January 22, 2014: pain started out at around a 6 this morning. A couple of good days in a row. Go, me! Doctor appointment was around lunch time, with first physical therapy appointment immediately afterward. During the morning, things started going slowly downhill and by the time I got to the doctor's office, I was pretty miserable.
I was shown to an exam room and the doctor's assistant came in to take my vitals, ask some pertinent questions, and get my file ready for the doctor. She asked me about any changes and I explained that my foot now turns red instead of purple. She looked down at my foot and said, "It looks pretty purple to me." I looked down and she was right. Well, crap. Then I told her about the Lyrica side effects and she said, "None of that sounds very fun." She has a flair for understatement.
When my doctor came in, he was ready for action. He told me to quit taking the Lyrica. Woo-hoo! He recommended starting nerve block injections, stressing the importance of treating it aggressively before it progresses. When I mentioned the change in color of my foot and asked if that was a good sign, he told me that any color other than my normal color is not a good sign. Well, crap.
I made appointments for two nerve block injections (two weeks apart, per my doctor's instructions) and headed upstairs to physical therapy, which is conveniently located in the same building as the pain management specialist, although it was prescribed by my previous doctor. As soon as I met the therapist, I told him I had RSD and quizzed him about his knowledge of it (again, per my doctor's instructions). Luckily for him, he passed my test and the session began in earnest. Today was mostly diagnostics - lots of measurements and testing of mobility, strength, etc. He looked at more than just my foot, to see if there were other alignment issues that might be contributing, so we could work on resolving them as well.
The result? Apparently I am all jacked up. (My phrase, not his, although he admitted that it was probably an accurate description.) Well, crap. I won't bore you with all the details, but as an example, my left hip is higher than my right hip. Whether that is the cause or the result of the issues in my right foot is anyone's guess. The important thing is that he appears to have a comprehensive plan for resolving all the issues in the hope that they will not trigger the RSD again in the future. I am in favor of this plan.
He also opined that my gait may be irritating my joint (and therefore, the RSD). He suggested walking more slowly and taking much shorter steps to keep from bending my foot so much. Those of you who know me well know this will be difficult, as I am usually set to Warp Speed 7. I will do my best to comply, though. He also gave me some simple exercises to do and asked me to come back twice a week for the next four weeks. In recounting the details of my visit to my patient, long-suffering husband, I told him I didn't think the physical therapist realized yet that I am an over-achiever. His response, "Don't worry, he'll know soon enough."
Whether it's the result of all the poking and prodding or just coincidence, the pain has ramped up to at least an 8 tonight, although the swelling doesn't seem to be as bad. We'll see how I sleep without the Lyrica. It would be a shame to find out I miss it after all my complaining...
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