Foot Update-- Grumpy Patient Edition

Since it has almost been two weeks since I last wrote about this damn thing, I thought an update was in order.

 

I hate the boot. I hate it with the fiery passion of a thousand suns.

 

It is heavy as all get out and pulls hard on my leg. That causes the knee to hurt and the hip. My back, which always hurts, is doing something on a totally new level of pain. Walking is very problematic as I hook the bottom of it on the front door frame and other things around here. It causes the leg to swell over the course of the day which is not something anyone wants. Especially this cardiac patient.

 

I hate the damn thing.

 

I see the foot doc Tuesday morning. I want it off. I don’t want physical therapy as, no matter the situation, physical therapy always makes everything worse. I just want to wear my regular shoes, get back home, and be done with all this crap.

 

I hate the boot.

Foot Update

 

As some folks already know, I woke up Sunday morning around six in a lot of pain with the outside of my left foot swollen and bruised looking. I had no memory of doing anything to my foot. By that afternoon, I was in such pain that I very seriously considered going to ER. I have very limited feeling in my feet so I knew something bad was wrong to be hurting like I was. I also did not want to go and already had what was supposed to be a routine office visit with the podiatrist scheduled for today.

 

By yesterday, the pain level was lower, as was the swelling, and I felt a little better about not trying to go to the ER.

 

Well, the news sucks.  X-Rays were done and the foot got manipulated a bit and that hurt like holy heck. Diagnosis-- Some tendon that runs from the back of the leg and under the ankle and then along the side of the foot is massively inflamed and on the edge of rupture. I may also have small stress fractures. If I do, they will not show up on x-rays too well, and there is so much fluid and inflammation there is not much point in trying an MRI right now. The assumption is that I have them too.

 

I am now booted for when I am up and walking around. The frigging boot is huge and very heavy and makes walking with my cane way harder. Thankfully, I don’t have to sleep with it.

 

I have to go back in two weeks.

 

Assuming the boot works and I don’t rupture the thing in the meantime, which apparently could easily happen, I am going to have to do multiple weeks of physical therapy. How long? Don’t know yet. Depends on how I heal, time, and all that.

 

Been a brutally expensive couple of months just in medical bills and I am sick of being in medical places and being a complex patient.

Medical Morning

After the cancer scare with the toe on my right foot last month, I am on the way this hour back to the podiatrist. This is the one month follow-up as he had concerns and wants to recheck both feet. It is a bit of a drive --45 minutes one way--and not one I want to do at all. Doc and staff are great. I just don't feel like peopling or dealing with the traffic. 

Hopefully, not long after noon I will be back home and inside where I belong. The heat continues to fry things here and we are supposed to hit 100. Then there is the smoke in the air on top of the ongoing pollen and air pollution problems. The outside is not good for yours truly so there is that issue too.

Blah. If we just had the Federation's transporter technology.....  

Foot Saga Continues

Later this morning I go back for an already scheduled appointment regarding the left foot. This is the same foot that I dropped one of Sandi's oxygen cylinders on a couple of weeks ago causing pain, swelling, bruising, etc. This is the left foot which has had burning and pain in it for going on four years plus now as part of the pain in the left leg and hip, etc.  This is also the leg that will buckle on me and cause me to fall and all the rest of it.

So, I knew going in this could take awhile. But, this is starting to worry me quite a bit. It is only slightly better. Up until Monday or so if anything it was worse. The bruising and swelling finally seem to have gone away for the most part, but the new pain is still in there pretty good. Overall the pain level is pretty close to what it was when it happened and that worries me.

Anyway, we shall see what the doc says. I expect another two weeks in the surgical shoe at least. That certainly won't help my mobility issues at all.

UPDATE---Back home and the doc says it is healing. He manipulated my foot a bit and prodded it and while it hurt it was not to the level it was a couple of weeks ago. I'm a slow healer and I know it. At least two more weeks with the shoe as I am to keep doing what I have been doing.

X-Rays Are In

Back home from the doctor. X-rays indicate no fracture. Belief is I have a severe bone bruise with accompanying fluid. While I need the boot that can't be done because of the back/leg issues so I am in a surgical shoe.

Scott's Foot

If you have been following the saga of Scott's latest foot injury in recent weeks, he had a checkup with the podiatrist today. The doctor says his foot is fully healed and Scott no longer has to wear the walking boot. Needless to say my son is extremely pleased with this news.

Back Home

Back home and Scott definitely broke his little toe. It appears to have started healing and is doing it wrong. So, for now, the plan is to tape it to the next toe and to keep it that way for the next four weeks. The hope is that his little toe is not too far along in the healing process and will start healing correctly.

If not, the next step is toe surgery to fix it. Obviously, we all want to avoid that!

Doctor Day Thursday

This morning I have to take our youngest, Scott, to the foot doctor. Back about four weeks ago or so he banged his his left foot against something (what escapes my mind at the moment) and thought that he had just bruised the heck out of his left little toe. He was sure he did not break it because it did not hurt that bad and he could wiggle it a bit. From my own experience on a number of occasions, when I have broken my little toes the pain is pretty intense and I can't wiggle them. Sandi has shared the same experiences--more than once.

So, with the fact he could wiggle his toe pretty evident, we agreed with his diagnosis and didn't worry as slowly the swelling went down and the bruising faded. Everything seemed fine....and then it wasn't.

Scott has pain in the side of the foot from the toe back to the heel. If he wears sandals there are no problems. But regular sneakers hurt so something is wrong. What it is we don't know and that is why we have an appointment with the foot doctor. The same good guy who has worked on Scott over the years since he was a child and got broken glass in his foot.

So, Karl will be here today to keep an eye on Sandi and her oxygen equipment while Scott and I make the long drive across the hot Texas highways to see the doctor with a name. His office isn't east of Omaha, but over in Richardson (and the highways are not lonely but over crowded) so it takes awhile to get to and from. Hopefully whatever is wrong can be fixed for Scott easily as school at UTD gets back in session in a little over three weeks. He needs to be able to walk around there with no mobility issues.

I know way too much about mobility issues.....

MRI--Completed

Yesterday wiped me out pretty good so Sandi told me to stay home while she would go by herself to do the MRI. It was supposed to be simple and fast as there was not any need for contrast or anything to be done to her. I just talked to her and, like the PET SCAN yesterday, this took way longer than expected. But, now the MRI is finally done.

The MRI results are supposed to be in Friday morning when we see that doctor.


Kevin

Medical Update--The Latest On Sandi's Feet

Sandi had another therapy appointment yesterday afternoon with the physical therapist and the news was not good at all. The therapist now believes Sandi has the exact same injury in her left foot and leg as she does in her right. Apparently the tendon on the left side is also now trying to pull away from the bone in her leg. While that left foot is not booted as of yet, the therapist believes that it needs to be. How she will walk at all around here with boots on both feet I have no idea.

The therapist was very blunt in his assessment yesterday and thinks it will be months before she can return to work. Of course he does not have the final say on any of this as that is up to the doctor. Her next appoint with the foot doctor is November 30^th when he will reevaluate her status.

Sandi was very upset and depressed about all this when she came back home yesterday. I kept trying to point out that a year ago she was coming off knee surgery and about to get a terminal cancer diagnosis so things could easily be worse. Been there and done that. So, as bad as this is, at least this year it is not cancer and she is home for Thanksgiving.

In the meantime, while watching TV and listening to me yell at football teams and curse politicians and news readers, she has been making things like crazy. That means she has been able to add some new product to her store on iOffer at: http://www.ioffer.com/selling/sanditipple
 

She does do special orders by request and has other things not shown on the site. So, if you don’t see what you are looking for ask here or contact her through her crafting projects blog at:

 http://lady-sandra.blogspot.com/

The pictures come from earlier this week when I finally convinced her she looked good and to let me take one so others could see.  Considering where she was a year ago and where she is now, I think she looks fantastic.  

Kevin

Medical Update--The Latest on Sandi's Foot

Sandi's foot still has not improved at all. In fact, because she is unable to walk normally, she has now injured her left foot. This left foot injury is a different injury than her booted right ankle. It also happened while she was on her feet at work. This one is some sort of muscle pull of a tendon that runs across the top of her left foot between her toes and her ankle. That injury has created not only pain, but some swelling of her foot.

She showed it to the therapist after he evaluated her lack of progress with her right foot. If anything, her right foot is now somewhat worse than it was a couple of weeks ago. He finally said what I had been saying and thinking all along---the only way this ever was going to heal was if she went out on another unpaid medical leave and was home off of her feet.

After another very painful night for her and with two swollen feet the next morning, it was very clear she needed to see the foot doctor immediately. She saw him early Friday morning (yesterday) and he agreed that at this point, she had done all she could do to keep working. It was time to shut it down. Not only did he say that, but he also warned her that she would soon do too much damage and would require surgery to try and reattach the tendon to the bone in her leg. He wrote a note for her and will be filling out the required paperwork so that Sandi can be out on unpaid medical leave effective immediately.

She isn’t happy as, beyond our constant money issues, she loves to work. She is one of those rare creatures that loves her job and loves being around other people.  But, when faced with the high likelihood of surgery on top of the fact that the left foot is now injured too and is significantly hurting her, Sandi has finally agreed that coming home is for the best.

So, the foot doctor has put her out until at least December 4, 2012. Her next appoint with him is November 30^th when he will reevaluate her status.

On Monday, December 3, 2012 she has her next PET SCAN and blood work to see if she is still in remission.  She will see the cancer doctor a few days later on December 6 and find out. Fingers crossed on that.

A year ago she was coming off knee surgery and about to get a terminal cancer diagnosis so things could easily be worse. Been there and done that. Hopefully, this is just a minor event and one that can soon be forgotten unlike some of the other things the last few years.


Kevin

Medical Update--Sandi's Foot

Sandi's foot still has not improved at all. She continues physical therapy and use of the heavy boot when she is not working. These things take time and being a diabetic means everything takes longer for her.  The foot doctor recommended a shoe change so she now has $150 sneakers for work to see if that helps. Nobody has mentioned surgery yet, but the longer this drags on with no improvement at all, the more it seems it might be likely.

Her next appointment with the foot doctor is November 20 so hopefully that will mean she will be home for Thanksgiving this year and not in the hospital like last year. A year ago she was coming off knee surgery and about to get a terminal cancer diagnosis so, as she put it the other night, "I can so deal with this crap."


Kevin

Sandi's Foot--Update

Sandi just got out of the doctor's office with no changes. Four more weeks of physical therapy and continued use of the heavy boot when she is not working. These things take time and being a diabetic means everything takes longer for her.


Kevin

Update---Sandi's Foot

Sandi's right foot continues to bother her quite a lot. It isn't getting any better nor is it getting any worse. Today was time for another visit with the podiatrist. He is sending her to physical therapy so they can work with her on gaining movement, strengthening things, and hopefully making her foot less painful. At least that is the current plan.

She starts physical therapy next week, twice weekly,  and is scheduled to see the doctor again in three weeks. In the meantime, she is to continue to use the small soft cast for work and the big black boot thing for home.

And so it goes in the land of Tipple.....



Kevin