***** I AM DESPERATE FOR ADVICE I HAVE SUFFERED to long now I AM SO OVER THIS ISSUE IT'S BEEN A SLOW 2 YEAR PROCESS OF DOCTORS BEING CLUELESS AS TO MY PROBLEM 6 MONTHS AFTER gastric sleeve SURGERY IT STARTED WITH A DULL PAIN in my LEFT HIP WHICH LEAD TO LEFT FOOT DROP AND STANDING BALANCE ISSUES I HAVE TO HOLD ON TO EVERYTHING IT FEELS LIKE I'M GONNA FALL NOW DUE TO BEING SEDENTARY I'M WEAK AND MY UPPER THIGH MUSCLES ARE WEAK I AM 55 yrs old USING A WALKER NOW I FEEL HELPLESS AND SOME DAYS NOT SURE HOW LONG I CAN GO ON. i LOST WEIGHT REALLY FAST 1ST YEAR 100LBS. AFTER 6 MRI'S THEY FOUND L4 L5 COMPRESSION BUT NOT SURGERY WORTHY AND THEY SAID ITS' ON THE RIGHT SIDE WHICH IS WHERE I SHOULD BE HAVING PAIN AND I DON'T i HAVE NO PAIN ANOTHER REASON THE DOCTORS ARE CONFUSED

AND PLUS THE FOOT DROP IS ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE COMPRESSION AS WELL. ANY ADVICE FROM ANYONE WOULD BE A BLESSING THANK YOU ????

Edited April 18, 20206 yr by need help to walk again

that doesn't sound like it would be anything related to your VSG surgery. Did you injure it somehow? I had that issue (foot drop and balancing issues) for several months after I sprained an ankle because the fall damaged my peroneal nerve (the main nerve that goes down through your leg). It did eventually work itself out, though - I had physical therapy for it which I think helped. I'm not sure what's going on in your case, though. If you didn't injure it somehow, I'm not sure what type of condition would cause that. If it IS due to injury, the injury could have been in your hip because that nerve goes all the way down your leg. My leg was pretty numb because of the nerve damage, and that's what was causing the foot drop and balance problems. Hopefully you'll be able to find an answer. I'm sorry you're going through this.

It could be related if a nerve was damaged during surgery. I have back issues and I can tell you that nerves are weird. You don’t always feel the pain exactly where the issue is.

I went through a hard time being diagnosed years ago. The key is finding the right dr from my experience. I know how horrible it is to deal with and I hope that you find help soon.

Edited April 19, 20206 yr by Losingit2018

7 hours ago, Losingit2018 said:

It could be related if a nerve was damaged during surgery. I have back issues and I can tell you that nerves are weird. You don’t always feel the pain exactly where the issue is.

hmmm....I don't have the background to comment much more on this. I honestly don't know if a nerve in or near the stomach could affect the leg. Maybe one of the medical people on this forum will know..

by the way - have you had labwork done lately? Vitamin B deficiencies can cause nerve issues. Just grabbing at straws here. I'm assuming if they sent you in for an MRI, they've done blood tests too, though.

It is unlikely that your foot drop is directly related to your VSG. I strongly encourage you to continue to follow up with your medical team. If you aren't getting the answers you need from your current team, consider getting a second opinion.

From my encounters with patients who have it, foot drop is a musculoskeletal manifestation of a neurological problem. From a little digging, I found this link Spine-Health Foot Drop I consider Sine Health a reputable source and use them a lot in my work.

You say it started after a dull ache in your hip. On the above link, I see that it could be a result of trauma to the hip or pelvis. Any falls in your remote past? Also, look at the peroneal nerve cause: "EXCESSIVE WEIGHT LOSS" or even something simple like an ankle sprain.

Based on my understanding of foot drop, it is MANAGED and not CURED. So, you'll likely have some degree of residual foot drop forever. While we're all quarantined, there's not much in terms of aggressive treatment. But, here's what I would do:

1. I'd make sure I had supportive footwear and definitely something supporting my ankle. An ankle splint is best (behind the foot to hold the foot in position and keep from dropping). If you don't have that, I'd put an ace wrap or similar on it to help support the joint.

2. I would immediately begin some sort of range of motion and strength exercises of the ankle and foot. Ankle rolls (clockwise, counterclockwise, up/down). If you have thera-bands or something similar, I'd use those too. *YouTube is a wealth of knowledge and I'm sure you could find some easy-to-do exercises for home.

Disclaimer: my input is not meant to be taken in lieu of your personal medical team's advice. As a nurse, I cannot diagnose or prescribe, but I can tell you what I've seen and what I'd do if it were me. Good luck!

Neuropathy after weightloss is pretty common. Some doctor's think it's related to crossing legs while sitting (which is why it's more common in women).

My sister had it pretty bad and her PCP thought it might be MS. He referred her to a neurologist, who quickly calmed her fears and diagnosed her with "slimmer's paralysis" and told her it was a temporary condition that would go away on it's own...which it did after a few months!

8 hours ago, catwoman7 said:

yes lots of lab work even lyme disease any lab suggestions out of the nrmal welcome maybe there's one I havent had but the usual ones are all ok

I have had problems with foot drop in the past. I spent about a year in physical therapy and it was super helpful. now I only drop my foot if I'm barefoot or exhausted.

Did they verify your disc issue wasn't also a tear? I had horrid nerve issues when a disc bulged and tore at L4/L5. Took a year to diagnose (finally with a discogram and follow up scan) after I kept complaining of repeated series of pain that didn't follow a pattern they expected. It still opens up and releases tissues into my spinal column occasionally and I'm crippled a few days to weeks. The only thing that works is my inversion table 2x a day to release the pressure on my disc and the tear. I also can not live without my TENS unit.

I'm sorry you are living in chronic pain with mobility issues. I know how frustrating it is. Keep pushing for an answer, though, because you deserve a better life.

Thank you this is good info. What do you use the Tens unit on which brand did you buy. I have heard of the inversion tables I am a bit afraid of them

Also below did this mean you had pain in a area that wasn't expected my MRI show right side but pain is in my hip left side not my back.

You: Repeated series of pain that didn't follow a pattern they expected

Yes. So when my disc bulged originally, it tore, but they couldn't see that. Then I'd recover for the most part and all of a sudden the pain would come back and be down the other side without a visible disc bulge. That was because the tear would open up and irritate the nerves on the other side. They were puzzled because it wasn't predictable or staying the same each time, like a bulged disc would. My disc wasn't repeatedly bulging and impinging on the nerves, it was opening up and releasing the fluid and that was irritating different nerves.

As far as the TENS unit, mine isn't an over-the-counter version, it is a medical grade one that was ordered by my physical therapist. I had an older one previously in 2000 after I shattered my right femur and had a hip and knee joint repair from a car accident so I could get off oxy (also prescribed by a PT) so I knew I wanted one for my back pain as well. It's by RS Medical, which just so happens to be local to me anyway. However, the $40-50 ones with different types of digital programs that connect with leads to electrical patches on Amazon are basically comparable.

Inversion tables SEEM scary. However, most of them are not. You don't have to go all the way upside down, either. I have a $150 Ironman Inversion Table and it has a strap so you can keep inverting from going too far. It's also variable in height, from 5'2 to 6'6 and up to 350 pounds, so my whole family uses it when our backs hurt. The hardest part is just stepping up onto the foot rests when my back hurts, honestly. Inverting and getting back up is easy. I spent THOUSANDS of dollars diagnosing my back issues all for a surgeon tell me I wasn't a good candidate for any surgery and get the table, which I thought was a total cop out and wouldn't help. But within 2 weeks of actually trying it, my back stopped hurting, my leg stopped hurting (not my arthritis issues, that's lifelong, but the nerve pain), and I wasn't living in excruciating pain anymore.

I won't say this will solve your pain or back issues, but I know that any options that are economically and physically feasible when you are living with unrelenting agony and limited mobility are usually worth trying.

Have your doctors performed a nerve conduction test?