Hello again - and some questions

[john8888]

Chris

Having foot beds made is a personal service. You want it done near your home by an expert.

You want an real expert to do this. It is like spinal surgery)))). You want someone that does this on a day to day basis and has years of experience.

You will find some suppliers in the Yello Pages but you need to figure out who is really and expert near you.

I found my supplier by calling up a sports injury centre doctor and asking for a recommendation.

You can also call a Podiatrist near your home and get a recommendation

They are called “Custom Foot Orthotics”

You are fitted with custom made foot orthotics at a clinic.

The person doing the fitting makes a plaster cast of your foot. You also leave them with a pair of shoes goes to the manufacturer with the casting to ensure proper fit.

The turn around time is about 2 weeks.

When they came back I was shocked. They are hard plastic, modeled to the bottom of your foot. Mine just covers the arch and the heel.

They look uncomfortable (ie hard plastic) but when you put them in your shoes they take strain away.

They cost me $200 and they are a pure joy. Plus you get plaster casts of your feet to keep in the basement))))))

John

[chickiet]

Hi Richard,

Both of my surgeries were at WRAMC - done by Dr. Patrick Cooper. My husband is retired USAF. I really like Dr. Cooper - young but very thorough and caring.

The wife of a co-worker of my husband had a brain tumor this summer, and Col Smith was her NS - she thinks he's great. But I've not met him, nor your surgeon (Ecklund) - just Dr. Cooper and the residents/interns/med students who make the rounds. Between my two surgeries I got to meet a lot of them, and I've got to say that all were wonderful.

When do you come back to the States? And where are you stationed - still in KS? Will you be coming back to WRAMC at any time?

Thanks for your service to our country - I am truly impressed that you're still in the Army and keeping the rest of us safe. I really appreciate what you're doing - especially considering the ongling physical/medical issues that you (like the rest of us) are left with.

Chris

[chickiet]

John,

Thanks for the info. I'll see how it goes for a while, but may look into the custom foot things later. I just went back to my pain mgt dr today and we're increasing the lyrica dosage for now. We may then add in another agent if that doesn't do the trick. I figure I'll give that a shot first and then go from there.

Thanks again,
Chris

[marks]

I had an incredible meltdown with one of the other doc's at work last week. Sometimes it's just a lot to deal with. She jsut said she was honored that I could tell her my difficulties. Keep the faith.

[richard0314]

Hi Chris
I finally chome home in April after 15 Month I hope. and yes i will be making a trip to WRAMC shortly there after right now i am a year late for my MRI and not to excited about the one coming after this deployment. God only knows whats going on right now in my back. I see you live in northern VA mabe we can link up at WRAMC and have lunch, and i always thank a Vetern so thank your husband for me!
Richard

[Joel]

Chris:
I'm so sorry about everything. I think things like foot-pain problems improve for some, not, for others. In my case, I have all the same symptoms as you, but walking for me is limited to at most a couple hundred yards at a time. Then, the pain is just too much. The custom orthotics help, but my arch on one foot has now collapsed, making balance/pain issues even harder to negotiate walking. I limit my workouuts to the gym, and these help alot. I take Lyrica 3 times throughout the day, to help with the pain. I up the dosage when I know I'm going to be on my feet alot, like when I accompany the family to a museum or something. Hopefully, things will get better for you. You should continue your workouts--I think that is the one thing we should all be doing. My surgeries were 11 years ago, then 4 years ago. C2-C4 intramedulary SCT--probably astrocytoma w/cyst, syrinx.
Joel

[chickiet]

Joel,

Wow - I'm so sorry to hear that you're still having the foot pain after all these years. On my current Lyrica dosage (my pain mgt doc said it was the max) I am able to walk a fair distance - much better than before. But the numbness is still there, so the balance issues still exist as well as the Lyrica side effects.

Thanks for the prod/reminder on the exercising. I agree - I need to get back to my exercise plan - you're right that that's probably the one thing that will help with maintaining things and possibly helping - at least with balance, etc.

You said you had one surgery 11 yrs ago and another one 4 yrs ago - what was the issue that prompted the second surgery? Also - were your deficits worsened considerably by your second surgery, or did you have this level of deficits pretty much all along?

Just curious about how this all went for you. I am still hopefull that I will have improvement over time - but I also realize that this may not be the case.

Chris

[chickiet]

Richard -

It would be wonderful to meet you at WRAMC when you come back. I've just sent you a message with my contact info, so please let me know when you'll be here.

I truly hope that your next MRI will show positive results. You definitely deserve that after your service. And I've got to say that I'm sure you get more exercise than a lot of us.

Chris