Next...

So now I have rescheduled my chiropractic appt from later today until Tuesday after lunch.  He plans to redo the xrays of my hips, and I just didn't have time to do that tonight.

PVD?

I now have an appt to check out peripheral vascular disease in Seymour, on Monday August 13.  That just seems forever away...

More foot frustration

I called my family dr on Tuesday, to try to get an MRI ordered.  I was assured I would be called back late in the day on Tues.  No call.  So Wed morning, I called again, and she told me he was working on "my case" right then, and she'd call me back yet this morning.  So at 4:20 I still hadn't heard from her, and called again.  The dr doesn't want to "throw more tests" at my problem, especially an expensive MRI, and would rather wait for me to see the rheumatologist on June 18, to see what that dr wants to order.  However, a rheumatologist doesn't deal with tarsal tunnel syndrome, and I have so many symptoms that fit tarsal tunnel - I want to rule that out.  My family doctor's office is closed on Thurs (of course), so now I'll be waiting until Friday to even hear back, let alone get anything scheduled.  *sigh*

I will call on Thurs and get an appt to see a different cardiologist to test out the peripheral vascular disease theory, but I imagine it will be a while before I can get in, as those doctors rotate to Seymour from St Vincents in Indianapolis.  But I might as well get the ball rolling.  I can always cancel later IF we find a cause.

Prayers much appreciated.

Feet next try

Today I saw a chiropractor.  He took xrays and told me my neck is pretty far out of alignment, and one hip was much higher than the other.  Those COULD cause nerve problems elsewhere in the body.  HOWEVER, I know for a fact I wasn't standing "properly" - not that I did that on purpose, but didn't think about it, until after I got home.  I don't remember the gal telling me to stand flat-footed or anything.  ARGH.  Waiting on a call back from their office to find out how they might want to proceed. 

I also have a request in to get an MRI from my family doctor, as my podiatrist is gone this week.

My feet are a mess

Since my last post, my feet have sure gotten worse. I had a 2nd opinion from another podiatrist regarding my feet, and she ruled out plantar fasciitis after all. My regular podiatrist was certainly "iffy" when he diagnosed, as pushing on the bottom of my feet did NOT illicit pain as he expected. The 2nd podiatrist assumed the pain I'm having is from the Raynaud's. I'm still "iffy" myself on whether I have primary Raynaud's, so I am continuing the search.

After visiting the 2nd opinion podiatrist, she suggested I could get different Raynaud's medicine by seeing a cardiologist and suggested someone for me to visit. I chose a different cardiologist (closer to home), and after an initial cold greeting, he really has tried to help. He wanted to check for blood clots showering my legs, so first he did an ultrasound of my legs (which was fine).  He also did bloodwork - all of which was very good.  That ruled out arthritis and lupus at least.  My SED rate (inflammation) was also very low, at 7.  That leads the cardiologist AWAY from Raynaud's.  Hmm...

Then I went back to my regular podiatrist, to see if maybe I have tarsal tunnel, rather than plantar fasciitis. They did an ultrasound in the office to measure the plantar fascia, to see if it was inflamed and/or attached to my bone as it should be. All was good there, so he did a few more clinical tests and decided to try the tarsal tunnel tests. He also suggested I go ahead with the abdominal ultrasound to rule out abdominal aorta blood clots.

The ultrasound was last Wednesday, and was fine. Then I got into the neurologist to have the EMG/nerve conduction study of my legs/feet, but that test is pretty inconclusive for tarsal tunnel. It works much better for carpal tunnel (which I also have). His suggestion was either Raynaud's or still tarsal tunnel, but they'd have to go in and do "exploratory tarsal tunnel release surgery" to know for sure.

I've done more research, and want to request an MRI of my feet to try to rule in/out tarsal tunnel. I'm kind of lost as to what to try next, but I do have a rheumatologist appt June 18. That is the dr to see for Raynaud's. There aren't a lot of treatment options for Raynaud's, although a few.

The pain has gotten so bad in my right foot (not constantly, but 98% of the time it seems) that I can't even really walk on it anymore. I was walking on the ball of my foot, but the left side hurts too (although not as much as the right), so both feet are really a mess. I have asked to borrow a friend's wheelchair, and I will be using that for a while, until the doctors can figure out what the problem is, and hopefully remedy it.

I'll keep this updated a bit more often now, or at least try.

Cindy