jillgoes

jillgoes

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

I Just Want to Scream....

....but instead there are only tears.  After a long awaited appointment (6 weeks) to see the surgeon today, we are no closer to a resolution relative to the heel pain I've been experiencing, oh, for the last year or so.

I have had to give up Judo, the sport I love.
I have had to maintain a very sedentary lifestyle, to allow the opportunity for healing.
I am unable to do normal things, like shopping for groceries and taking short walks.
I have gained a ton of weight.
Worst of all, I have suffered with way too much ongoing pain.

Here is what I've done so far:

1.  Taken Aleve regularly, per doctor's orders.  (I had to ultimately stop - it gave me daily bellyaches, and constant sh*ts.)

2.  Completed three months of physical therapy, including stretching with bands.  (My heels got worse as those three months went by.)

3.  Wore an immobilization boot on my left ankle for nine weeks.  (While that heel improved, the right one got worse.  Way worse.)

4.  Endured the very painful (and not at all covered by insurance) Platelet Rich Plasma Injection Therapy, which gave no improvement at all.

5.  Waited weeks and sometime months from one appointment to the next.

6.  Went to my appointment today prepared to beg for surgery, which I did.


Here is what the docs ordered me to do starting today:

1.  Take Aleve.

2.  Do more stretching exercises, doing sets of six exercises FIVE TIMES A DAY.  (I'm trying to forget that the previous three months of stretching made my heels worse.)

3.  Wear an immobilization night splint on the worst ankle to stretch the achilles tendon during the night.  (It's big.  It's ugly.  It's uncomfortable.  Now in addition to being in pain all day, I will suffer all night.)

4.  Wear 3/8 inch heel lifts in my shoes.  (I tried to explain that I've been unable to wear any closed heel shoes now for a year, so putting something into my shoes doesn't work.   X-rays today showed I have heel bone growth sticking out back there.  They think the heel lifts will just stay in my Crocs, but they weren't sure.)

5.  Wait eight more weeks until the next appointment.

Can you tell I'm mad?
Can you tell I'm frustrated?
Can you tell I'm at my rope's end?

Well here's how it is.  I'm gonna stretch those suckers till they snap if that's what needs to happen to get me some help.  So there.

Grumpy.

10 comments:

  1. Would changing Dr.s give you any relief?

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  2. agree...get another opinion mom. trust me, gmc isn't the end all be all.

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  3. Oh my, that all sounds maddening. Bless you.

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  4. Time to get a new doctor! Prayers to you for healing.

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  5. I have no idea what to say. I am disgusted with most doctors. They seem to have no idea how to treat my condition but just want me coming back so they can have a boost to their income. I am also frustrated!!!

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  6. That is crazy to be in pain for 8 more weeks. I was so hoping for a more encouraging post. You will remain in our prayers, Jill.

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  7. This sounds crazy to me. I do hope you get a 2nd opinion. Seriously.

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  8. Going thru shoulder pain myself right now, one month of PT made it worse now that the cortisone shot has worn off and I go back to see Doc on Tuesday. Hope I get better results that you in the long run! I had heel and arch pain (plantar fasciatis& heel spurs) years ago...bad news is patience is the key with feet since they are always getting re-inflamed. Took a few years to resolve, now pain free in the right shoes and I even run a little. At its worst I crawled to the bathroom in the morning, had to quit work and gained 20 pounds. Had to go to a couple of different docs: Podiatrist was worthless in my opinion, orthotics guys were better, but not all will make the same device, had three different docs with 3 different approaches before I found a guy/device that helped. Once I started improving had to get less aggressive orthotics and eventually was able to go without any. My advice...keep getting new opinions/options and ICE, ICE, ICE for the inflammation as many times a day as you can and when things get better buy the right shoes. There are only a few brands of shoes I will wear, most at least a hundred dollars a pair, but so worth every penny. My research indicated heel spur operations not usually successful. My heel spurs were left alone and now that the inflammation is finally gone do not bother me at all. Good luck!!!

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