I have a physio coming to see me at home today. Six months after I asked for it and three months after I cancelled it, ha ha!
I originally asked for physio back in June when I was struggling with my walking due to what I now know was the second relapse. As I was told there was a very long waiting list, I wasn’t prepared to sit around and do nothing I started doing basic yoga stretches twice daily to get my legs moving again. It worked and by September my walking was so much improved that I emailed the physio service and said I felt that I didn’t need them and they probably had patients in greater need of them. They did reply so I know they got the message.
Then out of the blue, in late December I had a letter saying they are coming to do a physio review today. I thought I would be stupid to cancel it now they have finally got to me so I am going to go ahead with the appointment.
I’m not sure what to expect but I would like to know if I have picked up some bad walking habits. I can manage about 20 minutes walking without my stick now (which I consider a huge achievement given how bad I was in the first place). I do still get some pain behind my left knee which feels like a ligament that goes tight on me. My left foot also feels as if it doesn’t come up far enough and I have to put a lot of thought into every step from thereon. Hopefully she can also advise me on whether I am using the stick correctly - albeit a bit late as I have been using one since March 2013, ha ha.
I’ll report back later - she’s coming at 10.00 so I’m about to pop home from work,
It will be for whatever physical problems you’ve been having - not necessarily just legs - but if they’re the only problem, then yes.
I’m a bit confused your physio appointment is with your MS nurse, though. Shouldn’t physio be with the, er…physio? I don’t know if some MS nurses might be qualified to do it, but I thought they normally just referred to a specialist.
Tracey - hope yours has gone OK! I expect it’s over by now.
Yes i am pregnant i just got a letter in the post amd its got my ms nurses name at the bottom so i presumed it was with him i spoke to him on phone last week and he said he was going to send physio to my house as my balance has gone i already had the appointment before i spoke to him so i domt know what its for i dont normally have issues with legs or muscles apart from the other day and one leg is playing up now but i think its pregnancy related x
It was a very useful appointment, although she did phone 20 mins beforehand to ask if I still wanted to go ahead as she couldn’t trace my confirmation but had now found my email saying I didn’t need them, ha ha. We sorted out the confusion and she arrived just after 10.00 with apologies.
We went through my history last year and I informed her that I’m now on Gilenya and all is well on that front. She asked how my mobility has been since September when I emailed them and we discussed any other issues eg washing and dressing, using stairs, toilet, preparing meals etc.
Obviously I don’t have any major issues as I haven’t had any falls but my balance is slightly off and she is going to send me some exercises to help with that. She believes if I can work on my balance that may help with the pain behind my knee (which she feels is muscular due to overworking) because, as I walk my legs are constantly compensating to keep balance whenever I am on one leg. I will see her again in February half term to review the situation.
She is also going to send me a board for the bath so I can sit whenever my balance is off or I am fatigued. I have had some bad days where I cannot shower as I cannot get my legs over the bath and I have only been washing my hair once a week as it’s too much effort! (Luckily it doesn’t get greasy and I can just fluff the curls up each day so it doesn’t look as if it needs washing.)
She feels that I am safe walking without my stick for short distances but I should use it immediately when I know I am going to be walking longer distances rather than trying to manage without it and causing pain or discomfort. Funnily enough, as I have had even more hospital appointments recently re the whole breast surgery thing, I had come to the same conclusion myself and had been relying on it a bit more. I did say though that the reason I had given up using the stick in the first place was because I felt it wasn’t helping with my balance and I knew that was the final thing stopping me walking any distance. She agrees which is why we are going to concentrate on my balance for now.
She has also shown me a couple of stretches - the ones you have used, I believe Tina - which I can do without lying down so that when my leg hurts behind the knee I can relieve the pain immediately.
We discussed fatigue and work/life balance and she seems to think I am managing that fairly well but help is available should I never need it. The same applies to bladder/bowel issues.