if you have foot drop, has he either Rx an AFO (Ankle Foot Orthotic) for you to wear, or has he sent you to a physiatrist (a medical doctor that specializes in physical therapies and rehabilitiation. Physiatrists can also Rx an AFO)

An AFO is a special brace that's either made out of metal and built into your shoe, or it's a special plastic brace that slides into your shoe so you can wear it with different shoes. It helps keep your foot at the correct positions to be able to walk. I have one. It works great. (I need to go get it serviced and see if I need to have it put into a new pair of shoes. The one I have is built into my sneakers)

Physical therapy is great for foot drop in my experience. It keeps your foot and the muscles strong and moving. Plus, as you do PT, again, in my experience, you can feel your endurance and stamina build up.

Yes, I understand, KittyLady, as my last post was something like yours, except that my condition is not as bad as yours. I know how spasticity, and foot drop, can cause pain and disability, and I had my share of neuros who did not help much (one of them did, in San Diego, but I don't live there and he's retired). Going to most doctors is just painful. I don't see a neuro now, but see doctors for my other main disease Polycythemia Vera, which has to have a blood test every two weeks to see if I need a phlebotomy or need to go back to Mayo for another shot of p32 to cut down platelets. The hematologists are somewhat easier to live with then the neuros. REALLY feeling your pain.

Just came in to smack the hell out of your Doc..

Erin, my neuro knows I have no insurance. He talked to me about the AFO, but he said its very expensive and gave me the idea to go to a medical supply store and they have a strap thing that wraps around the leg just under the knee and goes to the foot to hold it up. He says its not as nice as the one they mold onto your leg, but it does the same thing. I cant afford PT so I dont go. I just do what I can at home. Neuro gave me a few strength building exercising ideas to do at home for the foot drop. Hes not a bad doctor, he's actually the most recommended MS doc in my area. He does speeches and conferences for the NMSS. He goes all over the country trying to bring MS awareness and donations to help find a cure. Just sometimes, he sure knows how to tick me off!

dear KL; many
and i'm a good hugger.

i once had a mildly similar thing happen with my rehab dr.
i got home and had lots of thoughts.
turned out i wrote him a letter of some of my hx etc.

maybe if you wrote your dr a letter similar to what you told us it might help.
and also tell him what you need from him.

might help. sounds like a very salvageable relationship.

yeah, the AFO that I have is one that's made out of aluminum and is connected with bracing and a hinge to my shoe. Has a strap that goes around my leg just below the knee. That thing cost about $800, and I hadnt yet hit my deductible yet when I had to get it...so I had to pay for it up front and a bunch of PT before my insurance kicked in for all the other crap I've had MS-wise this year.

At least I hit the deductible soon after getting the AFO. I wonder if I should ask my physiatrist for a Rx for another one so I can buy a pair of nicer dressy-like shoes to wear with a built in AFO.

Then I'd at least have more options for shoes. But, I would bet my insurance has a limit on how many AFO's I can get in one year for the same foot.

I've thought about getting the strap AFO thingie from the medical supply store. It sucked wearing this thing on my leg this summer with the hot weather.