Expert: Ronald Levy, M.D. - 6/3/2008

Question
after the birth of my daughter in june 06 i started having excruciating pain on the right side directly next to my spine. it feels like it is burning.  i feel like i need to stretch out the pain. i can't sleep until it goes away. the past few weeks it has become worse and is coming more frequently. i went to the er and they gave me pain medication, which helped, but no answers. please help.

Answer
Obviously without examining you it would be impossible to give too much advice  here but I definitely think you need to see a pain specialist. I am sure there is an anesthesia pain specialist in your area. If the pain you have is a burning sensation, that might be indicative of Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD) which is a chronic pain condition and is treatable if treated early. Taking pain meds may feel better but justs masks the underlying problem.

Ronald Levy, MD
Associate Professor of Anesthesiology
UTMB-Galveston