totally getting rid of the pain.

Not sure if I should be worried or not now. I start my new job tomorrow, so i'm just going to dose myself up and get on with it as best I can.

Meant to add, that ibuprofen helps a lot more than paracetamol, and the gp said i can take those aswell.