Foot numbness/paralysis: Anyone dealt with this?

I noticed yesterday that my left leg felt kind of numb and my foot was acting weird. I didn't think much of it at the time, so I just spent the day limping around, thinking it would probably go away on its own. But today feels way worse, and while I was driving, it felt like I had to use every ounce of strength just to press down on the clutch. I did a little searching online and apparently, what I'm going through is foot paresis, and if I don't get surgery within 72 hours, it might be permanent?! If anyone knows anything about this, please let me know what you've dealt with. I’ve just been sitting here crying my eyes out thinking I might have to limp for the rest of my life because I didn't take this seriously enough right away.

I have some advice for you... shut down your computer and get to a doctor immediately.😉

There are plenty of different reasons why foot drop or numbness might happen, and honestly, believe me when I say most of them don't require emergency surgery within a 72-hour window. You should definitely head over to the ER or see a neurologist just to be safe—it could be something totally minor, or it could be something more significant, but you aren't going to lose your leg.

Take it from someone who dealt with both feet being completely numb for two or three months straight. It was so bad I couldn't tell if I was walking on my own feet or on hooves! But I pulled through, and now I'm back to walking perfectly fine.

Michelle Long97, let me know how everything went. I'm really pulling for you and hoping it all turned out okay. 🙂

hiddenhawk88 said:Michelle Long97, let me know how everything went. I'm really pulling for you and hoping it all turned out okay. 🙂

Thanks for asking and caring—it’s nice to see there are still people out there where empathy isn't some alien concept!🙂
I'm honestly a bit confused about whether things are okay or not. It sounds crazy, but I'm just feeling overwhelmed by all these different thoughts.
To be honest, I had never even heard of foot drop before, let alone understood what causes it or what the fallout looks like.
I called the on-call nurse over at the neurosurgery department, and she advised me to get down there as soon as possible, since foot drop isn't exactly something to brush off.
And that’s what happened, except this one really arrogant internist decided—without even checking me—that I just needed to show up in the morning with a referral. (Since primary care doctors don't work on Saturdays, but I guess that doesn't matter to anyone...)
Long story short, I talked to the specialists and my hunch about the foot drop seems to be right (unfortunately). And it's true that emergency surgery is necessary, maybe within the first 24 hours, because the chances for recovery are way better that way.
The only silver lining is that the damage seems to be in my lower leg rather than my spine (thank God, because thinking about incontinence and having to wear diapers was sending me into crying fits again). Physical therapy is the only therapeutic option left, though the odds aren't great; the doctor was pretty blunt and said they're almost nonexistent.
But before the final diagnosis, I have to get tests done that usually involve waiting forever at public hospitals (like an MRI or CT) or paying a huge amount out-of-pocket privately, which I can't really afford right now (I'm actually in the middle of remodeling my bathroom, so I even dipped into my kid's piggy bank).
I'm not thrilled about dragging my foot around, but if it means avoiding unbearable pain and diapers, I'll take the first option!

I guess this is just advice from someone who dealt with both feet being numb for maybe 2 or 3 months... I couldn't even tell if I was walking on my feet or hooves, but anyway, I'm fine now and walking normally.

Thank God you're doing okay and didn't have any lasting issues!