I am 22 years old. On a trip two months ago, I began experiencing a very tight feeling in my lower back that later progressed to cold sensations, pain, and an overwhelming pressure. I experienced spotting at the same time, which is unusual for me. The pain would sometimes travel down my left thigh, leading a doctor to diagnose me with sciatica. I began taking a NSAID (meloxicam) for the pain. I took meloxicam for about a three weeks, and the pain seemed to be gone. At that point, I decided to stop taking meloxicam because I was planning to begin taking norethindrone as a contraceptive.
Well, I only ended up taking one minipill, because I got nervous about the side effects. A few days later I had some moderate bleeding for three days. I imagine it was breakthrough bleeding from the pill. Then I started experiencing a really tight feeling in my calf. At first I thought it was just paranoia about blood clots, so I brushed it off. But the feeling was persistent, so I started thinking that maybe it was the sciatica acting up again, and went back on the meloxicam.
The calf tightness was persistent and it has since started hurting. I am also getting pain in my foot and thigh every once in awhile, along with some fluttery sensations. I also have cold sensations, similar to what I had in my back. I am worried because I have also started experiencing episodes of tunnel vision, dizziness, head pressure, chest pain, difficulty speaking, and disorientation. Whenever I do light exercise lately, my heart seems to be racing. A friend thinks that these are panic attacks.
Today, I had difficulty standing on the leg. I have not noticed any swelling in the leg, but every once in awhile there is a patch of skin that looks inflamed, but then it returns to normal over a few minutes. There is also a vein on my calf that looks very dark to me.
Is it possible that this is still sciatica and I am also having panic attacks? I have not scheduled a doctor appointment because I can never seem to get an appointment for three weeks and it is discouraging.