Leg Procedure Follow Up #1

Last Tuesday,I had a procedure done on my right leg. You already know about that. I was told NOT to bathe for 48 hours afterwards---which was awful, as I had to work the day after and the day after that. I tried to do a sponge bath leaning over the tub the first day, but wasn't so successful. The 2nd day, I considered calling in sick, but then I recalled how we do things at work. make a leg hole in a Hefty bag, add some foam tape and voila...a non-wet leg shower garment---which allowed me to shower (against advice) while keeping the leg high and dry.

I was told to keep ,my dressings on until the next day as well. After work that night, i slowly took them off and saw the mess my leg had become:

Yes, my leg looks like hamburger...gone bad. But I don't care what it looks like just as long as it works. But I do NOT think it did the trick. Waaaagh!

I went to the doctor for the follow up appointment today. I had to wear these stylish "shorts" (a little more modest than the "stripper" shorts they had me wear for the procedure):

I really didn't know what to expect or what I was going to say, other than I was still having issues. The bottom of my foot is still numb and overly sensitive. The three end toes still do not work. Driving with a shoe on for anything other than a short distance still kills me. Last night, I had the occasional painful flare up in my feet, toes, heel, etc....but also had the worst night in a long time (ever?) for my leg pain in general. UGH! I was so tired, but had all sorts of pain and couldn't sleep. I ended up taking Advil and a bit of sleeping pill (which gave me restless, repetitive and annoying dreams). Groan. In other words, my leg was not fixed. The ONLY real change I could feel in my leg was the pain where the doctor had worked on it.

The doctor came in wheeling his ultrasound machine. Great, I thought. My insurance isn't going to cover this part of the exam. Because we work at a hospital, for our insurance, all of our lab work and things like x-rays and ultrasounds have to be done at the hospital. However, I let it go as it would have been pointless to have NOT had the ultrasound on at that moment to check his work while I was there. Ka-ching! Ka-ching! Ka-ching!  He used the ultrasound on my leg and it looked good, both the great saphenous (and the mystery extra BONUS vein) were devoid of blood. That's a good thing, I guess.

However, when I went over what was still hurting on me, i could tell that during my initial consultation he had NOT been listening. I'm sure, like most doctors I've encountered, he just automatically assumed I had poor valves in my great saphenous and cauterizing them would solve the problem---and he shut out what I was telling him. This time he listened. 

What? Your feet are numb, but they hurt when you walk and are hypersensitive to pain? What? Your toes don't move? That sounds like a neuro prob...oh? You've already seen a neurologist? Extensively?

Clearly, these were things he was NOT expecting to hear even though I had gone over the entire history of my increasing mobility problem with him at the get-go. So now he wants me to see a podiatrist about my feet problem. Okay. From neurologist, to cardiologist, to vascular surgeon, to podiatrist. Why not? 

I need to check back in a month. At that time we will see what, if any, improvement there is to my leg AND decide what to do about the left leg. I doubt I'll have gotten into a podiatrist yet as I'll need to go through my primary to get a referral, etc. etc,. etc. One step at a time (no pun intended).

As each doctor passes me off to the next when they can't figure me out, I become more and more (and MORE) convinced that this has something to do with my blood pressure medications, that the meds are doing this to me. My cardiologist already took me off Amlodipine...but when he did that, he upped the amount of Valsartan i was taking. I also take Atenolol with a built in diuretic, Chlorathalidome. But when I look these drugs up, I do NOT see anywhere anything about mobility issues. But SOMETHING must be causing it. Right?

I'm at a loss right now. I don't know what to do...except do as i'm told (see a podiatrist and do my next follow up).

But I don't think this procedure did anything really...other than mutilate myself a bit more.  Oh that reminds me, I now have the world's largest "knee dimple". I know it is hard to see, but here is a photo:

See it? No? Well try these short video clips. It's not too attractive...but I don't care if my legs will work again:

That's about it. I'll keep you posted if there's any development. But as my mobility seems to not have been helped, I will say I'd rather be travelling than sitting here feeling the pain from my fresh bruises and scarring. I have been travelling as much as possible for fear my mobility will only get worse. You never know when you'll get to the end of the road.

CHEERS!

For the next update, click HERE.