A glimpse of a better future

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Hi Matthew,

It’s great to hear you are doing well. I’ve neglected Qigong a little lately, but spent more time outdoors. On Sunday, I walked 0.7 km, but it’s getting more efficient and more comfortable (relatively)… still a way to go. This week has been a good one, but today my ankle is stiff, and the foot is not happy walking. Tomorrow I see a podiatrist, to see if there’s anything I’ve missed and to check whether I have Equinus Foot Deformity, which I hope to be able to solve with stretches.

Wonder what you’re cooking today?
Ciao, Roland

PS. My Inner thigh has no more spasms ; they have vanished (after 1 year and 1 month of nasty painful locking). Perhaps these problems have simply relocated to my foot? but I think the ASEA supplement must have something to do with it because May was an explosive month of progress.

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Great to hear your thigh spasms have gone. You certainly worked hard enough to get through it and it seems it has paid dividends for you.

Your foot is probably having a little protest today as you have worked it hard. Hope the appointment goes ok today.

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I’m having Italian-style sausages with fried onions and peppers on them.

I will try to find you some more qigong exercises for your legs. Some of them are too difficult for many people.

Let me know how your foot appointment turns out.

Take good care.

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Thanks, it was interesting, Matthew,

The podiatrist says I have no equinus, and no contracture. She can see the left foot elevating 30 degrees but the right only reaching 10 degrees. Then she answered a bunch of queries, and was impressed by what my physio had drilled into me (mainly walking with heel strike). Then she said I would benefit from a foot orthotic, to give my foot stability (I have over-pronation of the sub-talus).

Perhaps the funniest thing was that she thought I was in the medical profession since I now speak Latin when it comes to bones, muscles, tendons!

Enjoy the sausages !!
Ciao, Roland

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Thanks Ann,

yes, locked thigh / glute gone for good, but I have a strip along my leg, near hip, totally the opposite side from my previous spasms that now locks up in lieu. Plus my poor foot is struggling, no doubt because feedback from proprioceptors is still lacking in sufficient detail…

thx for following my progress, ciao, Roland
ps. How are you / how is your foot?

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You’ve come quite far since the stroke, Roland.

Chapeau! :cowboy_hat_face:

May more beautiful things come your way.

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Thank you Simon,

another valuable post from you, much appreciated. Yes my Radiologist friend has warned me that podiatrists frequently turn to orthotics as a “cure all”, and that he knows many patients throw them out because they haven’t worked, or even made things worse.

Another thing, my leg and my walking changes almost on a daily basis, certainly weekly, and most certainly monthly. As new p.receptors come online the quality of all my movements goes up a notch… that usually happens after a struggle. “The difficulty is the path”.

see you later, ciao, Roland

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As one thing improves another takes over…typical. I am sure you’ll conquer that too in time. Sometimes sorting one means somewhere else is put out of kilter but eventually it will all align again.

Reading your later posts I think there is a place for orthotics but it isn’t a cure all. I find mine useful to stop me tripping over my toes which permanently point downwards. It does however stiffen my ankle so i use it sparingly.

Best wishes.

Ann

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Thanks Ann,

I’m so pleased to be over the locked-glute days. I don’t know how I endured 1 year and 1 month of that torture. Hopefully each set of problems will be on a smaller and smaller scale.

I’m still trying to make up my mind whether to go for an orthotic fitting.
Your comment about stiffening is interesting… I’m against raising the heel too high…(limiting my Range Of Movement)

We’ll see, thx, Roland

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Thanks for input Nigel,

I’m super stumped at the moment. Maybe my foot is just tired, but ankle is super stiff today… my problem is not enough sensation so I just can’t feel what’s going on. Sure, the sensation improves at a snail’s pace, in the meantime I am most definitely not using my foot correctly (nor my whole leg).

I have no regular fixed difficulty… one minute it’s one thing then another. Like you, I can lift my toes well. I presume you mean it’s your midfoot that strikes the floor too early ? / too much ? Yes, a wheel might be the right solution. Your foot has numb days ? (mine does).

Thanks for chat, ciao, Roland

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Hi Nigel,

I’m the same… it’s numbness, paraesthesia, stiffness, spasms every other day. It varies all the time, and yesterday was a nightmare… the spasms were all over my foot, hip and ankle, and my morale crashed (yet again).

Today, in need of some encouragement, I did a standard test for proprioception. I wonder how well you would do at this, Nigel. Fancy a go? So I stood upright, no support, feet together, eyes closed. My wife timed me and I managed just over 2 minutes (no peeping). It was hard. There must be some rudimentary proprioceptors (our feet are crammed full of them, so we can stand upright) functioning, and I reported this little test to my Radiologist friend, who was well pleased. Mind you, he had worked out I had some proprioception since I sent him a videoclip of myself getting up from the grass unaided, without stick, (thanks to my CORE training).

In terms of CPSP, I presume there are differences between us, but I attribute all my pains to my nerves reattaching and the participation of higher brain functions to my movements, and sensation. Somewhat like you, I experience hyper sensitivity, but my Chinese Dr. says pain is my friend !! Charming.

I have the mid-gait catch, some days it’s worse / some better. But the podiatrist declared I have no equinus, nor contracture… she said my feet were essentially similar in performance. She explained my 10 degree dorsiflexion vs 30 on my good foot down to flexibility, experience, bit of stiffness etc. I have rejected her recommendation for an orthotic (for now).

“Not feeling contact with floor” ? How about with bare feet ? Tickle your toes / sole of foot ? How about hot / cold water ? Have you tried rubbing the sole of your foot on a rough textured slab (like my patio?)

I have often wondered how close we are in terms of progress, and often thought some symptoms were close, then I would think to myself that you are much further along the line in terms of progress and capability. I’m sure what matters is that we each overcome, slowly but surely, our battles!

Thx for reading, keep it up,
ciao, Roland

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@Nigelglos and @pando,
I wanted to add to this. I have been out of sorts with heart issues lately and have not been around much. However, something I have just noticed in the past week or two, rather than my entire left side being tingling and burning-cold, or stiff all over, I am now getting those feelings in what I would call small patches. So definitely the ball of my foot and bottom of arches (for both feet, actually), back of my calf, and a large spot on the back of my thigh. My arm is only bothered at night, and my hand is fine unless I have overworked it. Fingers still have that feeling of being pulled back much of the time and toes sometimes. My middle and ring finger always feel like I am wearing large, heavy rings on them, but I can’t stand to wear any jewelry on that hand.
Just wanted to let you know that this is an improvement I did not expect after all this time. Like you, Pando, I am elated to have it, although, because it more centered in smaller spots rather than overall, it feels a bit more intense, perhaps by comparison to what no longer hurts as much or as often. (I will be three years in August).
Congratulations on the two minutes! I will never forget how hard that was, how much work, how overwhelmingly fatiguing, and how I couldn’t wait to sit down again. I felt like Atlas, holding up the weight of the entire world. I most certainly hope that now you both know you can do that you will challenge yourselves to do it at least once a day, then twice after a few more days, etc as you build up strength and stamina. Seemed like it went really fast for me after that for quite sometime, to get back to being able to do so much more. Godspeed!

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Thank you DeAnn,

I’m sensing you are going through a lot, as is Nigel as am I. It helps to hear of changes and passing phases; that’s what I’m hoping for. At the moment I get cramps / spasms that lock my big toe up for the whole day every 3 days. I’ suspecting my BP meds, not for the first time, especially the calcium-channel blocker. I’ve started taking calcium daily supplement, because I know a depletion can cause spasms. The giveaway was that my good big toe tried to spasms last night, and that tells me it’s more the meds than the stroke. Because the big toe is far from the brain, the spasm strikes there and leaves me barely able to walk every 3 days.

We all have our problems, and it’s no fun much of the time. The podiatrist said I might get a little bit of contracture in my plantar fascia (sole of foot) and I had the feeling she wasn’t clued up on strokes. One thing I’m trying to do more of is barefoot walking to stimulate the affected side of the brain, and address the lopsided balance between the 2 hemispheres of my brain rather than concentrate on the good side.

Thank you for your reminder that symptoms change with time. When I think back to those inner thigh locked glute days (every other day for 1 year and 1 month) I dread the thought of a long spell of locked big toe every 3 days. Hurry nerves ; hurry. Why is life so hard after my stroke ? (yes, I do know why) but will I / you / we pull through? someone please tell me yes !!

Well time to battle through the day,
hope you’re both good, and getting better by the minute,
ciao, Roland

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Good suggestion, DeAnn,

in hospital (21 months ago) I remember my potassium levels were low ; they told me to eat a banana and next thing I knew levels were back to normal. Nowadays I have a banana almost every day, though I’ve not had apricot (also high in potassium) for about a week. Anyway, thanks for pointing out the connection between Potassium & spasms ; something for me to look out for

ciao, Roland

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I have plenty of potassium, Nigel

Since my nerves are making a comeback in a big way, my big-toe spasms are worrying, but possibly just a part of my rehab that hopefully will settle… somehow.

But good point about meds causing absorption issues. The meds are, IMO, to blame for a certain amount of peripheral neuropathy. This can include the spasms I talk about

Thanks, Roland

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Thx for asking, Nigel

before I get up I get paraesthesia in my long toe / little toes… then that shifts to the big toe an hour or two later, then the ankle stiffens another hour later, then the gastrocnemius muscles tighten up and form a square shape, and that whole block of muscles tightens up, from Hallux to Gastroc, locked for the day… I can barely walk to the bathroom. Nightmare, through which I have to learn to keep calm… otherwise it’s worse. No changing of position can pull me out of the spasm

ciao, Roland

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I forgot ; 2 days it’s free, then this nonsense happens on the 3rd day only.
It’s due tomorrow. But I’m hoping to break the cycle with these strategies;

• calcium supplement (to reduce spasms)
• boost potassium
• ASEA electron transport chain signalling supplement
• iTeracare wand
• mixing up my exercise patterns (and reducing calf stretches)
• drink more water
• Creatine to absorb more water into my muscles
• Collagen supplement

My nerves are making a big comeback ; walking on my lawn is a different experience almost every day. And every day that passes gives me more feedback, sensitivity and manual control over muscles getting me closer to my goal,

yes it’s rough at the moment (depends on how tomorrow goes)
ciao, Roland

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