Things that get on your nerves

[sleigh]

 So... for the last year or so, my feet have been feeling rather 'numb', as if they were half-asleep. Mostly I did the usual "Steve-thing", which was to ignore the problem and hope it would go away on its own. It hasn't, and when Denise had to see the podiatrist to have a toenail removed, she also (sneakily) made an appointment for me. The doctor had me close my eyes while she poked at the soles of my feet with a needle. I was to raise my hand whenever I felt something.

I mostly failed that test. The doc had me make an appointment for an EMG. As she put "I want to know whether I should be treating you, or whether you have a nerve issue in the spine."

Today I was poked and prodded and shocked by the EMG doc -- she was exceedingly nice about it, by the way -- and afterward her conclusion was this: I have a pinched nerve in my spine that is causing the numb feet, somewhat worse on the left side than the right. That could be from impact (all those years of being tossed around the aikido mat) or could just age-related narrowing of the nerve pathways.

Anyway, the next step is most likely an MRI to get a visual look at what the EMG saw electrically, so we know what options we have. We'll see what the podiatrist and my GP say when they get the results from the EMG.

Getting older is a pain the ass, ain't it?

Comments

[minnehaha]

Oh, f'ing drag! I am sorry to hear it. But it should make that new career walking on beds of hot coals a positive breeze!

I hope that there's something you can do that will only take diligence and training, like stretches and an anti-inflammatory diet or such.

K.