Well the last 2 weeks now have been all about the foot at Chez Sluggy.
The left foot to be precise.
It started aching 2 Tuesdays ago right before the lovely Kim of "Out my Window" and her DH came to visit for a day. Luckily I was still able to hobble about on Wednesday.
But it just got worse until it felt bad enough for me to ask Hubs to take me to the ER on that first Friday evening. The pain was identical to 2 years ago when I had a DVT in the left ankle so I didn't want to wait any longer to seek medical attention.
So after 6 hours in the ER and both an ultrasound and a couple of X-rays they could find nothing causing the pain....no blood clot.
So they told me it was probably an infection, gave me an antibiotic and 5 days' worth of painkiller and sent me home.
The Daughter arrived home for a week long visit late that Sunday night, we had a modified Labor Day picnic/cook-out(I didn't cook a thing!)and on Tuesday morning the Daughter went off to visit friends in Rochester NY and then to Erie PA.
I sat in bed basically for two days trying to feel better. I did get out of bed and sit at the sewing machine and/or the ironing board and could do a bit of sewing in between elevating the foot.
On Wednesday the painkillers ran out and the foot was no better since the trip to the ER the previous Friday so I tried to get more drugs and an appointment to be seen at the doc's office. But the office staff didn't seem to take my pain seriously and just didn't get around to having anyone get back to me.
So after a stern conversation on Thursday with the doc's office I finally got an appointment for Friday morning.
The Daughter took me in, 2.5 doctors examined me(2 full docs and a medical student who only counts as .5 of a doc). I was told that indeed I did NOT have an infection in my foot so had been prescribed the antibiotic just so the ER could get me out of there and still make me think they had actually treated me. lolz
New docs decided to send me back to the hospital for two more ultrasounds later that day.....one to redo the original ultrasound(as a clot could have formed after the ultrasound I had last Friday and could now be the issue)and then to have another more involved Doppler test to check the arterial flow in all four of my extremities to see if the left leg had some kind of anomaly or occlusion.
If these tests didn't turn up anything amiss then the next step was an MRI.
BUT......insurance won't pay for an MRI on my foot until after I have tried physical therapy on the foot.
I got the results back this morning on the two ultrasounds and all was negative, nothing found.
So I begin physical therapy this Friday for my foot.
I can't see how PT is going to fix anything. Sure they can give me exercises for my foot but if I can't put weight on the foot without pain how are they suppose to make my foot better?
After two weeks of pain my foot is now getting a bit better on it's own. I can walk more(albeit slowly)on the foot but stairs are still very difficult because not being able to put the full weight on the left foot means I put added pressure on the right knee when climbing stairs and my right knee is now not happy.
And I do tend to overdo and walk more than I should be at this point.
If this keeps up we'll have to put a bed for me on the first floor of the house.....at least as a temporary measure.
The family reunion is in just over 10 days from now but I am not positive yet the foot will be well enough to allow me to attend. I would hate to miss it but I may have to at this point. I can't be overdoing it on the foot and why go if I am in pain and can't enjoy myself?
So that's where my head is at right now.
Just trying to get through this.
Sluggy
The left foot to be precise.
It started aching 2 Tuesdays ago right before the lovely Kim of "Out my Window" and her DH came to visit for a day. Luckily I was still able to hobble about on Wednesday.
But it just got worse until it felt bad enough for me to ask Hubs to take me to the ER on that first Friday evening. The pain was identical to 2 years ago when I had a DVT in the left ankle so I didn't want to wait any longer to seek medical attention.
So after 6 hours in the ER and both an ultrasound and a couple of X-rays they could find nothing causing the pain....no blood clot.
So they told me it was probably an infection, gave me an antibiotic and 5 days' worth of painkiller and sent me home.
The Daughter arrived home for a week long visit late that Sunday night, we had a modified Labor Day picnic/cook-out(I didn't cook a thing!)and on Tuesday morning the Daughter went off to visit friends in Rochester NY and then to Erie PA.
I sat in bed basically for two days trying to feel better. I did get out of bed and sit at the sewing machine and/or the ironing board and could do a bit of sewing in between elevating the foot.
On Wednesday the painkillers ran out and the foot was no better since the trip to the ER the previous Friday so I tried to get more drugs and an appointment to be seen at the doc's office. But the office staff didn't seem to take my pain seriously and just didn't get around to having anyone get back to me.
So after a stern conversation on Thursday with the doc's office I finally got an appointment for Friday morning.
The Daughter took me in, 2.5 doctors examined me(2 full docs and a medical student who only counts as .5 of a doc). I was told that indeed I did NOT have an infection in my foot so had been prescribed the antibiotic just so the ER could get me out of there and still make me think they had actually treated me. lolz
New docs decided to send me back to the hospital for two more ultrasounds later that day.....one to redo the original ultrasound(as a clot could have formed after the ultrasound I had last Friday and could now be the issue)and then to have another more involved Doppler test to check the arterial flow in all four of my extremities to see if the left leg had some kind of anomaly or occlusion.
If these tests didn't turn up anything amiss then the next step was an MRI.
BUT......insurance won't pay for an MRI on my foot until after I have tried physical therapy on the foot.
I got the results back this morning on the two ultrasounds and all was negative, nothing found.
So I begin physical therapy this Friday for my foot.
I can't see how PT is going to fix anything. Sure they can give me exercises for my foot but if I can't put weight on the foot without pain how are they suppose to make my foot better?
After two weeks of pain my foot is now getting a bit better on it's own. I can walk more(albeit slowly)on the foot but stairs are still very difficult because not being able to put the full weight on the left foot means I put added pressure on the right knee when climbing stairs and my right knee is now not happy.
And I do tend to overdo and walk more than I should be at this point.
If this keeps up we'll have to put a bed for me on the first floor of the house.....at least as a temporary measure.
The family reunion is in just over 10 days from now but I am not positive yet the foot will be well enough to allow me to attend. I would hate to miss it but I may have to at this point. I can't be overdoing it on the foot and why go if I am in pain and can't enjoy myself?
So that's where my head is at right now.
Just trying to get through this.
Sluggy
I hope your foot's better very soon!
ReplyDeleteIs there any way your doctor can speak with your insurance and tell them about the previous blood clot? Hate thinking you have to go through physical therapy and then find you still need the MRI. Cheryl
ReplyDeleteMy FIL suffers from gout on occasion and when he has it he can barely walk from the pain in his foot. Gout is used by too much uric acid in the blood. He says apple cider vinegar, cherries, ginger, lemon and baking soda are some things that help. Just an idea - hop you are feeling better soon
ReplyDeleteOkay I am going to tell you to ice your foot for ten minutes and then heat it for one hour then ice for 10 minutes and heat for one hour at least once a day. This is how we treat sore feet as a dancer. By ice I mean a full pan of cold water full of ice. Seems to work for unknown pain. I am praying for a recovery. Damn the ER.
ReplyDeleteWow, I am baffled that they are baffled and cannot find a reason for the pain. But I admit I am just glad there is no blood clot. As I read, I got nervous about that. I was afraid you were going to say that was the problem. I'm so happy it's not,that I'm all happy, while you're still suffering with the foot. Sorry! But I'm glad to be happy, anyway! :oD
ReplyDeleteAh the dreaded "one thing hurts so we overcompensate and it make something totally different hurt"! Feeling your pain and frustration and hoping some more mending happens overnight.
ReplyDeleteSometimes, maybe most of the time, medicine is a great guessing game. When it isn't, it often is not good. A good physical therapist will know how to work the ankle while minimizing pain.
ReplyDeleteFeel better soon, I love you!
ReplyDeleteI don't think that my actual doctor counts as .5 more like .00009.
Oh for frack sakes! You would think all those bloody doctors could tell you whats what. I wonder if they get their educations out of cereal boxes now.
ReplyDeleteSometimes doctors just cannot find the reason for pain and it sucks. I am glad your foot is a little better. I second the suggestion of trying some apple cider vinegar. I drink it daily for my arthritis. My dad had gout, too, and on occasion when he has a flair up his foot swells. Drinking ACV seems to help the swelling go down. Braggs is the only one that works for me. I tried other brands to save money and they didn't seem to have any effect. It is tough to drink straight, but manageable diluted with water. My family adds honey to theirs. I like to mix with apple juice so it just tastes like apple cider. My left foot swells due to inflammation from a bone spur and icing it really helps reduce the swelling. Hope you feel much better soon.
ReplyDelete