I have suffered from unbearable pelvic, lower back and left hip pain for thirteen years, subsequent to a traumatic childbirth in which I sustained a fourth degree tear and a severe injury to the sacroiliac joint.
I have been through a number of bogus diagnoses and at least an equal number of interventions to try to gain relief from pain and restore some quality of life. The last year and a half has been invested in prolotherapy injections, which seemed to be helping for awhile, but I have had a severe relapse in the last few months.
My symptoms include relentless muscle spasm of the pelvic floor, left piriformis, left psoas and quadratus lumborum muscles; hypermobile left SI joint, hypomobile right SI joint; unexplained vaginal bleeding; and severe dysmotility issues.
I have been to Mayo Clinic, where I was underwhelmed by their pelvic pain expertise. I have consulted James Carter, M.D. in Mission Viejo, who is active on OBGYN.net -- for a gynecologist he has good breadth of knowledge of pelvic pain issues, but not a lot of depth of knowledge or the cross-disciplinary experience to deal with a complex issue of the sacral plexus.
Can anyone suggest a diagnostic center of excellence or a physician, be it a surgeon, an OB/GYN, a physiatrist, a gastroenterologist or some speciality I haven't yet considered who has the ability and the interest to discover what is going on with my body? My physical therapists and my pain neurologist are suggesting that it's time for me to have a morphine pump implanted, but I am loathe to take that step until I know exactly what is wrong with me, a question that has never been satisfactorily answered.
I have had four MRI's, most recently a pelvic and lumbar. They always come back completely clean except that this time Tarlov Cysts were noted at S2-3 on both sides. The radiologist who read the report claims that these cysts cannot be creating problems like what I am experiencing. I have researched the cysts and there are people who believe these cysts do indeed cause symptoms like mine, however I have never heard of anyone with cysts as small as mine being an issue. Therefore, I continue to seek input.
I did have surgery for endometriosis many years ago. A laparoscopy shortly after my symptoms began yielded no strong suggestion of a recurrence, although I have always wondered whether there might be any possibility of endometriosis or adhesions between the colon and the psoas muscle on the left side, given the constant spasm of that muscle.
I would appreciate any guidance anyone could offer.
I live in southern California but would travel anywhere if I had reason to believe there was someone who could help me.
Thanks,
-- mm