One unfortunate part of Friedreichs Ataxia is how it progressively affects all aspects of my body. Unfortunately, FA has taken hold of my feet .
Feet are so important for those of us who have balance and coordination problems, they are our connection to the ground and our source of stability. Symptomatic FA feet are particularly cruel.
FA patients lose sensation in our extremities, and it usually starts in our feet and hands. This makes balancing and walking even more difficult. We typically develop painful curled toes with changing arches, restless leg syndrome, and poor circulation. We generally loose the ability to curl and move our toes.
I try to combat that as much as I can. I stretch my feet. I lay a towel on the ground and “scrunch” it with my toes (this exercise is so ridiculously frustrating for me, and a bit painful.) On the rare occasions that I wear shoes, I wear supportive (yet cute!) ones.
My feet have become progressively affected in the last 5 months. My feet are often blue or purple, painful and stubborn. A couple of my toes are now quite curled. It’s ugly. It’s scary watching my body morph and disfigure.
My restless legs make sleeping more difficult, which exasperates my fatigue. Vicious cycle.
My AMAZING husband got us an adjustable Tempurpedic mattress today, I am hopeful that elevating my feet on the bad days can alleviate some of the symptoms + help combat fatigue with a better night’s sleep! Stay tuned #CureFA #BabeWithAMobilityAid #ChronicIllness
