When the Other Shoe Drops

The other day, the hubby was walking through the kitchen.  He tripped.  Well, it was more like the toe of his shoe got caught on the linoleum, made a horrific “Squeeeaaak!” and he stumbled.  I said, “What was that all about?”  He replied, telling me that for many days now, he’s been having trouble with his one leg.  He’ll be walking along and the leg just stops keeping up with the other one, causing him to trip.

I shouted, “You have foot drop!” He sorta shook his head.

No, the hubby doesn’t have M.S., although he’s said on more than one occasion that he wouldn’t be surprised if he did have the disease, too.  It would explain his horrible memory problems and forgetfulness, the persistent numbness in his one thumb, and the tingles he often feels in the same arm.  Now, with foot drop, his symptoms begin to mount.

What he does have is serious arthritis in his C-Spine.  I think they call it degenerative osteoarthritis.  We just found out yesterday he also has two bulging discs.  A recent X-Ray showed the progression of the arthritis and “something else there” as the doc put it.  We waited for two weeks for his MRI report, and the doc delivered the news yesterday.  Apparently dear hubby has battered and beaten his body through decades of hard labor and it’s starting to fight back.

Interestingly enough, a disc problem in the spine can produce many of the same symptoms as M.S. (Sorry, but I don’t think the forgetfulness can be blamed on a damaged disc though).  We think it’s pinching a nerve, causing the numbness and tingles, and perhaps even the leg muscle weakness that’s caused him to stumble around recently – they are all on the same side of his body.  I’m eager to see the printed MRI report just to show him that the word: Demyelination doesn’t appear anywhere on it. Spondylosis, probably.  Demyelination, let’s pray not!

So, the whole foot drop scenario provided for a great conversation starter for the hubby and me.  When my home healthcare nurse visited to start my Solumedrol IV, we had a good 30 minute conversation (she asked questions and I answered and I guess that constituted a “conversation”) about my symptoms.  At one point she asked if I had any trouble walking.  I replied indicating that I struggle sometimes, with one leg not keeping up with the other.  The hubby, who was watching TV in the same room spoke up and said, “You don’t have problems walking.”  I glared back, “Yes I do!”  “No you don’t.”  “Yes I do.” We started sounding like twin two-year-olds, so I gave him a look that said, “Let’s not do this in front of the nurse!”  I think he was reminiscing about my days of possible hypochondria (pre-diagnosis) and was trying to make sure I knew what was really wrong with me and not just assuming symptoms that weren’t really present.

When he stumbled into the island in the kitchen, I took the opportunity to tell him that what he just experienced is what I, too, experience regularly.  I suffer from foot drop in my right leg.  Just the other day, I attempted to enter a colleague’s office.  My foot wasn’t working right, my toe caught the carpet and I stumbled my way up to her desk. Foot drop. 

Another lesson learned in Casa de Fabrizio.