Leg Update #2

Well, the results are in.  It is not a blood clot.  It is not deep vein thrombosis.  That's what it isn't.  They do NOT know what it is.  Nor, apparently, do they care, especially since the leg is getting better on its own.  I love the medical system.  They called to tell me no blood clots and no thrombosis, and got ready to hang up. 

I went, "Whoa, wait a minute here.  We aren't done.  I've been in intense pain for over two months, been on crutches and painkillers, been incapacitated.  Shouldn't we dig a little deeper to find out WHAT is causing all this pain, so that I can keep it from happening again?  And what exercises or therapy should I be doing?"  The nurse was nonplused.  After all, I was getting better.  The problem was going away on its own.

It was my turn to be nonplused.  Just because I'm getting better doesn't mean we can now ignore the previous months of pain, or the fact that for the past two years I've had more and more bouts of intermittent pain.  I guess these questions will remain unanswered.  Wonderful medical system we have, eh?

So I'm going to lose weight, as I'm sure that's a factor.  I'm being careful about the leg, trying to avoid doing anything that will cause a flare-up.  I sleep with a pillow between my knees (have for years).  I'm taking aspirin when the pain flares up.  I'm not overdoing things--no more long hours on my feet doing spring housecleaning or house painting beyond the pain threshhold. Without a diagnosis, that's all I can do.  Plus, I'm staying away from banana peels.

Leg Update

I saw the doc last week regarding my bum leg, and yesterday I went in for ultrasound to "rule out a blood clot."  Of course, they won't tell you the results of the ultrasound.  You have to get that from your own doc.  The ultrasound lady told me that my doc would have the results of the ultrasound in a couple of days, so I'm expecting a phone call by the end of the week.

In the meantime, the doc gave me some pain pills, so I'm off crutches for now, thank goodness.

Bum Leg

The past 45 days have been interesting.  For some reason, I ended up with a bum right leg.  I suspect part of the reasonn is my persistent meralgia paresthetica (pinched nerve) in my thigh, but that doesn't explain the knee and calf pain. Sitting is painful.  Walking is painful.  Standing is painful.  Driving is excruciating because of the pressure on the back of the thigh from sitting.  Lyng down does help a little.

When you live alone, there's nobody to fetch and carry for you.  Nobody to bring you a glass of water or cook your dinner or drive to the grocery store.  So resting the leg is difficult--thus the borrowed crutches and the standing saddle stool (more on the stool, below).

Never one to rush into things, I thought I'd take a wait and see attitude and let Mother Nature do some healing.  Apparently Mother Nature was on vacation, because she totally ignored me, and the pain got so bad that I'm now on crutches.  I also bought one of those standing saddle stools, and I zoom all around the house in it, which has helped take the weight off my bad leg. These stools are designed with a seat that looks like an English saddle, so that when you sit in them, your legs hang down from the hips, not from the knees.  This takes pressure off the back of the thighs and keeps the hips in a more open position.

I have an appointment with the doc in a few days to get a diagnosis and to see if they can get me back to normal.  In the meantime, just call me "gimp."