...Just Keep On Comin'
Sometime
in early January, I took a fall off the bottom of the steps between my
parking space and the yard. It was dark, I was tired and grumpy,
fussing with my backpack and a package all at the same time I was
descending said stairs. Scuffed up my left knee pretty well, and twised
my right ankle enough so that I had to hobble a bit into the house.
All in all, not a major deal. So I thought.
That
night, the whole right foot, from the ankle to the sole was a
throbbing, painful ache. I had visions of a visit to a podiatrist the
next day, or at least setting up an appointment with one. Didn't get to
sleep until after 4 am. And yet, then next morning, the foot was just
fine. No indication that it had ever been so insomnia producingly
painful.
And
then I started to notice a bit of a 'blinch' when I moved in just the
right way. (Blinch, n., a sudden jolt of electric-like pain down a
nerve path, coupled with a desire to unload the blinched appendage as
quickly as possible. See also, "Doctor, it hurts when I do that... .")
I figured I'd go see Dr. Fritz when I was a bit more solvent that I was
at the time. He is a chiropractor I met in one of my classes at the
library. As big a bear, if not bigger, than I am.
And
so it went, until Saturday before last, when the lower back took an
express hand basket to hell, taking my ability to stand upright and walk
normally with it. Fortunately, I was able to get in to see Dr. Fritz
last Monday. The plan was 3 visits per week for two weeks, the
re-evaluate. Which was going along fine until I mentioned that I
noticed my left foot "dropping". He asked me to stand on tip-toes, then
on my heels. I went 1 and 0. I don't remember the medical terms, but I
have no roll or yaw control, and only downward pitch control in my left
foot. No heel-walking.
Dr.
Fritz' take is that I have a disk impinging on my spinal cord, causing
the weakness in my left leg and foot. Based on where I told him the ice
pick was being stuck in my left shin, he said the impingement was at
the L-5 vertebra. And that I needed to get my M.D. to evaluate it,
pronto. (My word, not Dr. Fritz'.) The "pronto" part is to get it
treated before the damage becomes permanent. Which could involve
diapers. The evaluation probably means another MRI. Which I can't afford.
Meanwhile,
entropy is slowly taking over the house, as I have little energy for
hauling stuff up and down stairs. I haven't walked the dogs since a
week ago Thursday. I did make use of Sam's "click and pull", so my
groceries were waiting for my at the customer service counter. And I
used a cart as a walker when I went through Wal-Mart.
So,
prayer in any denomination is welcome and solicited. I don't know what
I'll do if I'm unable to navigate this three story house and, more
importantly, walk the dogs.
Interesting.
(Posted over at Leelu's Place blog, too.)
