“How to manage my difficulty walking?”
I am 59 years old been a diabetic for 26 years. My legs feel heavy and weak which makes it difficult to walk, I work as a bus driver for many years about eight months ago, I started having terrible pain on my lower back it was difficult for me to do simple things like taking a shower, putting on my shoes and walking. The only thing that helps my back was using a back cushion when driving but it's still difficult for me to walk even lifting my feet from the gas peddle to the brakes can be difficult at times. My legs sometimes feel numb like its asleep and trembling like nerve damage, I am not sure what is wrong with me first I though I suffer from sciatica then I though I suffer from lumbar spinal stenosis. I am not sure I don't have health insurance since I am no longer working so I cannot go to the doctor, Deeply appreciate any help or advice you can give.
Male | 59 years old
Complaint duration: 8 months
Medications: Janumet 50/1,000
Conditions: diabetics
3 Answers
How is your diabetes? Is it well-controlled? I believe you need to see your primary care doctor to have a thorough check-up and evaluation to find out exactly what is causing your walking problem.
Sounds like spinal stenosis.
Dear Difficulty Walking,
Patients with diabetes get painful and sometimes weak legs. That being said, additional problems occur with leg weakness that leaves you unable to lift them or adequately walk with them. First of all, you should not be operating a bus if your braking or acceleration response times are slowed by even one fraction of a second. If you cannot immediately and quickly brake with hard pressure, you jeopardize everyone on the bus. There is no way to cure this problem without knowing more and examining you, but the biggest fear is a spinal cord or muscle weakness problem that needs a diagnosis. Things like multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and spinal adhesive arachnoiditis may be considerations. My best advice is to go to a county free clinic, as your diabetes may also be out of control and your diabetic neuropathy needs a baseline evaluation by a diabetic expert or a neurologist, then further testing by physical exam. You may need an X-ray, MRI, and nerve conduction study. Fight for your diagnosis.
All the best!
Patients with diabetes get painful and sometimes weak legs. That being said, additional problems occur with leg weakness that leaves you unable to lift them or adequately walk with them. First of all, you should not be operating a bus if your braking or acceleration response times are slowed by even one fraction of a second. If you cannot immediately and quickly brake with hard pressure, you jeopardize everyone on the bus. There is no way to cure this problem without knowing more and examining you, but the biggest fear is a spinal cord or muscle weakness problem that needs a diagnosis. Things like multiple sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and spinal adhesive arachnoiditis may be considerations. My best advice is to go to a county free clinic, as your diabetes may also be out of control and your diabetic neuropathy needs a baseline evaluation by a diabetic expert or a neurologist, then further testing by physical exam. You may need an X-ray, MRI, and nerve conduction study. Fight for your diagnosis.
All the best!
