I'm a 46 year old single woman, active and usually in good health. About a month ago I started getting a numbing pain in my coccyx and right buttock (like a nerve being pinched) to date the pain has got worse and I cannot sit for long periods and sleeping on my side hurts my right hip. I get pain in my lower pelvic area and sharp stabs of pain in and around my anus and vagina. And have bad lower back ache as well. I also have a large lump in my right groin which causes a slight dull ache in my upper thigh. It is very unpleasant and I don't want to take too many painpills etc either. I also developed a fever about a week ago out of the blue but this seems to have passed. Is this all connected somehow? I really need to sleep and with this pain interfering in my work its making me stress. I do not have a medical aid or large amounts of cash, and not keen to go to our local government hospitals as they are not clean and poorly run. I just want a idea what could be wrong and what the next step forward to easing up all these aches and pains will be.
Please help.
Tinks
Johannesburg / South Africa

You MUST get that lump looked at! That really is the first thing to consider as the source of all the pain, although that could be an indication of something else, especially if it is a swollen lymph node (lymph fights infection). But it could be a cyst or hernia, easily repairable. Serious or not serious, no one online can possibly predict. Getting it looked at costs little and you can make your next decision after that!