I found an extendable, 30" telescoping wand with a 1"+, round mirror
(the kind you look in/around/under engines, hard to reach places,
and down car door cavities with) at a "Cracker Barrel" restaurant,
gift shop, for $2.00.
('Cracker Barrels' are all over the interstate highway 'off-ramps' in the East)
This can be used to look at the bottoms of feet, for a reasonable price.
I use it for work purposes, frequently. (I bought 2- 1 for home, too- they also
have the same wand with a magnet at the end, same price)

Ouch -good they didnt find anything at this point and it wouldnt be anything - but that prior experience sounds brutal and good that doc is no longer working - that is awful.....

As for wire - I inevitably clip small pieces and hear them bing somewhere across the room - never to be seen again.... I always hope they will be sucked up into the vacuum (and not the cat at some point).. in restrospect - my "sewing needle could have been 2 inch head pin" - couldnt tell - it had gone in the side of my foot and thats completely numb - I think I could stick a fork in there and not know it - so guess should be more careful.... I try!

Feel better - and know DH will do fine with your help with the surgery!

IN case you dont have a cracker barrel near you, i found this on the first try on search, im sure there are many others.

http://www.widgetsupply.com/page/WS/...ools/SHC7-14TM

Have gotten hobby supplies from them in the past! They had great prices on what I had to get and got super fast!

I See............... good deal !!
$30 for a 'foot mirror'......ridiculous!
There's always alternatives, for those who look
deeper than just the surface.

I guess I simply don't have the patience anymore to look for such nifty solutions. That is one super find!

Now, if only with my exercises I could bend and stretch like I could in college! Would like to be able not to have to 'contort' myself when doing the lotions/potions things.

I can dream and aspire tho...and I will!

Thanks all! - j

Sorry to read of your situation Billye, hope it all works out well

One thing that interested me is that it took missing a dose of Lyrica for you to feel the pain. I just started Lyrica and hope it works as well for my PN
75mg twice a day, will switch to 150mg twice a day next week.

I was wondering what your dosage is and if the Lyrica has caused you any other side effects besides not feeling the dog hair.

Sally

Lyrica dosage is:
75mg morning
150 lunch
150 night

I've gained weight from it and last summer my ankles swelled terribly. But had other things going on too so not sure that's what caused the ankle swelling.

It has made my life so much better overall.

I need to go up one bump in the dosage, but I couldn't do it the last time I tried. My eyes are so terribly dry.

My foot seems to be getting better. Wish I could say the same for my tailbone area.

Hope this helps.

Billye

Billye,
375mgs a day is still a 'medium dosage.
I didn't find it helpful til I got to 450-500
and even went up from that to 600mgs/day,
to be at my present level- with 400mgs/day Tramadol.

Bob,
Thanks for your dosing schedule. I know I have room to go up but I'm really struggling with my eyes. Can't watch TV without putting on wrap around sunglasses. The dryness has progressed. And the Lyrica seems to dry my eyes more. I'm trying an increase at bedtime only for the next increase. I'm usually my most miserable by about 4:00 in the afternoon with the tailbone pain and by bedtime 8:30, I'm so anxious to take the night time Ambien to knock me out, I could crawl thru my skin backward. But I'm being forced into an Ambien withdrawal that is going to be pretty steep because the insurance company says I can't take the dosage that the neuro/pain doc says I need to sleep. I have a long established sleep problem. Something in my nervous system. Came from working really long hours for so many years.

Lately I'm having serious skin issues in the middle back on the side where that sitdown pain has been for so long. Skin crawls and burns and feels as if it is tightening up. I had a migraine type headache yesterday. Probably all related or possibly Ambien withdrawal symptoms. It really makes me panicky because that's almost where the shingle breakout was over a year ago. And it was reallllllly painful. We put a Lidoderm patch on it today and it seemed to help some. Think I'll try that for awhile.

Anyone heard from Cyclops? I know she was really suffering.

Billye