Broken Stiletto Dreams

Many of you have been interested in hearing about my developments on the “foot front.” I have indeed seen a podiatrist since my last posting. The reason I haven’t said anything until now, is because I haven’t had any answers. It is with a heavy but strong heart that I can now say to you, I know what has been ailing me.

My appointment with the Foot Dr. was about a month and a half ago. What I thought was going to be an in-and-out, we’re-going-to-fix-you-quick-like, appointment, turned in to a full on investigation. After being examined, prodded and poked by what seemed like a dozen specialists, my Dr. finally came to two conclusions: 1) I needed physical therapy for my strength and balance and 2) that I needed to be referred to a neurologist. I thought she was joking. What in God’s name would I need to see a neurologist about? She explained that there were a couple of nerve conditions that she thought I may have and that she wanted to rule them out before she continued on with treatment.

Clearly, the nerves are not something you want to have issues with so of course, this news both frustrated and scared me. For the sake of brevity I’m going to fast forward up until this last week, which was when I finally received an answer; mind you, not an answer I wanted to hear, but nonetheless, an answer.

Last Wednesday I was finally observed by my neurologist. He gave me a thorough once over and determined that he wanted me to get an EMG test. For those of you who don’t know what that is, it is not a pleasant experience. It involves sending electric pulses through the nerves to get readings on how they respond. There’s also a portion that involves sticking needles in to the body while flexing muscles. My test was administered two days later and was probably one of the most emotional experiences I’ve ever had. I couldn’t believe it had come to this.

After what seemed like an eternity, it was finally over and time for my reading. The test was conclusive that I have a hereditary form of Peripheral Neuropathy, also known as Charot-Marie-Tooth Disease. This is a degenerative neurological disorder that affects the extremities causing atrophy in the calves, ankles, feet, forearms and hands. There is no cure and it cannot be reversed. My condition will stay the same or it will get worse. I will say that when I read the full description of what the disease entailed, I knew that was what I had. It was like, here in black and white, is what iv'e been trying to articulate my whole life but was never capable of. Unfortunately, no second opinion will be needed.

While this news is clearly not good, I’m staying positive. The symptoms that I have at this point in my life are relatively mild and have not affected me a great deal. I hope and pray that it will never get to the point where my walking will be seriously impaired but if it does, I’ll deal with it when it comes - one day at a time, one foot in front of the other.

http://millercenter.uchicago.edu/learnaboutpn/typesofpn/hereditary/charcotmarietooth.shtml