AS MY RIGHT FOOT DROPS, I FALL OVER AND I KNOW WHAT I NEED TO DO
I frequently toss around the cliche; I am waiting for my other shoe to drop.
A couple of weeks ago, as I rose from my dining room chair, my right foot chose to collapse and smack the ground instead of holding up my body. When I tried to stand up and make sense of what had happened, I realized I was dropping another shoe.
Seconds after a non-elegant flop lands me on top of our Saltillo Tiles; I wonder how my two-and-a-half-inch wedge shoe would break? As I stumble to rise, I am confused. My go-to black wedges look fine; I question if it is my right foot and not my shoe that is the reason for my fall.
I embarrassingly raise my body and stand; I try to walk my girlfriend to the door. I have only had two glasses of mimosas, I know it is not the alcohol, and we had plenty to eat.
Sadly, after my front door is open, my girlfriend walks over to her Uber ride, and I have a repeat experience of falling to the floor. I am relieved that my dear friend does not realize I have another health issue.
I now have to drag my body inside my house to our family room couch.
Once on the couch, I examine my right and left foot, knowing I have another medical issue. I discover my right foot does not move in an upward direction.
If I develop a physical issue, I take photos of the affected area. The photo on the top of this post shows that my right foot will not raise.
I should also note that my legs and arms feel numb. My pity party begins.
The next day, after a ZOOM call with my brilliant Neurologist, I believe I know what I have; Drop foot. My Neurologist ordered me an MRI and scheduled an electric nerve test to understand how my nerves function.
My Neurologist's assumption that I have Drop Foot checks all symptom boxes. I do not know if my Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy or my Relapsing Polychondritis (RP) trigger my Drop Foot. My CIDP and RP are rare diseases, and their cause is unknown.
CHRONIC INFLAMMATORY DEMYELINATING POLYNEUROPATHY (CIPD)
I battle Chronic Inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIPD). In CIPD, the peripheral nerves are chronically swollen and irritated. This inflammation damages peripheral nerves, but not the brain or spinal cord.
An easy way to understand the peripheral nerves is to envision the nerves like the cables connecting the different parts of a computer. When the nerves malfunction, the complex functions of our computer (body) can grind to a halt.
RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS
Relapsing Polychondritis is a rare disease that causes inflammation of your cartilage and other tissues in your body.
RELAPSING POLYCHONDRITIS SYMPTOMS
The disease Relapsing Polychdondritis primarily affects your ears and joint's cartilage( cartilage is a firm but flexible tissue).
Cartilage can be found in your nose, ribs, spine, and windpipe. Relapsing Polychondritis can affect any area where the tissue is similar to cartilage, like your eyes, heart, kidney, heart, ribs, blood vessels, and nervous system.
Relapsing Polychondritis is a rare painful disease.
During my Relaping Polychondiritis flares, my body feels like it is being cooked alive.
DROP FOOT
A drop foot is the inability to lift the front part of the foot. The inability to raise your foot causes the toes to drag along the ground while walking.
DROP FOOT CAUSES
What Causes Foot Drop aka Drop Foot?
Foot drop is a symptom of an underlying problem rather than a disease itself.
Drop foot can be temporary or permanent.
The causes of foot drop include nerve injury brain or spinal disorders muscle disorders.
My neurologist tells me to immediately place a rigid brace 24/7 around my ankle to prevent another fall and stop my foot's deformity.
I have been wearing an ankle brace for weeks, and I am happy to write that I have begun to walk again slowly.
I use my new Tens machine on my right foot several hours a day to stimulate the nerve.
Below is the Tens machine I purchased from Amazon:
I also engage in drop foot exercises; yes, there is a thing.
I have discovered numerous Drop Foot exercise videos on YouTube.
Here is an example of one of the Drop Foot video exercises:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEHgViLbDx0
While, my journey with Drop Foot continues, and I realize my hiatus HypoGal is over.
I feel that I need to share my health journey and my shortcuts to living with a chronic health condition.
So, I am back.