Seriously??? Seriously???

I have a week between my last physical therapy appointment and my next one tomorrow, and my goal was to walk with my cane as much as possible. I know the more I walk with it the better I will get.

The first couple days were great. My PT does not want me to walk with my cane by myself, so Jerry and I headed up to the fourth floor where I have a ballet barrre and a narrow hallway. I would walk one way holding onto the bar with my left hand, then I'd turn around and use my cane, with the security of knowing the barre and the wall were right there.

It was going great until Sunday. That's the day my left foot (ie., my real foot) stopped working.

You heard me right. My left foot stopped working. In technical terms, I have something called foot drop. In other words, my left foot will not flex.

I thought it was some kind of fluke, like my left foot falling asleep and it would fix itself, but on Monday when it was still there I sent a message to my primary care physician, and the office got me in on Tuesday afternoon.

I saw a physician's assistant, who did not have a clue as to why this happened. His best suggestion was that I should go on Amazon and find a brace so my foot wouldn't drag and trip me. I left the office feeling pretty defeated while remembering to lift my left foot high while walking so I wouldn't trip.

Fortunately for me, it was takeout Tuesday with our neighbors, one of whom is a neurologist. He got out his hammer and checked my reflexes and all were in good shape and working order. He checked a few other things and came to the conclusion that since I got my prosthesis I had spent too much time crossing my legs, and that motion had affected a nerve. While he made no predictions as to how lomg it would last, he was sure that if it in reality wasn't something else, everything would be fine.

While that is reassuring, once again my progress is stalled. Just as I grew to hate the wheelchair, I am growing to hate the walker.

I see my physical therapist tomorrow, and while I doubt we will not be doing much walking practice, we can work on my balance and strength. No question I need that, but I am still pissed off. Enough is enough.

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