I can't walk.

[LuckyCharms]

Something going on with my ankle and foot. Sitting upstairs in my office in a recliner. Thought it was gout, but now I'm not sure. Injured this foot years ago. It's swollen but not red or hot.

My wife brought me up my departed mom's walker, and even with the walker, it takes me 10 minutes to get to the bathroom which is 15 feet away. Took half an Oxy a few hours ago, but it didn't touch the pain. Wife is begging to take me to the ER, but there's no way I can get down the stairs, and I'm not calling an ambulance.

I'm a juvenile diabetic. In the middle of all of this horseshit, my glucose dropped into the 30s because I overestimated my insulin. That's gave me the runs, and I barely made it to the bathroom and I greyed out for a moment while sitting on the toilet.

I woke up and burst into tears. I have trouble with accepting help from people, even my wife. I'm scared shitless. I'm an active guy, and if I ever get laid up permanently. I don't think I have the personality to survive that. If I can't move, I'm a goner.

Thanks for listening.

[spooky3]

1. I'm sorry. Your wife is right, though--please go to emergency or urgent care. Nt

[debm55]

2. Lucky, can you have your wife take you to ER or Urgent care facillity? I had that and it was a pinch

nerve. But it's best to be seen by a doctor, Best of luck and let us know how it goes.

[MerryHolidays]

12. I agree. ER is something to consider. I hope you recover fully and immediately.

[cayugafalls]

3. Damn it Lucky, do what it takes to get help, call friends, call ambulance

GET HELP!

Please...I beg you. We love you, Lucky...Please

[cilla4progress]

4. See a doctor

soon as you can!

Good luck!

[MLAA]

5. When in doubt, listen to the wife!

If you don’t take care of yourself who the heck is going to give us as many smiles, chuckles and belly laughs?

[dweller]

6. Lucky my bud

Get thee to a dr, pronto

✌🏻

[no_hypocrisy]

7. Make an appointment first thing tomorrow morning to see a podiatrist.

You need a thorough examination of your foot and ankle. And it could be treatable.

I have plantar fasciitis and it hurts to stand and to walk at the moment. I have to stretch the tendon on the sole of my foot. I get it.

Wishing you all the best.

[JPPaverage]

8. Good luck to you sir

Please listen to your wife.

[MaryMagdaline]

9. LuckyCharms I'm so sorry.

I know you don’t want the ambulance but if you go to the hospital, you can get pain medicine (real stuff). You will think better when pain subsides. You can plan your next step Come back here for your friends. We’ll throw in for the ambulance.
If I’ve overreached, tell me to go away and I will delete.

[Nictuku]

10. You are not alone

**sending good vibes and healthy wishes ***

[Eko]

11. Go to the hospital now one way or another.

Go.

[markie]

13. listen to your wife!!

if not for yourself... think about us here at DU... we want you well

[rsdsharp]

14. Please, please go to the ER. I know your feeling. Twice in 2020 I didn't want to be transported

to the ER. Once with a temp of 105, and once with gangrene. Both times I was too weak to walk, both times I resisted, but eventually relented. The second time probably saved my life.

Please go, even if it means an ambulance.

[unblock]

15. speaking as a man who's finally gotten old enough to no longer care what other people think,

get over the "trouble accepting help from people" thing. i'm sure you have reasons, and i'll assume they're good. maybe even very good. still. just get over them. don't let *anything* interfere with your health.

if not being laid up permanently is important to you, reasonably enough, then do whatever you need to do to minimize the chance of that happening.

if that means calling an ambulance, do it.

don't let some misplaced notion of pride or whatever get in the way of keeping your limbs.


if you're diabetic, you do not want to mess around with problems that could lead to permanent damage to you limbs.


two weeks ago i was embarrassed to ask my boss if i could take the rest of the day off for back pain. 45 minutes later i was begging my wife to take me to the e.r., i couldn't even drive at that point.

"just" a massive kidney stone, as it turned out.

you need help, get it. let people help you.

[Irish_Dem]

16. You know you need to go to the ER. That is why you are scared.

In your narrative you listed red flags.

Go get the help you need.

It may not be as bad as you think.

I had a serious fall and broke my spine in several places.
I had extensive surgery and thought I wouldn't walk again.

But silly me, I now walk at least 2 miles a day!

So don't imagine the worst. Get help asap.

[highplainsdem]

17. Please, Lucky, go to the ER. Call 911. Let doctors figure out what's wrong and

help you, before you fall and hurt yourself worse, or your wife, who has to be frantic, gets hurt or sick trying to help you.

All of us need help sometimes and should accept it.

Prayers and healing energy for you, and your wife.

[2naSalit]

18. Bite the bullet and call an ambulance NOW!

You could do serious permanent damage if you don't get help now.

[MFM008]

19. I go this week finally

For two MRIs because apparently I guess they can't get everything in the same picture on Wednesday. My left foot ( movie?) Has been hurting since June . It's changed the way I walk, it's making my knee hurt and my leg goes out... I've fallen twice.
You need a definite and distinct answer from a podiatrist or an orthopedic surgeon, Good luck to you.❤️

[Ptah]

20. Ah, jeez man.

I wish I could provide some comfort.

[central scrutinizer]

21. Can you crawl?

After my ankle surgery for a ruptured Achilles tendon I wasn’t allowed to put any weight on that foot for weeks. My bedroom is upstairs. I didn’t trust myself on stairs with crutches. So I crawled up the stairs on hands and knees and went down stairs on my butt. If you can, crawl to your car and get to the ER.

[LuckyCharms]

22. Thank you all. In ER VIA ambulance. Nt

[electric_blue68]

23. Good. And GOOD LUCK! (I just saw this)

[JudyM]

24. Good decision!

Hoping everything’s easily fixable.

[IcyPeas]

25. Good. Please keep us posted and good luck

[niyad]

47. Thank Goddess! I was about to come and haul you out myself (and few people

dislike our medical system as much as I do!).

You are loved and valued here, my friend. Please take the best possible care of yourself. Sending vibes for best possible outcome.

[Laffy Kat]

26. Oh, LC, at the very least you need an XR or an ultrasound.

The diabetes scares me. Plus, blood clot needs to be ruled out. Listen to your wife, she loves you and so do we! We need you here.

[LuckyCharms]

27. Well, that was fucking useless.

Clean xray. No ultrasound done, no bloodwork.

Diagnosis: "I don't know, my friend".

Flexeril and Tylenol. Explained I have no idea how I'm going to get back in my house. No response, except to see a podiatrist.

Guess I'll be crawling through the snow to get inside after my wife picks me up.

[True Dough]

29. Is the drug combo

providing you temporary relief, at least?

Hang in there, LC, you're a treasure around here!

[LuckyCharms]

30. No, True Dough.

Drugs are not touching the pain. Can't walk. Stuck in the recliner.

Thanks for the kind words.

[Marthe48]

69. Are you doing any better?

Sure will be good news if you are?

[highplainsdem]

32. LC, I'm so sorry you didn't get better care at the ER. It sounds like the

ER doctor just assumed it's a bad sprain, since you were given a muscle relaxant as well as Tylenol. But you would have known if you'd sprained your ankle. And since you suspected gout at first, they should at least have done an ultrasound (which can show stress fractures as well as signs of gout) and bloodwork. And maybe a venous Doppler ultrasound to check for circulatory problems.

Just sending an older person who can't walk, and who has other health problems, home with painkiller and muscle relaxant strikes me as appalling.

[LuckyCharms]

35. I'm getting more pissed off as I think about it...

Thanks for your kind words highplainsdem.

Didn't get a room at ER. All was done in the waiting room. I had one sock on. Other foot was bare.

Wife pulls up to door. Intake said "your ride's here". Wife had to come in and put my shoes on. Had another low blood sugar at the same time. Had to walk out with walker. Took me 10 minutes to get out the door. They didn't wheel me to the car.

Glucose is going spastic. Another "severe low" as I type this. Went high and over-corrected with insulin.

Have a feeling this may end up bad. No idea what to do. Wrote my primary care. No response yet. Ambulance crew was great though.

[debm55]

49. Lucky, what the hell? They examined you in the waiting room? You needed tests done.

[LuckyCharms]

68. they pulled me out of the waiting room

to do a foot x-ray, and then got sent back to the waiting room.

Doctor examine me in the waiting room.

[2naSalit]

52. If it were me going thorough this...

I would be calling the admin of the hospital and complain about what you experienced in the ER.

They should have done a whole lot more. I would threaten to sue, go get a second opinion and if there is something seriously wrong, sue the bastards. A long time ago I was dying from a hemorrhage and was left to die in a maternity ward overnight. Only I didn't die and when I got out of the hospital, I sued the intern who tried to kill me because he assumed I was a parking lot whore and didn't require his help.

Get a second opinion, go to an urgent care or something but don't leave it at what those incompetent ER toads did.

It's your life, protect it!

[highplainsdem]

59. I'm so sorry that happened to you. Thank God you survived.

I was my mom's caregiver for more than 20 years and had to deal with multiple misdiagnoses by doctors, including in the ER.

I respect most doctors and nurses, but they aren't infallible, and they're often overworked and exhausted.

[2naSalit]

63. SOmehow...

I ended up saving my own life by refusing medication - an IV that would have further constricted my organs thus killing me.

While the nurse was getting ready to insert the IV I had a "vision" (remember, I was in shock) where I saw a good friend of mine, an RN, telling me I could refuse medication at any time, so I did. I somehow knew the IV would kill me, when I explained to the nurse, she was wary of the intern. She testified in my defense. I did take the antibiotics, didn't see a real doctor, though I requested one upon arrival and spent 4 hrs bleeding in the ER before admission. I hemorrhaged all night long until a real doctor showed up, when he saw what was going on he got me into the OR so fast they forgot the Demerol shot.

I have been skeptical of doctors in many cases since then. Lesson learned.

[LuckyCharms]

66. Holy Cow.

So glad you made it through that.

I hear you...you have good intuition.

[2naSalit]

67. I was in my 20s...

Thankfully I was totally buffed out and made a rapid recovery even though my entire lower abdomen innards were rearranged.

[2naSalit]

51. +1

Not trying to raise fears but I have had to save my own life while in an ER so I am really concerned with this outcome.

[GenThePerservering]

28. Could be a pinched nerve

it happens. I had it in one knee once and couldn't walk on it - it's like my leg didn't work at all. Never happened again but it was very, very strange. I was still bike racing then and could not figure out what happened. My knee swelled but didn't get red or hot, either.

The diabetes is more worrisome - I know that's a very tough condition and hope you're doing OK now!!

[a kennedy]

31. Damn LC.

Hope whatever you’re going through will be over as soon as possible, AND WITH NO FURTHER SHIT. ?️

[Evergreen Emerald]

33. But...we need your humor here on DU

Get up and fight.

[Niagara]

34. Sending healing vibes, LC.

[Marthe48]

36. Please get to a dr.

Being a diabetic, you have special needs. And you are special to us on DU. Can you sit to go down the steps? Can you have a video appointment with your doctor or care provider?

Oxy doesn't touch pain, it distracts you. If you are allowed to take Tylenol or ibuprofen, try that. And try ice or heat, even alternate. I use an icepack on my back often, and it really helps minimize pain I have, or makes it go away.

Feel better!

[Harker]

37. It's temporary, Lucky.

It's a difficult challenge, but you'll see the end of it.

You might we'll need some help to let you heal up. Sometimes you give help, sometimes you have to welcome it.

[ificandream]

38. Healing thoughts your way.

[happybird]

39. How are you doing today?

I’ve been thinking of you and hoping you are feeling better.

[LuckyCharms]

40. Thank you, happybird.

Doing poor right now. Primary care prescribed steroids. Just took the first 2 pills now. Can't get out of this stupid chair.

[happybird]

41. Hopefully the steroids will work quickly

and provide some relief and mobility.
Hang in there! You are loved by many and your posts often brighten my day.

[LuckyCharms]

43. Oh dear.

"The jab" is telling on you.

[debm55]

50. Lucky, please see your doctors. and please let us know how things are going. I found if you go to

the ER late at night or week ends they don't do a very good job. They should have kept you overnight or told you to return to your doctor and get more tests done. Wishing you all the best, Lucky.

[LuckyCharms]

56. Thank you, deb.

Please see post 55.

[hlthe2b]

44. IS YOUR FOOT COLD? If yes, immediately call EMTs.

Are there red streaks? If yes, immediately call EMTs. Is your foot numb so that you can't feel a pin stick? If yes, call EMTs. Are you having other symptoms: dizziness, difficulty speaking, difficulty breathing or chest pain? Call EMTs.

Has your blood sugar normalized? Is your pain worsening? You really need to seek help.

If no to all the above, you may be okay to call your physician, rather than go to the ER, but don't let this go on untreated.


On edit, all my above comments were in reference to your OP. It seems you may have seen someone in the meantime, but I'm unclear. Still if your symptoms are not improving you may need a second opinion.

[Donkees]

46. You might have injured your achilles tendon recently when you had to replace the hatch lifts ...

on the car twice, ended up picking up glass shards, plus dealing with shoveling all that snow. The weakened tendon might have torn even further or ruptured. (?) In any case, whatever is going on now, is probably related to all that exertion recently.

Acute ruptures often present with sudden onset of pain associated with a "snapping" or audible "pop" heard at the site of injury. Patients may describe a sensation similar to being kicked in the lower leg. Achilles tendon rupture causes significant pain and disability.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK430844/#:~:text=Acute%20ruptures%20often%20present%20with,causes%20significant%20pain%20and%20disability.

[panader0]

48. I hope you get better fast! That kind of pain is tough to deal with.

[Skittles]

53. GET THEE TO A DOCTOR PRONTO

WE ARE HERE FOR YOU!!!

[LuckyCharms]

58. Will do, Skittles!

ER the other night, primary care contact the next day and she put me on prednisone. Probably 50% better now, I can sort of walk without a walker.

Just made foot Dr. appointment for next Wednesday.

This was a bad one.

Thanks for your words!

[Skittles]

64. NEVER feel hopeless

you perk up so many people, and we are here to return the favor......someone is ALWAYS here on DU - I know that, because I am awake all night every night!

[LuckyCharms]

65. Thanks, Skittles.

I'm a fighter. I battle through everything. We all go through things, and I try to remember that when I feel down.

Thanks for your kind words.

But I prefer your posts where you're kickin' ass!

[Niagara]

54. How are you feeling today, Lucky?

Please keep us posted.

[LuckyCharms]

55. Desktop PC is messing up

So I hope this reply comes through.

I'm doing a little better, Niagara. I'm able to walk now, sort of. I can hobble around without the walker. Primary care put me on Prednisone for one week. I'm in the second day now. That's making my foot feel better, but Prednisone drives your glucose levels into the stratosphere.

Hope you have a good day.

[Niagara]

57. Your response came through perfectly.

I'm pleased to hear that I you're a little better, LC.



We're all concerned about your well-being, so I'm happy that you checked in with us.


Hang in there. We're all rooting for you!

[highplainsdem]

60. It probably isn't your desktop. DU has had some weird formatting

problems.

See this thread

https://www.democraticunderground.com/125621245

and EarlG's reply there, linking to my thread about this in GD yesterday.

They might have fixed the problem now. I was still having trouble with it earlier today, around the time you posted this message, but it hasn't happened the last couple of hours.

[LuckyCharms]

61. Oh wow, thanks for this.

Thought my PC was finally giving up the ghost.

[highplainsdem]

62. {{{{{LC}}}}} You're welcome! You don't need any more worries now.

Glad I could alleviate that one.

[panader0]

70. Good to hear that you're a bit better. Keep improving.

[LudwigPastorius]

71. Go see someone.

It could be a blood clot.

[Maraya1969]

72. You are much stronger than you believe you are.

You can weather anything. Try to replace the insecure thoughts with secure ones.

[diva77]

73. So sorry about what you're going thru, LC. You're probably aware of or a member of ADA

(American Diabetes Association) -- but just in case you aren't, they have a page where you input your zip and they link to resources in your area for diabetes. Apologies in advance if this is way off course for you...

https://diabetes.org/diabetes

[True Dough]

74. THINKING OF YOU, LC!

And that sexy little hobble of yours...

[LuckyCharms]

75. Thanks, True Dough

Sexayyyyyy gif

Good morning!