Hi there, I haven't posted for a while, I have lower back issues which I take Lyrica for and that helps greatly. I have also managed to slip a disk in my lower back, which plays up every now and then, at least I know the signs to look out for with one! I have been diagnosed with Plantar Fascitis in both feet about 5 weeks ago I have had sore feet for ever, but it got worse and I found I had lumps on my feet. My GP sent me for an ultrasound after my PT suggested it to me, confirmed PF, and several small tears in my right foot two of which measure 4mm's. So I am in a cam walker for that have been using it for around 2 weeks with 2 to go before I go back to the podiatrist. I find that the top of my foot swells terribly if I have been on it to long. I am also 10 months post op for a rotator cuff repair. Feeling as if I can't take a break at the moment. I always try to find the positive but somedays that is just to hard. I like to describe my pain as singing to me, some days it's a gentle lullaby and others it is a screaming punk rock band and yet others it is an aria. I can't take many pain medications because of reactions to them, so most of the time I sit and suffer in silence. I am lucky that I have a great family and they can read my pain levels most of the time and help me out in way they can. I would give anything at the moment to have a pain free day. 🙁
Taking it one step at a time 🙂
Hell Mrs Magoo,
I fully empathise with you and it just doesn't seem fair when we go and get hit with something else. A day off from suffering pain is something we all dream of, so you are not alone!
Take care, all the best 🙂
i can relate too, i started with a painful right lower leg after an accident and subsequent surgery - this dragged on for years til i eventually had the leg amputated. By then i had developed arthritis in my opposite leg requiring a knee replacement but both left significant residual pain. finally it seemed i was getting things under control when i had an intrathecal pump implanted back in 2001 but i then was diagnosed with MS which brought its own pain issues. I became wheelchair dependent and one night i fell while transferring from chair to chair- i landed hard on my butt and fractured 3 lumbar vertebrae leading to spinal stenosis, nerve impingement, etc ( apparently i had become osteoporotic as a side effect of having intrathecal medication) I now have really severe back pain and pain down both legs (or one leg and a stump). if i stay in a seated postion or leaning forward the pain reduces but if i try to lie back at all, the pain is really intense- if i do manage to lie back a bit for a while sometimes that initial severe pain may ease for a bit but then i i tend to either lose sensation down the right leg or i get nerve pain across the buttock an upper right leg- feels like scalding water has been pouerd over the region and any stimulation makes it more intense. i also lost control of bladder nad bowel, they are not sure if this is ms related or from the effects of the damage from the fall. i have not been able to have an MRI since things got worse as i just cannot lie down flat enoug or fo long enough- they have put in a request for an MRI under general anaesthetic to work out whats MS and whats nerve compression etc but not sure if they will do it due to medical problems. At present i am told nothing more can be done for my pain- the pump with the clonidine and morphine helps me get to the point i can sit in my wheelchair without too many issues but not being able to lie down is leading to additional problems such as my hip extensors are contracting, i am having to be very careful with skin care as i have altered sensation across the butt and now am having to be careful i don't get skin breakdowns from constant pressure of being seated. i have altered sensation in my remaining lower leg and this has contributed to a skin breadown on the back of my lower calf- my leg is oedematous from being dependent and lack of movement, this amde the skin more fragile and i now have a skin breadown there for the first time- requiring the visiting nurse every second day- its being very slow to heal!
It seems to be a snowball effect, one starts with one issue and then the others happen at least in part because of the orignal issue (except for the MS) but i know back around the time i had my leg amputated ( about 17 yrs ago, iknow i felt the pain was the absolute worst that could happen, i simply felt i could not endure anymore pain! but with the benefit of hindsight that was a walk in the park! Having said that these day i cope better thangs to skill learnt via the pain unit and also from sites like this. These days i hope for reduced pain but mostly life goes on despite the pain
Great to see you here again kebsa. I hope that you are doing ok and that the FMC PMU is looking after you!
Mary
Not every day is a good day, but there is good in every day.
"“It’s delightful when your imaginations come true, isn’t it?” ― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables
thank you Mary, the pain unit is doing there best but they have been badly affected by funding cuts! they had 5 Doctors originally, they were cut to 2 and they apparently one of them left at short notcie and the health department has chosen not to replace him at the moment! I saw my pain Dr about a week ago and he has tinkered with my meds for now and had wanted to revie things in 3 months but because he is alone the absolute earliest appointment was 5 months. the MRI issue is still being considered.
Mrs Magoo, your situation is not trivial at all! it is still obviously something that is having a big impact on you day to day and i gert you point about multiple issues being harder to cope with than a single issue- WHen it comes to pain, one source of ongoing pain can be troublesome enough when you are in a tough time ( pain worse than usual for some reason) but then having multiple issues can lower a person threshold to pain (in my experience anyway) - How is the foot going?? is it more comfy now with the cam walker. Plantar fasciitis is painful. i was diagnosed with it again rectly as well as a heel spur- i had it before but using an orthotic and supportive shoes helped get rid of it but these days i don't have orthotics as i only use my foot fot transfers but it seems that as i have been economising on footwear and not buying the specialist fit stuff i reallly need ( it seems a lot to spend over $200 on a pair of shoes, then ditch one immediately and the other only gets put to real work when i stand to transfer! It seems i would have been better off spending the money though- a lesson well learnt! so as soon as the sore on my leg heals well enough i will be sorting out the decent foot wear= in the meantime i have found that "crocs (fake ones though)" actually seem to be shaped well enough to be supportive enough and to make transfers less painful- they are not very attractive but i am passed that!
has you podiatrist given you any suggestions on how to help the PF with footwear/ orthotics etc?
Kebsa, the cam walker is working a treat as it has settled the pain right down, I only get flare ups if I wear the wrong shoes. I have custom orthotics already and find the best shoes are my Rossi boots (they are the same as Blunndstones) with the orthotics in them.
We have recently ripped a pool out and are building a pergola, so my back issues have flared up as well as the shoulder with all of the painting and bending and supporting of timber I have been doing.
I am very lucky that one of my daughters loves to help outside so she does most of the hard stuff with my hubby and my other daughter stays in and cooks and cleans for us.
Sorry to hear that you have to wait 5 months for your next appointment and that your PF has flared up. One thing I found really helps me is to sit in the morning with my feet on a heat pack, as that warms everything up and gets the blood flowing.
Taking it one step at a time 🙂
