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What Causes Lower Stomach Pain And Lower Back Pain?
Question: Dr. Kakkar,
This is actually the followup to the question I asked a couple of weeks ago.
Added to the symptoms I have mentioned last time, there are now something different going on as well.
Last Thursday, she told me she had lower stomach pain & lower back pain (especially on the right side) which the uncomfortable feeling reaching to her right calf. This is something similar to what I often felt when there may be an outbreak (not necessarily 100% of the time), so I immediately gave her 2 Valtrex tablets.
Friday afternoon, she had substantial pain under her right scapula, lower stomach pain which resembles the pain that comes with mentstration, as well as lower back pain. By the evening, the pain was almost all gone. But menstration didn't come. I gave her Valtrex just in case.
Sunday afternoon, her menstration began. Nothing out of the norm.
Tuesday (yesterday) afternoon, she felt a cold like symptoms (throat pain, etc) . But by the evening the symptoms were gone (same symptoms as when she had canker sores a couple weeks ago), BUT now she started to feel tingling all over her lips. Her lips are beginning to chap. This is not the first time she felt this, she had them time to time last year, towards the end of summer to early winter. When she went to see the doctor last year, the doctor visually cnecked her lips and diagnosed "fixed drup eruption", for she is taking lots of medicines (to make her sleep at night, she's taking 4 different types of sleeping & anti-depressant medicine). Added to that, she is also taking medicine for her asthma, and also Valtrex that I am giving her.
From last Thursday (2 Valtrexs), up until yesterday, she's been taking 1 Valtrex everyday. That's 6 days straight.
Her lower back pain + uncomfortableness reaching to her right calf was present yesterday as well.The last time I had sex (protected peno-vaginal, unprotected oral) was on Aug 28. It's been almost 2 weeks.Do you think after giving her Valtrex for 5 consecutive days prior to her symptoms she felt yesterday, she can still have an outbreak?
Or is it possible that the Valtrex is the culprit of her "fixed drug eruption"?
Do you think I better stop giving her Valtrex anymore?
I am starting to panic again...
Do you think this is herpes related, or it's another case of fixed drug eruption like her doctor diagnosed last year?
This is actually the followup to the question I asked a couple of weeks ago.
Added to the symptoms I have mentioned last time, there are now something different going on as well.
Last Thursday, she told me she had lower stomach pain & lower back pain (especially on the right side) which the uncomfortable feeling reaching to her right calf. This is something similar to what I often felt when there may be an outbreak (not necessarily 100% of the time), so I immediately gave her 2 Valtrex tablets.
Friday afternoon, she had substantial pain under her right scapula, lower stomach pain which resembles the pain that comes with mentstration, as well as lower back pain. By the evening, the pain was almost all gone. But menstration didn't come. I gave her Valtrex just in case.
Sunday afternoon, her menstration began. Nothing out of the norm.
Tuesday (yesterday) afternoon, she felt a cold like symptoms (throat pain, etc) . But by the evening the symptoms were gone (same symptoms as when she had canker sores a couple weeks ago), BUT now she started to feel tingling all over her lips. Her lips are beginning to chap. This is not the first time she felt this, she had them time to time last year, towards the end of summer to early winter. When she went to see the doctor last year, the doctor visually cnecked her lips and diagnosed "fixed drup eruption", for she is taking lots of medicines (to make her sleep at night, she's taking 4 different types of sleeping & anti-depressant medicine). Added to that, she is also taking medicine for her asthma, and also Valtrex that I am giving her.
From last Thursday (2 Valtrexs), up until yesterday, she's been taking 1 Valtrex everyday. That's 6 days straight.
Her lower back pain + uncomfortableness reaching to her right calf was present yesterday as well.The last time I had sex (protected peno-vaginal, unprotected oral) was on Aug 28. It's been almost 2 weeks.Do you think after giving her Valtrex for 5 consecutive days prior to her symptoms she felt yesterday, she can still have an outbreak?
Or is it possible that the Valtrex is the culprit of her "fixed drug eruption"?
Do you think I better stop giving her Valtrex anymore?
I am starting to panic again...
Do you think this is herpes related, or it's another case of fixed drug eruption like her doctor diagnosed last year?
Brief Answer:
Herpes Genitalis
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
The lower back pain radiating down to calf is suggestive of sciatica and it is definitely not a symptoms of herpes. This is more of a sciatica like pain.
The lower abdominal pain may be related to her periods (dysmenorrhea).
FDE or Fixed Drug Eruption is clinically characterized by erythematous patches and sometimes blistering as well. The patches are fixed in location i.e every time they would appear at the same place whenever a person takes the culprit drug. They leave behind post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation which can take months to fade. FDE on lips usually involves a part or whole of lip/oral mucosa and there is not just chapping but rather erythema, ulceration and necrosis. Therefore the patient is in obvious discomfort. If she has had a previous episodes of FDE to some drug out of those she was taking then that drug must have been stopped there and then. It is necessary to identify the culprit drug and never take it again. It is not possible for a patient of FDE to continue to take the culprit drug.
Therefore I feel the chapping is not due to FDE. Chapping can be a part of canker sores. There is nothing to worry about that and what she can do is just increase her water intake and use lip balm for a few days.
Valtrex is actually not indicated for her based on the symptoms she has, which are absolutely not herpetic in origin. It should be stopped
Regards
Herpes Genitalis
Detailed Answer:
Hi.
The lower back pain radiating down to calf is suggestive of sciatica and it is definitely not a symptoms of herpes. This is more of a sciatica like pain.
The lower abdominal pain may be related to her periods (dysmenorrhea).
FDE or Fixed Drug Eruption is clinically characterized by erythematous patches and sometimes blistering as well. The patches are fixed in location i.e every time they would appear at the same place whenever a person takes the culprit drug. They leave behind post-inflammatory hyperpigmentation which can take months to fade. FDE on lips usually involves a part or whole of lip/oral mucosa and there is not just chapping but rather erythema, ulceration and necrosis. Therefore the patient is in obvious discomfort. If she has had a previous episodes of FDE to some drug out of those she was taking then that drug must have been stopped there and then. It is necessary to identify the culprit drug and never take it again. It is not possible for a patient of FDE to continue to take the culprit drug.
Therefore I feel the chapping is not due to FDE. Chapping can be a part of canker sores. There is nothing to worry about that and what she can do is just increase her water intake and use lip balm for a few days.
Valtrex is actually not indicated for her based on the symptoms she has, which are absolutely not herpetic in origin. It should be stopped
Regards
Note: Hope the answers resolves your concerns, however for further guidance of skin related queries consult our Dermatologist.Click here to book a consultation
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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