Thursday, April 17, 2008

The Foot Bone's Connected to the Ankle Bone...

Well. I got the nerve test done, both lower legs/feet. Dr Cunningham was really nice; took time, actually talked. Afterward I asked what he thought the problem is, and he said he leaned more toward peripheral neuropathy. Of course, I have to go back to Dr. Harriman on April 29 for the results. I asked then what to do about it and Dr. C said be sure my shoes have good cushion (99% of the time I have Scholl's cushions in them), and take B vitamins. My vitamin has Bs in it, just don't know if all the right amounts. I'll ask about that, too. He said NP can be caused from diabetes (which I knew, and which I'm pretty sure I don't have), renal condition, circulation problems, just "wear and tear and aging," which most likely fits in my case. (Yes, always the aging part.) The heel strikes with 3 times more force than the rest of the foot and I said, well, that's why my heels burn more than the rest of my feet. When I see Dr. H, I'll ask about the vitamins, about orthotics/shoes and anything else. (I read that you can even get lidocaine patches. Now that would be great for the place in my arch that itches so bad. But it hasn't been too bad the last couple of nights.) Dr. C said my nerves tingling were saying, "something's wrong here," a warning. It can get so bad that people can lose feeling in their feet and hands, etc. Cunningham said once you have a problem with one part, it just seems to go in a loop from leg, to hips, to back, to the other leg. And NP doesn't just affect the legs but it's any nerve anywhere that is not part of your central nervous system.

All of this of course led me to a lot of internet research this time. I have enough information to at least ask a few questions. Brenda said that oral doses of B wouldn't provide enough for the vitamin therapy. Her endo doctor prescribes injections for her, which she gives herself every two weeks. But that's another treatment to think of later. At least I can feel my feet and legs and there was no sharp, jabbing pain when the doctor tapped around on my feet. The causes are many and if diabetes isn't the culprit, it is more difficult to find out the reason for NP.

Dr. C's office is a showcase for old movie posters he has collected and had framed - all original and all have actually hung in theaters. The room I was in had "Bullit" (Steve McQueen) and a lot of lobby cards from that movie (which I really didn't know what they were till I asked); "Hatari" (John Wayne); "Nutty Professor" (Jerry Lewis); and another man-grown-to-giant-terrorizes-city poster - can't recall the name of that one - a human King Kong complete with distressed damsel in fist. The US posters are numbered; foreign posters (even if for US movies) are not. I think. I asked how many posters he had and he said, "My wife says too many." I asked about "Gone With the Wind," and he said he'd seen one sell at auction for something like $300,000 once. "Out of my league." When I left, I meandered down the hallway and saw his "Psycho" (Janet Leigh/Anthony Perkins) and "Getaway" (Steve McQueen/Ali McGraw) posters. McQueen seems to be a favorite. (Interesting that I didn't see any Elvis movie posters... ) It was a bonus you don't often get at a doctor's appointment.

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