Polio

[tamborine]

Friend had childhood polio that left one weak leg. She's suffering "...lot of trouble with my 'good' leg - it's tired from compensating for the 'bad' one and I'm really hobbling about..."

Any ideas to help ?

[Sqad]

No....sorry!

Your post has summarised the situation beautifully.

If by "trouble" you mean pain, then she will need to take painkillers.

Eventually, the knee or hip joint on the good side will need replacing.

[Prudie]

Just as an aside those posters when I was a child in all the public toilets about polio (picture of someone in a caliper I think) used to terrify me.

[tonyav]

Same here prudie, although I didn't have to have the polio jab at school.

[sebhfhion]

you didn't get a polio jab, it was a pink sugar lump if I remember well, which was replaced in later years with a drop of the vaccine under the tongue.

[tonyav]

Ah well, thats why I didn't get it then !.

[tamborine]

Sqad I cant tell her that....its too drastic replacing bits. She's 65. Is it blood flow & maybe enlarging those big veins (am not clever with med terms) to resolve the situation - what do you think ?

[tamborine]

^^ got it - arteries ?

[Sqad]

What do I think?

Can't say as you have not given me enough description of "trouble"..pain? stiffness: pain on walking?

[tamborine]

"....Brian has to pull my leg six times once a day and poke me with his finger on a sore spot on my bum!!! Hopefully all this will help, so far it hasn't....."

Her hubby's remedy ?

[tamborine]

dont think 'pull my leg' is a joke ;)

[grumpyman]

Contact the British Polio Fellowship, for their info sheets on Post Polio Syndrome.
on 0800 018 0586, or www.britishpolio.org.uk
Talk to your Doctor and ask them about Post Polio Syndrome (pps), good luck most GPs have no idea what it is, but the Polio Fellowship can help.

[tamborine]

thanx grumpyman, have passed your link to Vancouver expat.