What is "foot drop"

[mergirl82]

Hello,
This is my first time posting here. I have suspected that I might have MS for around three years based on numerous symptoms. I had a normal MRI in 2012. It was not, however an MRI with contrast. Don't know if that matters. Anyhow, I have read about "foot drop", and that it is a symptom of MS, but don't really know what it means. I have been having some really awful muscle weakness in my legs especially. I call it jello legs. The past week has been terrible, and last night and tonight I could barely walk. My legs feel like they weigh a million pounds, I cant lift my feet high enough off the ground to walk. My legs are shaking so much. My husband actually had to carry me into the house tonight. He wanted me to go into the hospital. I refused, because I hate dr's and the hospital especially. But anyway, I don't want to list all the other stuff in this post, too long and I am exhausted.
Thanks for any help
Mer

[mergirl82]

The Neuro he's referring me to is not an ms specialist, but there are two in the same practice, so hopefully he will shift me to one of them if that is what he ends up thinking the problem is. My pcp only refers to one Neuro (he has a "guy" in each specialty, like Neuro, gun, etc that he refers to, and that pretty much it). Good to know that the Mri will show stuff with or without contrast. Thanks for the reply.

[kwarendorf]

Hi Mer -

MS can be the great connector of dots. It was for me. I'd spent 20 years casing this or that individual symptom, with varying degrees of enthusiasm. They were all connected to, and caused by MS.

Do not expect your PCP to have the ability to help you sort through this. He or she does not have the expertise. Neither does your migraine specialist. If you suspect MS, and i'm not saying it is or isn't MS, you need to find a neurologist that specializes in MS.

Ask your PCP to help you find one. If you get no help there contact the local chapter od the MS society. This the first step on what can be a long journey. Lots more tests and MRI's. But it's the only way to figure it out :-)

Kyle
PS All lesions will show up on MRI done without contrast. The contrast highlights new or active lesions. On an MRI done wthout contrast new/active lesions appear the same as old ones, but they all appear.

[mergirl82]

I went to my Pcp and he took blood and is referring me out to a neurologist. His first reaction was are you sure your not just depressed? He said because so many "systems were involved with what I was saying, and it seemed as though my symptoms have come and gone over a period of years, and gotten more. Anyway, think he believed me when I said not depressed, but I was a little irritated. I asked, so my hands would shake like this if I was depressed, and he said, well if you are having bad anxiety problems, which, I am not. Oh well, at least I've taken a step

[mergirl82]

Thanks for the reply. Yeah, right now I am only on bout 8 meds, 5 of which are for my migraines, and then a dieretic because I had a weird thing where my feet and ankles were really swollen for about 4 months with no known cause. Then a hormone replacement, and some other one I cant remember. Guess I should be glad there are only 8. I am thinking of going to my primary care doc and just laying it all out there for him, hopefully he will be willing to go through and test/check for various things. I definitely don't want to have ms, don't get me wrong, but I guess I would like to know what the heck is going on. Maybe if I did have some kind of diagnosis, I could address the symptoms better. Just sick of being sick. Thanks again, and I appreciate everyone kind of kicking me in the behind to get to a doc.
Mer

[SarahL2491]

if you are concerned about it being MS, you need an MS specialist neuro but sounds like your neuro is more focused on migraines which would not cause all o these problems.  

We certainly don't want you to have MS, some of us, most really, are on meds that, without insurance, run in the thousands per month.  I take 19 pills a day, all for MS except 4.  You need a doctor who will go down your list and run some blood tests and rule out each problem.  Perhaps if you can put them in categories.

None of us are doctors, just MS patients, diagnosed and not diagnosed, trying to help and learn from each other and we've all been the multi doctor route, I think.  I have had MS since 1981, according to my current neuro (but I can track it now back to 1965) and just got Dx in 2011, so I have permanent foot drop because a wonderful neuro refused to dx me and put me on DMD meds before it started.

Keep at it, and maybe just address one thing at a time.

[mergirl82]

hi,
I don't really refuse to go to the dr's... I might hate going, but I have several :/ I have a migraine headache specialist, who is a neuro, a primary care dr, a cardiologist, and a hormone dr (because I had a hysterectomy in 2011, and yes that who experience is part of why I am not a fan of going to the dr, it was a disaster, and a long version of one at that). I am 32, on 150 dollars of prescription drugs a month, and go to see my migraine doc about every two months. And I have mentioned all these things to all the docs at one point or another, just not maybe to one doc, and all at the same time. I guess I just am tired of each one individually shrugging their shoulders, and doing nothing. I have had a MRI (in 2012) which was normal, and recently an EEG, which I assume was also normal as I never heard back from the doc despite calling. I guess I will have to bite the bullet and try again to talk to one of my doctors about all this stuff combined and see where it goes. Thanks.
Meredith

[essdipity]

Well, Mer, if you refuse to be examined by a doctor, you are 'doomed' to not know what could be wrong. That's a blunt way of putting it, of course, yet nonetheless true. So I urge you to overcome your dislike of doctors, find a good one, and get started.

What you describe is most likely neurological, but within that area there are hundreds of diseases and disorders. You need to have lots of tests so as to eliminate a great many possibilities. Your primary doc, together with a neurologist and probably an ophthalmologist would be the logical places to start.

There's not much we here can do for you unless you take these steps and tell us what is found. You don't have to like these doctors, you just need to be able to work with them.

Good luck to you.

ess

Go

[mergirl82]

Hi,
Definitely not "foot drop" :) which is good. more like legs weigh a million pounds, and are shaking so bad I cant walk (not so good :p) I do have issues with sciatica, or however you spell that, so maybe that is why the legs are sucking. anyhow. I guess I will list the million and one symptoms..or at least a few to introduce myself. here goes;
burning toes (also tingling, but not at much now, more burning and throbbing
head and face going numb
trigeminal neuralgia
vertigo, dizziness
dropping s**t
dropping myself, extra clumsy
shaky legs
pain behind my right eye, blurry vision
hand tremors, especially when I reach for something
stuttering, slurring, pausing long time between words difficulty concentrating terrible short term memory, word finding difficulty, confusion, etc. on the cognitive issues
and I know there's more but cant think right now
oh, and migraines, which became chronic around two years ago, but
I have had them for long time.
so that's what i always put all the cognitive issues and eye pain in the last couple years down to migraines, and would attempt to brush off the other stuff.
recently i did try to talk to my migraine doc, but he was not really open to listening, and maybe mad that i haven't brought this stuff to him before, (except for the cognitive stuff)
Anyhow, thanks for the link, and any sage words of wisdom appreciated :)
Mer

[supermum_ms]

Hi and welcome,

This is a quick and easy explanation of what foot drop is all about....
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7-L9MFRXD8

cheers.......JJ