Numb feet.

[Tickertalker]

I had heart surgery two years ago and the surgeon made a right mess of things. I've discovered that I was bleeding heavily throughout my operation, presumably because my artery wasn't clamped off properly. It resulted in me having a stroke which paralysed an arm and a leg. After two months in hospital, I was sent home in a wheelchair and left to fend for myself. At first I was crawling around the house, but slowly I got back on my feet again. I noticed then that the soles of my feet were numb and tingly, this hasn't changed and makes balancing a little tricky and walking more than short distances challenging, although I regularly go for twenty-mile cycles now. The worst thing is that my clumsy walk has made my back agonisingly painful, especially in the morning. I don't think it's down to the stroke as both feet have the same problem and the stroke only took down my right side. I'm thinking blood flow or nerve damage, but that's only a guess. Does anyone have any idea what could be causing this and what, if anything, can be done?

[Anon2023]

Hi. I’m so sorry to hear what you have been through but It’s amazing that you are now able to cycle 20 miles. I had a stroke in nov last year and I was paralysed down my left side. I was lucky enough to have a thrombectomy which helped me to regain my mobility. After about two months I developed tingling and numbness on the left side of my mouth. No cause for this has ever been found but the doctors believe it is related to the stroke. Over time it has reduced in intensity. I’m sorry that I’m not able to help you with the cause of your symptoms but I’m sure other forum members will be along soon to share their knowledge.

[Hidden]

Hello

I am also so sorry what you went through but amazed how well you are doing now

I am sorry I do not know what is causing this but you need to get your Doctor to refer you to find out and do not take no for an answer you deserve one

Please let us know how you get on x

[Hidden]

Dear Tickertalker,

How sad what has happened to you and the way it has completely changed not only your view on life but how hard it is for you to interact with it.

You need to get this checked out as circulatory damage can lead to all sorts of problems if that is what it is.

It sounds more like nerve damage as you have not mentioned any swelling to the leg or ankles.

You have to remember that I am not medically trained, but you need to get answers to your questions.

I know that there are test to tell about nerve damage and I believe that a lot of diabetes have it done { maybe they can shed some light on the tests for you }

Its amazing to see how determined you are to regain some normality and you are a great inspiration to us all.

Take care and please keep us informed

[francesw47]

I'm appalled by your story and the neglect involved - but I guess the events were through the pandemic when everything was closed. I am also astonished by the bravery and determination with which you recovered. Us humans can be amazing things! I have had scoliosis of the spine (a curved spine) since childhood and know how posture can really impact on back pain, so please go and see your GP (if you can) and get a referral to an orthopaedic specialist and see what can be done to help. Better a good physio than have to give up your cycling.

[Hidden]

Seems to me that there is a possibility of professional medical negligence which has left you as you are. Have you considered a claim against your NHS provider? I understand there is a three year 'window of opportunity' after which any claim cannot be pursued. I would certainly be thinking about it. Finally as a far as I am aware the NHS set aside funds to service these sort of claims, so in doing that it does not affect provision of care elsewhere.

[Tickertalker in reply to Hidden]

Yes, I did consider that possibility, but I was warned in advance that there was a 2% chance of a stroke and accepted that risk so I'm not sure that I've got grounds for complaint. Also, as I've worked hard at my recovery, it's difficult to point to too much lasting damage. Bad backs are common at my age and I don't think I could link the two. As my son, who works in the legal profession, said 'It wouldn't be worth the juice for the squeeze'. Mind you, the stroke was just the beginning of my troubles. Next, I had a second operation to drain fluid from around my heart. I fell flat on my face three times, trying to get to the loo, after my pee bottle was removed in the night and not replaced. A doctor, mistakenly believed that I was allergic to blood thinners, stopped my Warfarin and put me on a drip of vitamin K. Not a good move when you have just had a mechanical heart valve fitted. I was rushed back to the heart hospital when a follow-up scan showed shadows on my heart. At that point, alone in a Covid isolation ward, I was convinced I was going to die. And, finally, against the advice of the main consultant, the ward doctor insisted I was discharged immediately. I'm not sure why as I was often thanked for being so helpful with streams of students learning their trade, but I have a hunch. One of the nurses would come into my room late in the evening to take my blood pressure then tell me that 'She needed to inspect my skin'. Code for exposing and spending some time examining my dick. An experience that, while not arousing, didn't particularly trouble me. It was only when I considered how bad it would be if a male nurse was behaving that way to a paralysed female patient that I said 'No'. She went off muttering about how she would be writing a report. I suspect that, worried that I would report her, she filed a complaint about me. That's a guess. I mention all of this as I do think that, by the time I got home, I was suffering from PTSD. Certainly, I spent endless sleepless nights on my computer trying to figure out if I might have blood clots lurking somewhere. While I no longer have the same fear, I do wonder if my numb feet problem could be connected to the prolonged high levels of anxiety I lived through.

[sampaloc0624]

I have no idea what to do or advise you. Just messaging some words of care, hope you get past this soon. Take care and get well soon

[MelB51]

I had an operation to insert stents into the iliac and femoral arteries but as I am not able to withstand a GA I was given a spinal block. This wore off during the operation which was taking a LOT longer than anticipated. They had to call a halt to the operation so it was never completed and I am left with a ‘spongy’ leg that they say is due to nerve damage. It is very easy to damage nerves under the circumstances so your tingling may be a similar problem but like others have suggested, get it checked in case there is something they can do to alleviate it.

[MountainGoat52]

I am really sorry to read how you have been treated. It can only have been down to the pandemic that you were sent home when you were not really fit enough to look after yourself. Even so, that is no excuse for proper support not being provided.

With regards to your tingling feet, I agree with the others in that you should contact your GP and get this checked out. It will probably be impossible to self-diagnose what this is. I know from experience with nerve damage (from harvesting blood vessels) that the loss of sensation comes and goes. I suffer from circulatory issues as well and the situation is similar. It is very much a moving target.

I hope that you get this sorted out soon. With my best wishes,

Gerald

[Qualipop]

What a nightmare you had.I would suggest your GP shoudl send you for nerve conduction tests to see if there's a nerve trapped in your spine and exactly where.

[Graham07]

Hi. I’m so sorry to hear what you have been going through, My friend also had keyhole surgery and gets infected due to a lack of hospital care. He is still suffering from the after-effects of the pain and sommersandroth.com/ filed medical malpractice against the hospital. So my advice is to seek suggestions from any known doctors and address the situation as soon as possible otherwise it may become worse.