Name : Amanda Herling
Adult: 23 years old
City, State: Baltimore, MD
E-mail : amandaherling@yahoo.com
Areas of body affected: Left foot and ankle, going up left leg
Personal History:
My name is Amanda and I was diagnosed in 1998. At the time I didn't think much of the diagnosis, the pain was minimal and I figured it would go away. I am now 23 and realizing the severity of this. I went first to a podiatrist who looked with concern and question, saying he had never seen something like this. He then sent my x-rays and recommended I see an Orthopedic Surgeon. After many more x-rays and an MRI he came to the conclusion of Melorheostosis. I went to physical therapy, which became too expensive, and the pain was still there. I also wore a foot brace for a while. I return to the doctor about every year complaining of worse pain and larger swelling. He tells me the same thing every year, no heels, wear the brace, and pretty much there's nothing he can do. I am still in college, and frequently go out. I refuse to wear that brace all my life, but find myself coming home early because I can't bear the pain. I haven't found anything to be helpful. So far I notice that working out and being on my feet make it extremely worse. I just began a retail job and am not dealing with the standing on my feet well at all. I'm looking for any suggestions, hope for easing the pain, or even just a friend I can relate all this to. I'm too young to have to worry about such an extreme problem. I even find myself worrying about how I will deal with this in the future with an upcoming job as a teacher and being on my feet all day. I think of myself as an extremely happy person, hopefully this obstacle can be taken away from my life!