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Help me find the words that explain this pain

7 replies

fortifiedwithtea · 05/10/2017 11:29

I am seeing an orthopaedic surgeon tomorrow. I have had plantar fasciitis for 5 years. Steroid injections no longer work. Physiotherapy has not worked.

Long winded version of how I feel. I am in constant pain that keeps me awake at night. No pain relief has any effect. I can only stand for a few minutes. I am house bound. The pain is not just in my heel, spreads along the outside of my foot, up my leg and into the small of my back. My back is tender to touch. The back is secondary, because I sit all day on the sofa, my back is weakened. I am about 5 stone overweight. The weight gain goes hand in hand with the pain. I am in pain so I don't move which means I gain weight, the weight aggravates my foot pain and so the downward spiral continues.

The trouble is when the surgeon gives my foot a prod with the question does this hurt? I know I'll hardly react. No great dramatic leaping up screaming.

I have been in grinding pain with no relief for so long, nothing much makes it worse until I walk on something uneven such as a pen left on the floor then I'm in intense agony, breathing heavily and sweating with pain. I don't plan on standing on something to demonstrate.

The best way I can describe the pain is imagine your foot is in a bucket of iced water. Its a numb aching pain. Do you understand what I mean by that.

I need a good phrase that sums up the pain is so bad I am desperate enough to want surgery.

Do you think a surgeon will understand what I mean from my description?

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Sugarpiehoneyeye · 05/10/2017 11:56

Well, I think you've said it all, and should take this with you.
I really hope that something can be done, to help you. 💐

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PickAChew · 05/10/2017 11:58

Sounds a lot like sciatica.

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clumsyduck · 05/10/2017 12:05

It sounds exactly like my sciatic pain !!
It could be that , the nerve goes right down to your foot . I get heel pain too.
It's nerve pain so it's going to be a different than for example trying to bend your leg with a pulled muscle .

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clumsyduck · 05/10/2017 12:06

Different reaction I meant

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JohnHunter · 05/10/2017 13:07

Just tell the surgeon what you've said here. Certainly don't be tempted to pretend there's pain on touching if there isn't... "pain" (that's where it hurts) and "tenderness" (it hurts when you touch there) are very different things and your surgeon will needs to distinguish between the two.

I agree with the others that the description here sounds many more times like sciatica than plantar fasciitis.

You don't want surgery on your foot for a problem in your back.

DOI: orthopaedic surgeon (in training).

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DerelictWreck · 05/10/2017 13:13

I fell your pain OP (literally) - I've had plantarF now for 9 years :( Can still get out and about but it seriously curtails my life. I've gone from a slim size 10 competitive athlete to a size 18 lump :(

I've never been offered the injections though - just get physio occasionally and then they discharge me as untreatable and I get referred again a few months or years later.

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fortifiedwithtea · 06/10/2017 14:38

Update:: I need not have worried the walk from the car park and through the hospital was enough to put me in serious pain.

Surgeon explained an operation was not the answer and explained my options. No quick fix :(

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