My Father - In - Law cannot Walk!

Hi everyone.  I just had a question.  My father - in - law had a heart attack about a year & one half ago.  He drank/smoked most of his life, but as soon as he had the attack, quit smoking & cut down on his drinking.  In the last five months he started to limp & is now dragging both feet, having losts of back pain and is falling alot.  The doctors claimed they couldn't find anything wrong until he told them he had brain surgery in the early 1980's.  They have now said that his brain has atrophied (sp?) & it is because of the brain surgery he had back almost 30 years ago.  I think it seems convenient to blame it on that.  I think they just don't know & don't want to admit it.  They say in less than one year he will be in a wheelchair.  Please help!  Does anyone know of this happening to anyone else?

[Itschuck2c]

lots of back pain..get a mri done on his spine. Also its not unheard of for a heavy long term smoker to have circulation problems in the legs..has he been checked for diabetes??

[noochster]

My father is 61 and he started falling down.  He has diabetes -its controlled- for a couple of years now.  But even if he has poor circulation in his feet, what does that have to do with him 'dragging them' why cant he lift them up?