I had a phone appointment with Dr Gutteridge today (well yesterday that would be now)to check on my meds etc. He feels sticking with my current medication regime makes sense for the foreseeable future based on my feedback from how I’ve been over recent weeks. If I think I might need a change I can mention it to Michelle, who can then discuss it through their MDTs.
I said about my problems and concerns with slips when walking. A couple of days after I ventured into the woods for the first time in months, I was walking Bertie in the morning and slipped on some ice whilst crossing the road just found the corner from me. As with the mud and leaves, it felt like my body/brain didn’t know how to react. I probably didn’t actually slip that much, but it felt like I wouldn’t stop. After a massive wobble and flailing my stick around me as my reactions tried to work out where I needed the support, I managed to keep myself on my feet, but it scared the crap out of me. Having only got a few hundred metres from the house, I then spent the rest of the walk treading extra carefully, walking on the grass, patches of moss, anything that looked like it might not be icy. I also spent most of the walk thinking that, if that happens with such little ice, I must be destined to having to get a wheelchair soon in order to be able to continue to walk Bertie when the weather really turns wintry.
Obviously Dr G’s specialty is pain and not the balance side of things so he could t offer any specific advice.
I then asked if spinal cord stimulation therapy might offer any relief. He said it might help with some of the bigger pain issues. He works quite closely with a specialist neurosurgeon, and would gladly make a referral if I wanted one. He said he knows the surgery is quite invasive and carries some serious risks, but it would be less risky than dealing with the adhesions again. He also said the waiting list for 1st appointment is about a year. Having discussed it some more, I decided it is worth a conversation with the neurosurgeon to explore the possibility and get a full understanding of the risks before deciding whether or not to go on to have further surgery.