A Little Good News and Orthotics/Sciatica/Parkinson's

   A little bit of Good News!!!  Today when I got out of bed, I didn't need to use my walker!!!!! I am in pain but it is less than it was and ANY little bit of relief is a wonderful thing!!!! I am only shuffling the two and three step shuffle!! THAT IS PROGRESS!!  I am beyond happy, I can go up and down the steps without sitting on my butt!! I can walk down one step at a time but it has been a LONG time since I have been able to do that!
          I showered and could stand up for a few minutes and this is huge progress!! I have a shower chair but I usually need to sit on it the entire time!! My foot even feels better!  I hope this is progress and not a fluke. I am tempted to go to the gym and walk on the treadmill but I am so afraid of the deep sciatica pain returning! My doctor wants me to exercise.   I think I will wait until Monday and see if my pain stays at this level!  My doctor gave me pills to reduce the swelling in my broken foot but man oh man, do they make me urinate!!!! I already have overactive bladder so with this new pill, I spend more time in the bathroom than usual!!!(And that is a HUGE amount of time) Maybe this is TMI !!  No one, including me, appreciates good health until they don't have it!!! 
         

Orthotics is the branch of medicine that deals with the provision and use of artificial devices such as splints and braces. Orthotics are prescription medical devices that you wear inside your shoes to correct biomechanical foot issues such as problems with how you walk, stand, or run.   
They can also help with foot pain caused by medical conditions such as diabetes, plantar fasciitis, bursitis, and arthritis.

 My friend Leslie's BIL thinks I need a pair of custom orthotics and that will help relieve some of my sciatica pain. I had had an appointment with the PT he recommended last week. I cancelled it because of my broken foot(painful stress fracture).   The PT called me yesterday and was wondering why I cancelled the appointment.  She told me that her office already received the referral from my primary doc.  I told her about my stress fracture and she said she still wanted me to come in and get evaluated so I made an appointment for next week! She said that she could definitely help with the sciatica. I am glad to hear that but I have heard it before. I hope the orthotics work!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

June 2

Image
                June 2 is a very special day in our family.  It was the day that my beloved daughter Amy was born. I was so excited to have a beautiful little girl.  She was my most precious gift and that feeling has never changed.   Amy died at age 18.  After her death, life had no meaning for  us.  We just wen through the motions of living and existing because we still had to finish raising Renee, who was only 13 when Amy died. Dan had told me that friends of his, also bereaved parents, had adopted a little boy from Ukraine. I thought they were absolutely crazy.  Fast forward a few years and that tiny seed grew in my mind. Maybe it was Divine Intervention, I don't know,  but we decided to adopt from Ukraine.  I am so thankful to Ukraine for giving me two of their most precious gifts.  We must have been twice as crazy as his friends because we adopted not once, but TWICE!! We adopted Olivi...
Read more

Does My Family Really Understand My PD LIMITATIONS??

Image
        I was diagnosed with PD about a year and a half ago but I think I had it for close to a year before that. Once I got on the Carbidopa Leodopa, my life settled back into a "new normal" routine.   My painful Sciatica has always bothered me more than the PD. I don't have tremors, at least not yet. I think that is because I am in the early stages. I have a handicap license plate so I don't have to park as far away from an entrance as I use to have to park.  My husband is always willing to drop me off at the entrance if I don't want to walk as far.  But I try to do the walk so that I stay agile and my muscles don't freeze up too much.   My most noticeable trait is my slow, and shuffling gait.  I can still drive, totally take care of all of my personal needs, go out socially, travel, cook, etc.  I am scared when I have to go up a flight of stairs because I am off balance and I feel like I might fall backwards. I have a death ...
Read more

Akinetic-rigid Parkinson's Disease

Image
       My Parkinson's symptoms seem to be different almost everyday. Some days I am dog tired and other days I seem to have some energy.  It is difficult to make plans too far in advance because I never know what my Parkinson's will be like on any given day.  My worst Parkinson's symptoms are being off balance and overwhelmingly sleepy!!  I don't know if it is a Parkinson's symptom or  not but I now have such vivid and bizarre dreams! Perhaps it is the liquid medical marijuana that I take at night to help me sleep!! My sciatica,  however, seems to stay the same. It is just pain all of the time unless I take Tylenol or a muscle relaxer. I have spoken to several people who have Parkinson's and many also have sciatica. I asked the doc this morning and he said there is no corelation.   Today I saw a new neurologist at a city hospital.  He diagnosed me with Akinetic-rigid Parkinson's.  He told me that there are two diffe...
Read more