The NUMB & DUMBER Report...

Sigh...DAY TWO of left leg numbness has rolled in without much fanfare. I remain home "resting" as ordered by Dr. She Who Will Not Be Named.

I awoke this morning with a bit of a change in my symptoms...on some level this is encouraging...on the sensation/pain level, it is NOT! I've now developed a burning sensation on the outside of my left calf with prickly pins/pain on my outer foot and sole while the rest of my leg remains "I-could-jam-a-pin-in-it" numb. It definitely limits my ballet dancing at this point. LOL

I begrudgingly emailed Dr. SWWNBN this morning with her "keep me posted" update. It went like this:

"Resting" sucks...icing sucks more. LOL I stopped the Zanaflex as suggested...I have developed a most unusual combination of numbness and BURNING sensation in my left leg now today...still numb (like I can stick a pin in my leg and not feel it numb), except for a wildly burning sensation along my lateral left calf and lateral side and sole of the foot (sole feels more like my leg SHOULD feel if I stick a straight pin in it in a thousand places...prickly). Still able to walk, but feeling the prickling when I step down...makes for an "interesting" delay in my gait, unless I'm really concentrating on the movement. I took today off from work again, but really must go in tomorrow afternoon as our office is moving at 5:00PM to the new county building...it's a bitch to be needed. LOL

Any further suggestions/thoughts/demands/orders/funny ideas? Just wondering...

She responded in kind with one line:

Can you have Kate see you today,?

I pondered this for a bit. Since I don't know who "Kate" IS, I considered perhaps the good doctor had me confused with another patient who might KNOW "Kate". LOL Certainly I would never look a "Kate" horse in the mouth if it meant "Kate" might have a suggestion that could be helpful. But for all I knew, "Kate" was a colonic specialist...so emails were exchanged a few more times.

It turns out, "Kate" is a Nurse Practitioner, who works in Dr. SWWNBN's clinic. But I never heard back from the neurologist extraordinaire exactly HOW I was supposed to get on "Kate's" books to see her today...so...here I sit..."Kate-less". AND, my leg remains unchanged.

I'm not sure exactly just *what* Dr. SWWNBN thought/thinks "Kate" could do for me...and, having never met "Kate" before, I'm sure she'd be in for the ride of her life! I'm not a wildly popular patient...as a matter of fact, if I rarely follow doctor's orders, I'm not even sure I can qualify as a "patient". LOL I think doctors have to be able to say they've TREATED you for something versus merely making "suggestions".

And I imagine "Kate's" suggestions would fall along the lines of a dip in the steroidal pool, which I fear drowning in. Actually, it's not the pool itself I fear...but the running naked and stark-raving mad down the street AFTER my steroid swim I shy away from. Call me old fashioned. I enjoy wearing my dignity. LOL

As my email this morning stated, I really DO have to get back to work tomorrow...it's a big day at the office. If I can tolerate the discomfort in my leg, I think I can "fake" the rest (the faking part being cognitive functioning!). Of course, there IS the tolerating of the people around me, too...which could be far more challenging than faking a smile while in pain...LOL...