I might have to get ankle braces :(

    • Anonymous
      September 27, 2011 at 7:04 pm

      I’ve been having terrible muscle cramps in my peroneals, along with ankle pain in the peroneal tendons for two or so years now. Since they didn’t go away with the usual drugs, my neuro finally kicked me upstairs to the head of the department. The new guy had an idea right away–that I might be taking too much B6. So I stopped taking my B100s, and the cramps are almost gone.

      But I still have the ankle pain, and a few weeks ago I felt a terrible “pop” right at the peroneal tendon. I saw a podiatrist/orthopedist, and she thought I had a subluxated tendon. I went for an ultrasound yesterday.

      The good news is that it’s not subluxated. The bad news is that both tendons are so damaged that she wants to fit me for custom ankle braces that I will have to wear for the rest of my life. What???

      I still need to get an MRI, and then a second opinion. Because I don’t want these braces.

      What does this mean? Will I be able to walk? Through the cramping, and when the ankle pain was less severe, I was walking 3 miles a day, doing the elliptical a few days a week, and doing yoga 2-3x a week. Will I be able to do any of that? If I don’t work out I’ll get fat (I’m on pred, and I have to eat under 1200 cals/day to maintain my weight, which is still 30 lbs overweight). Who is going to want to date a fat lady in ankle braces?

      I’m really sad about this. If this is going to limit my activities, I may as well go off the pred. At least I’ll be thin again.

      -marie

    • Anonymous
      September 28, 2011 at 12:14 am

      I have had to wear AFOs since 2002, although I wasn’t able to begin walking again until 2004. Mine are rigid at the ankles, so it does limit my activities, but I do walk (albeit somewhat limited,) & I do water aerobics as often as I can. If you could get by with the “hinged” ankle braces you would be able to do so much more. I too was on steroids, weekly 1,000 mg infusions for 21 months back in 2002-2004. I went from 136# to 216# in that time frame, but the nurses kept telling me that once I got off the steroids the weight would fall off. Not true, I have had a weight problem ever since then. Keep losing & gaining back the same 30-50#. I have to literally starve to lose weight, as my mobility is impaired. Fortunately I have been happily married for 36 yr. but there are nice men out there, & 30# is nothing nowadays.

    • Anonymous
      September 28, 2011 at 2:19 am

      I was 130 when I started on pred. Oh, how I’d love to be back there again 🙂

    • Lori222
      September 28, 2011 at 9:53 pm

      mungo—what about exercises where your feet stay in one place, stepper, bike or eliptical? i find these easier right now with my ankles being weaker.
      The right person is not going to care about your weight or ankle braces—you will meet him when you’re least expecting it 🙂

    • Anonymous
      September 30, 2011 at 8:57 pm

      Hi, Lori–thanks for the suggestions. I keep meaning to get back on the recumbent bike at the gym. I’ll try that and see how my ankles do.

      -marie