Hello everybody, My name is Les. On 14th February 2022 (Valentines Day), I went with my wife of 37 years, to see a consultant neurologist who gave me a diagnosis of MND. As you can imagine it put quite a crease in Valentines Day.
On 28th December 2020 I did my usual 30 minutes on the exercise bike, spent about an hour on ladders fixing a security camera at home and then had to walk 1.5 miles into town to do a covid test prior to invigilating at the school I worked at, the next week. When I arrived at school I found I could no longer lift my left foot. After the covid test I then had to walk back home. Up to this point I had not got any major health problems or major disabilities other than arthritis in my right knee ..... not good when the right leg is now having to carry the left leg.
Due to covid it took until May 2021 to get an appointment with a GP and I was diagnosed with Drop Foot. From there I had several MRI tests and a Nerve Conductivity Test.
As well as 'drop foot' I also now suffer from swelling to the left foot and toes and my leg goes cold from the knee down and my foot/lower leg are constantly red/blue. I am not sure when the swelling and change in colour started. The consultant who carried out the Nerve Conductivity test/EMG had to keep putting my foot in a bucket of hot water to try and warm it up to do the tests. Every time I took my foot out of the bucket my leg went cold again straight away. The MRI tests did not disclose any trapped nerve in my back or down my left leg and using the results of the Nerve Conductivity test/EMG, I was given the diagnosis of MND.
I have since had MRI's on brain, lumbar and spinal column with nothing disclosed out of the ordinary (I am 63, so as with the other MRI's there is some degeneration on the discs). The MRI on the spine/neck did show a trapped nerve in my neck which I have had since a serious car crash in 1981. I have also had a second Nerve Conductivity test/EMG. Again, my leg was very cold and the consultant kept trying to warm it up with hot blankets.
Letters have been sent to my GP stating I have MND and another stating I have Anterior Horn cell disease.
At the moment my wife and I are still trying to come to terms with our situation. I have gone from being able to walk 5 miles a day down to a slight hobble and great difficulty in climbing stairs. I have bought an Xtern Turbomed AFO, which keeps my foot up and allows me to walk up to 1 mile with a walking stick. I have no power in my lower left leg and have muscular atrophy to my calf. Over a period of time I have developed a stronger left quad which appears to try and do the job of the calf. This in itself causes a number of problems as it gets tired very easily and becomes tight. I do not suffer any breathing problems at this time and do not suffer tiredness after exercise other than to my left quad.
I do regular stretching exercises as prescribed by my physiotherapist and have regular massages to my back and left leg to help relieve the tension in my muscles. If anybody needs a massage in the Lichfield area I can certainly recommend someone very good.
I am not sure how much to put in the opening log but thought it might be useful for others to get a brief insight as to how I arrived here. Sorry if I have put too much information.
On 28th December 2020 I did my usual 30 minutes on the exercise bike, spent about an hour on ladders fixing a security camera at home and then had to walk 1.5 miles into town to do a covid test prior to invigilating at the school I worked at, the next week. When I arrived at school I found I could no longer lift my left foot. After the covid test I then had to walk back home. Up to this point I had not got any major health problems or major disabilities other than arthritis in my right knee ..... not good when the right leg is now having to carry the left leg.
Due to covid it took until May 2021 to get an appointment with a GP and I was diagnosed with Drop Foot. From there I had several MRI tests and a Nerve Conductivity Test.
As well as 'drop foot' I also now suffer from swelling to the left foot and toes and my leg goes cold from the knee down and my foot/lower leg are constantly red/blue. I am not sure when the swelling and change in colour started. The consultant who carried out the Nerve Conductivity test/EMG had to keep putting my foot in a bucket of hot water to try and warm it up to do the tests. Every time I took my foot out of the bucket my leg went cold again straight away. The MRI tests did not disclose any trapped nerve in my back or down my left leg and using the results of the Nerve Conductivity test/EMG, I was given the diagnosis of MND.
I have since had MRI's on brain, lumbar and spinal column with nothing disclosed out of the ordinary (I am 63, so as with the other MRI's there is some degeneration on the discs). The MRI on the spine/neck did show a trapped nerve in my neck which I have had since a serious car crash in 1981. I have also had a second Nerve Conductivity test/EMG. Again, my leg was very cold and the consultant kept trying to warm it up with hot blankets.
Letters have been sent to my GP stating I have MND and another stating I have Anterior Horn cell disease.
At the moment my wife and I are still trying to come to terms with our situation. I have gone from being able to walk 5 miles a day down to a slight hobble and great difficulty in climbing stairs. I have bought an Xtern Turbomed AFO, which keeps my foot up and allows me to walk up to 1 mile with a walking stick. I have no power in my lower left leg and have muscular atrophy to my calf. Over a period of time I have developed a stronger left quad which appears to try and do the job of the calf. This in itself causes a number of problems as it gets tired very easily and becomes tight. I do not suffer any breathing problems at this time and do not suffer tiredness after exercise other than to my left quad.
I do regular stretching exercises as prescribed by my physiotherapist and have regular massages to my back and left leg to help relieve the tension in my muscles. If anybody needs a massage in the Lichfield area I can certainly recommend someone very good.
I am not sure how much to put in the opening log but thought it might be useful for others to get a brief insight as to how I arrived here. Sorry if I have put too much information.
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