Health Organization for Pudendal Education

Hello and Merry Christmas all,

It's been a while since I posted. I have a lot of posts to read and catch up on info. I have a couple of questions and then a comment below.

I'm wondering if anyone has been misdiagnosed as having pudendal and it turned out to be something else such as a compressed nerve elsewhere in the pelvis which mimics PN pain? All along I've believed I have PN but, after reading my medical records again today, I think I may have a compressed dorsal nerve root.

My hysterectomy was very long and I know I wasn't repositioned during the surgery to avoid circulation problems or nerve compression. My doc confirmed this. I think this may be good news because if this is the case I may have a better results if decompression surgery is possible.

I have heard of a misdiagnosis which turned out to be a nerve in the inguinal canal. Those nerves enervate many of the same genital areas but I believe not the anal area. The great thing about finding out it's one of those nerves instead, is those can be cut or otherwise deadened without loss of bladder or bowel control.

That's great to know. Do you know

HerMajesty wrote:I have heard of a misdiagnosis which turned out to be a nerve in the inguinal canal.

Hello Majesty,
I'm wondering if a dorsal nerve happens to be in the group you're referring to. Asking about bladder or blowel control is a huge question to ask. How does one know if this nerve is easier to access and operate on than a pudendal nerve?

Thanks
Ms. Rivers

The nerves I am familiar with in the inguinal canal are ilioinguinal, hypogastric, and genitofemoral. I am not familiar with the nerve you mentioned but if another patient does not know, a neurologist will. Or you might be able to research it online. Some nerves are just sensory and some are sensory and motor...the sensory nerves can be done away with, without serious consequence.

Ms. Rivers, when you say the dorsal nerve are you talking about the dorsal nerve of the clitoris? That is a branch of the pudendal nerve.

Well, I'm not sure if it's the clitoris. Is the clitoris the only area to locate this nerve root?

My pain is so near my tailbone. I was in surgery for a very long time without being repositioned, in stirrups. I feel the nerves near my tailbone were compressed by my own weight and stirrups. Would the pudendal nerve still be involved?

My symptoms involve sciatica, tingling in toe, sharp shooting pins and needles in feet, pain sitting, muscle spasms, some toe numbness, pain in buttock. I read that this could be dorsal nerve root compression. The symptoms mimic pudendal, OR is this the same nerve limb (for lack of better term), which branches out to the pudendal branches???

I apologize for my lack of medical knowledge. This is all so confusing and I'm still learning and a work in progress.

A very confused MsRivers (help!)

Well, I'm not sure if it's the clitoris. Is the clitoris the only area to locate this nerve root?

My pain is so near my tailbone. I was in surgery for a very long time without being repositioned, in stirrups. I feel the nerves near my tailbone were compressed by my own weight and stirrups. Would the pudendal nerve still be involved?

My symptoms involve sciatica, tingling in toe, sharp shooting pins and needles in feet, pain sitting, muscle spasms, some toe numbness, pain in buttock. I read that this could be dorsal nerve root compression. The symptoms mimic pudendal, OR is this the same nerve limb (for lack of better term), which branches out to the pudendal branches???

I apologize for my lack of medical knowledge. This is all so confusing and I'm still learning and a work in progress.

A very confused MsRivers (help!)

that does not sound like the dorsal nerve to the clitoris to me. perhaps a rectal branch of the pudendal nerve or could be coccyx or sacral roots. dorsal nerve is on l and r of clitoris and also at it's lowest point paralell to bottom of vagina. inguinal issues would also most likely cause labial pain more than rectal or near coccyx i believe.

Hi Pianogal,

Yes! The coccyx and sacral area is now what I am trying to research. I broke my tailbone when I was 13 and I feel it may have become compressed during a 5 hour long surgery. I wasn't repositioned during surgery. I didn't begin experiencing pain until 3 months after the surgery. I did have bladder hesitancy and problems emptying my bladder while in the hospital. I began experiencing neurological symptoms while home on leave, then after returning to work 3months later, I began having sitting pain. The docs say I don't present like a classic pn patient.

I need to find a good neuro who accepts self-paying patients and have them look at my records again. Can you believe I called a neuro and they wouldn't accept me as a patient because I'm self paying! They are literlly saying "we don't want your money" only if it comes from an insurance company. This is crazy!

MS Rivers

See my posts under Tarlov Cysts, your symptoms sound a lot like that could be the root cause,
Best of luck.
Joy