Charcot Foot
 

It has been awhile since I posted because I really thought I was doing well. I agreed to try cymbalta and it has certainly made a difference. I have been able to cut back my neurontin from 2800mg a day to only 1200mg (a substantial decrease and it keeps me more awake during the day. I saw my Podiatrist two days before Christmas and asked her why my left foot was swollen. She felt my feet and noticed a temperature difference. She did xrays and said I had developed charcot's foot. Bummer. She gave me a boot (again) and told me I needed to stay off my feet and keep my left foot up.

Now this is two days before Christmas and the party is at my house. I managed to point and get everyone else to do the work. The doctor said my xray showed evidence of an impending fracture because my bones are disintegrating. She said my foot could collapse and surgery would be required.

I want to know if anyone knows anything else I can do. I take 400mg of calcium twice a day, I take vitamin D and magnesium. I don't know why the bones are disintegrating...well I do know that its the diabetes and the neuropathy. What else can I do to fix it?

The bad part is that my husband and I are both out of jobs and I can't find a job if I have to sit with my foot up and so far no one has agreed to pay the bills.


Dorothy

I don't recall you stating
 

that you are a severe longstanding diabetic?

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...03/ai_n8939097

I'd see an orthopedic MD...as the article suggests.
Did this podiatrist test you for gout?

I wouldn't have a podiatrist handle this situation at all.
There are systemic things that can cause this too.

Thanks
 

I have only been a diabetic for about a year. I was often tested before because I have neuropathy but my A1c numbers were usually a 5 or 5.1. Last November I developed a MRSA infection and was hospitalized for a week. During the hospital my bold sugars were very high...about 300 before meals. They gave me insulin but it all stopped when I went home. My sugar level stayed high. I saw a diabetes specialist in June and my sugar is again under control. I think it was out of control for only a few months but not long term. I am now getting a1c levels of about 6 or 6.5.

when you say...
 

Last November...you mean last month? Or a year ago last November?

I would seek a MD medical opinion about that foot.
It could be
cellutitis
gout
pseudogout
blood clot
arthritis
etc.

If you have bone loss...you will have to reconsider Cymbalta.
antidepressants have been shown to promote osteoporosis recently.

I'd have to say, as MrsD did, you need to get further testing or better information than what you currently have. From what you were describing, the symptoms, my first instinct was blood clot. It could be blood clot or blockage of a different sort but that's what came to mind.

The MRSA infection was Nov of 2007. I spent Thanksgiving in the hospital. I will indeed see other doctors and be tested further. I would hate to have it be Cymbalta since I feel so much better on it.

I have an appointment with my primary care doc and my neuro right after the first of the year. I have an orthopedic doc since the MRSA infection last year (He removed the bursa in my left knee which housed the infection). I can certainly see him also.

When she did the x rays she did both feet nd compared them. The left foot definatey looks different and the top of my foot shows bone fragments and a litttle "valley" of bone indentation.

Thanks for your responses. I will also address the Cymbalta issue with the doctors.

Dorothy

yes...
 

Left knee. Now left foot?

I'd get that second opinion! I hope it turns out to be an easy fix, for you!:hug:

Charcot Foot
 

Dorothy, My husband hurt his knee afew months ago, his foot started hurting and he thought it was related to the knee. It started to swell, and he was diagnosed with a bug bite. When it didn't get any better after 7 days of antibiotics he called our foot guy, Dr told him he has charcot foot.
He instructed him to stay off of it. I got him a knee scooter.
70.00 a month rental.(just ordered one off of amazon for 199.00)
He thought he could still get around without that silly scooter, and 10 days later he started bleeding. He had developed what I thought was a blister in the arch of his foot. Dr said ulcer. He foot has broken down so much in just 10 days. Now we are just trying to heal the wound.
the Dr told him that foot should never touch the ground for at least 30 days. That was then, not its 90 days.

And Now we are concerned with just healing and keeping the foot.

PLEASE BE CAREFUL with your foot that has Charcot!!! I developed Charcot in my right foot last spring - noticed it swelling up over Memorial weekend. Went to my family doc but the X-rays showed no fractures so I walked on it. When it was still painful and swollen a week later, he sent me to a podiatrist. The podiatrist brought in his partner who is a specialist in Charcot. They immediately got me in a boot and on a knee scooter. I was off the foot from early June through mid November. Two bones fractured, my big toe joint collapsed, and it took FOREVER to heal up. I was lucky not to get an ulcer at all. I was sent to the E.R. by 2 different docs who thought I had a DVT (blood clot)! Turns out that docs often mistake Charcot for a bloot clot due to the swelling!!

My dad is a family doc and sent me to the U of Michigan for extensive testing. My A1C is 5.7 but still I have had neuropathy for almost 10 years and now this Charcot. It is nothing to sneeze at. Chance of AMPUTATION of the foot as the bones keep collapsing!!!

Please find a SPECIALIST in Charcot. And yes, the podiatrist is your best bet. Mine saw me every 2 weeks during the acute phase and now that I'm in the maintenance phase, every month to 2 months. BE CAREFUL!!!