I wanted to write a post to let you all know what’s going on with my health issues. Just to refresh your memories, I’d been experiencing numbness in my right foot that would travel all the way up my legs and thighs, to my hip (all on my right side). This only occurs when I attempt to fitness walk, my normal day-to-day walking doesn’t result in any numbness. I also don’t experience numbness when I ride my bike, do the elliptical machine, do workout DVDs, do yoga, or in aqua classes. The whole thing has been really frustrating because walking is supposed to be the most natural exercise in the world.
I’ve seen my doctor three times in the last few weeks, and unfortunately, I don’t have too many more answers than I did before. Here’s the situation:
- I had extensive blood tests performed, and they determined that I do not have diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, or any other issue of that sort. This was a huge relief.
- I had ultrasounds of both legs, to determine if there was a problem with blood flow to my legs. The ultrasound showed that my right foot/leg is getting a bit less blood flow, caused by a slight narrowing of the blood vessel of the main artery. My doctor said that with increased exercise, this would improve dramatically.
At this point, my doctor’s inclination was to stop there but after talking to a lot of people, including a few of you who told me about problems with discs in their backs causing similar symptoms, I strongly advocated for myself to get an X-ray. My doctor finally relented.
The X-ray showed that I don’t have any issues with any of the discs in my back. The actual report said, “The disc spaces are fairly well maintained. The alignment is normal. No fractures or other bony lesions. No soft tissue abnormalities.” While this is good news, it still doesn’t lead to any answers about what IS wrong with me and what’s causing this numbness and pain.
The next steps are that my doctor wants me to continue to exercise and lose weight and see if that improves my ability to fitness walk. She has asked me to take 1 month and then check back in with her. So that’s where we are.
This gives me all the more incentive to continue with WW and working out at least 4-5 times a week. I’m really hoping that losing weight will have a signifcant impact on all of these symptoms. Keep your fingers crossed!
Bella on the Beach 
I absolutely adore your blog, so I might wind up commenting on all of your posts from this weekend…no I’m not crazy lol!
I’m sure its frustrating to spend that much time working with your doctor, only to find out……nothing. Perhaps this month, you stick to the excercises that you know dont cause the numbness?
I actually have the same issue with my feet going numb, but its any work out really. I have found that making sure my shoes are laced properly is imperative, and if they go numb, if I move my feet in a different pattern it goes away. I thought this was just an issue for us larger ladies, but two of my girlfriends who have no weight at all that they could lose also mentioned that their feet go numb!
Thank you so much! I’m loving your blog, as well. I haven’t had time to catch up on all of your previous posts, but I will sometime soon, I promise.
It’s good to know that it’s not just about weight re: the numbness, but I would love to know what it IS about. It’s so baffling!