Month 5

A lot has happened since my last posting.  I had my 6th Sympathetic Nerve Block on 6/28/13, and my final one two weeks later on 7/12/13.  At that time, Dr. NP said that because I was doing so well, that we would discontinue the Nerve Blocks.  He stated that he would like me to come in sometime during October, before the weather gets too cold, to get 2 more Nerve Block injections.  I seem to be doing really well still since my last injection.  I get the occasional "lightning bolt" feeling in my foot, but I do not believe that is the CRPS.  I am pretty sure that it is just my nerve rejuvenating itself.  But, I have been on high alert and have really been crossing my fingers that my CRPS went into remission.  I feel like I'm the luckiest girl in the world if it did!  I've seen several blogs of people living with this condition for years.  I thank God that he took away my pain and led me to such an awesome pain doctor!  

I had a my 14.5 week Post-Surgery check-up and x-rays on 7/8/13 with Dr. JS.  He stated that the placement of my right hip was still in the same position as surgery.  He could tell that I was strict with my non-weight bearing (due to the way the bones looked, I guess).  He then noticed on the x-rays that there was a fracture in my hip that seemed to be healing.  He looked back to my last appointment (5/23/13) and noticed that it was already fractured then.  We thought back and remembered that I slipped in the kitchen on 5/14/13.  At that that time I sent an email to Dr. JS's nurse . . . . 

----------------------------------------------------------

From: XXXXX

Sent: Tuesday, May 14, 2013 11:28 AM

To: Sarah

Subject: Fell down

Hey XXXX- 

I was just in the kitchen and I slipped on our floor and fell to the ground pretty hard.  I tried to grab the counter but my hand slipped off of it.  It doesn't really hurt at the moment, just a tad sore especially in the pelvic area.  I'm concerned that I could have messed up my surgery!  I wasn't sure how I'd stand from the floor without bearing weight.  But, I was able to scoot to the dining room, slide a chair to the wall and push myself up.  Let me if I need to do anything.  

Sarah

----------------------------------------------------------

From: XXXX

To: Sarah 

Subject: RE: Fell down

Date: Tue 5/14/13 11:55 AM

Hi Sarah,

I hope you are doing ok after your fall!  When I saw the title of your email my heart dropped.  What you have described is something that we are not immediately concerned about, and doesn’t, at this time, require you to come to the ER or get emergency X-rays.  Fortunately, you are over 6 weeks out from the surgery, and your bones are healing.  I would expect some discomfort and some swelling and/or bruising from the fall, but if you start to experience marked increase in hip pain, please let me know asap.  We see you on 05/23/2013 @0800 for X-rays and clinic visit, which we are looking forward to.

We really hope everything else is going well for you & keep me updated.

XXXX

----------------------------------------------------------

So, I never went in to check if I broke anything due to their recommendation.  And for some reason it was missed at the follow up appointment on the 23rd. I am just grateful that everything seemed to be healing very well, along with the broken Pelvic Bone.  

On 7/9/13, I had an electromyogram (EMG).  This test measures the electrical activity of muscles at rest and during contraction.  They basically stuck an electrode needle into several areas up and down my leg.  They then did a Nerve Conduction Study with Electrode pads to determine if I had an nerve activity.  The test took about 2 hours, but was worth it in the end because they told me that my nerve is healing itself and verified that it was stretched during surgery.   He told me that my Drop Foot would not be permanent, and I should expect it to come back within 6 months or soon (December 2013).  I was so excited, it was exactly what I wanted to hear!

Throughout the month of July and now August, I am still doing wonderful!  I still have Physical Therapy three days a week.  I started going to Aquatic Therapy, per Dr. NP's recommendation, about 2.5 weeks ago.  I feel as though I have better form in the water, but I noticed that my muscle strength is starting decrease.  So, instead of 3 days in the water, we are going to do 1 day in the water and 2 on the land.  I may also just talk to them about transferring completely back to land PT, as I felt like it was more beneficial for my Foot Drop.

Overall, I am feeling happier everyday and am so thankful for the life I have been given!  Our family has grown even closer together through all these tough times, and has made us appreciate our lives so much more.