Floppy Foot Frustrated

[kit]

Hi all:

I went to Pt yesterday, had to do some new excersizes with my physical therapist. I told her I had a concern about my right foot being draggy agian and that my little toes are completely numb. I've been telling her this since I've started therapy in december. She been saying it's just muscle fatigue. We then proceded to do all the new excersizes. I had to stop the recumbant bike after 4 min. because I could no longer feel my Right foot at all and part of my leg below my knee. I couldn't keep that leg on the pedal. I had to have help getting up and walking to the treatment room.

She is now totaly freaked out and called my surgeon, told me to call him, I said I would and went home. At 4 p.m. she called me at home and said that she talked to my surgeon and that he would be calling me.

I'm so frustrated with her right now, I have told her many times that this has been an ongoing issue everytime I go to therapy.

I have not called my surgeon, nor has he called me. He knows this is happening, it's not new to him or me, though admittedly this is the worst it has been. Why has it taken her so long to get it? Should I follow up with my surgeon to ease her mind? I feel like I'm pestering him if I do, He knows about this already and I have an appointment with him on the 26th anyways. I have another PT appointment tommorow and she will now be on me about this.

Any advice is welcome and thanks for letting me vent.
Kit

[1171]

you get some choices in who provides your therapy. if you have a problem with the therapist you should talk to your doctor and arrange for another.
same thing with your pharmacist, xray tech, and all the secondary providers

[chrischris]

Ask the doctor's office to move up your appt. because of a serious situation you are having in P/T.

I had one bad P/T person, but the majority were great and listened and tried to help even more than the doctors.

Hope your leg numbness gets resolved soon. Take care!

[kit]

Thanks for the reply's. I figure I'll see what tommorow brings. I've been laying low today trying not to agrivate it, though it has been very hard. It hit 73 degrees here today in St. Louis spring fever has sprung on me. If I still have all the numbness I'll call my surgeon tommorow. He has office hours on Thursday, today is surgery day for him so he is unavailable. Thanks again.
Kit

[capricorn]

kit.....refresh my memory...what kind of surgery did you have? I hae a friend who had a knee replacement and one of the nerves was pulled too tight which gave her floppy foot...she did have a second surgery and that corrected it.

[kit]

Cap, I had a L5-S1 fusion. I've been having the floppy foot ever since the original injury it comes and goes. Most of the time my 2 little toes and the outside of my right foot stay numb. The other day it just spread to all my toes, 1/2 the foot, and 1/2 of my calf on the right side. I had a little trouble walking due to the numbness and weakness. Went to PT today she didn't do any leg trainning, were back on core muscle, and I'm now in a ankle brace that she wants me to try. It's to keep some kind of stabiltiy so I don't hurt myself when it gets floppy.
My husband was doing an immatation of me walking last night, and I was laughing so hard I almost wet my pants. I needed to laugh a little this week. He also has given me a new nickname of Lurch. I've decided to take this new humor approach until I see my surgeon again on the 26th and let him figure it out.

[capricorn]

kit...I wish you the best....hope they find some answers...Bill and I laugh at each other all the time....we both found if we didn't we did alot more crying.

[kit]

Thanks Cap. I have never been excited to see my Dr. before, but kind of can't wait for the 26th. I'm real tired of the foot thing and over the last couple of days My A@@ has really been hurting. Walking around holding my right butt cheek up, while funny looking, is really not aceptable behavior in public. Though who knows it could be completely aceptable in some other culture. I don't know if it helps the pain, or I'm fooling myself into believing that it helps. Either way Curt giggles everytime I do it which makes me giggle. I do believe that Laughter can be good medicine.

[bronco54501]

Kit, Im glad you can find humor in your injury as dumb as it may seem I believe it helps from being stressed.. My wife jokes with me alot about mine, if the shoe fits and feels right then wear it... If you grab any part of your body and it helps .....Grab away.. Just recently I am expierencing somthing different for treatment, A chiropractor... I have done the PT/PM/wc path and now they have agreed for some sessions.. The first visit was all professional, exrays, consult with him and plans.. Second one was a riot, my wife was laughing her butt off.. Now I have used a tens unit before so I know what they were going to do to my neck.... She set me up and put on all the wires and cranked me up to a comfort level..... All was good and about 5 min in I turned to look at my wife and (((( ZAP,ZING<ZAP,,, my head starting twitching like having a seziour.. I turned my head back and all was fine untill again i turned........Sometimes its moments like this that keep it real, and even though I probably looked like an idiot, it was so darn funny.......

I do hope they find out your solution, and make sure your pt is not puishing you to hard muscles are not supposed to be worked untill fatigued every day, they need breaks to heal........ Take care......Bronco