Catherinet, doesn't sound like tarsal tunnel syndrome to me based on my symptoms and esperience. Compounded orthopedic problems are a pain in the you no what. I have them too and I sware, you fix one and create another, on and on and on. Each one ends up being directly related to the other. From experience, there are many orthopedic foot surgeons who highly respect podiatrists and visa versa and then you have the ones, like you said that bad mouth each other. I started with golfers elbow in my right arm and went to an ortho pod for it. long story short with him. I was the fool to trust him, but realized it too late. Botched treatment, botched unnecessary surgery, and permenent weakness in my right upper arm, and tendon weakness in both that can limit my function at times. While going to this doc I developed plantar fasciitis. I went to a podiatrist that my daughter and hubby had used and was wonderful. Fixed it up in a couple of weeks, but had to check about the steroid shot with the ortho doc because it happened shortly after I had the surgery on my arm. This ortho literally screamed at me for being a fool and using a podiatrist. Funny thing is I was the fool to use the ortho doc. Anyway left the ortho doc and went to a sports medicine practice that had every kind of orthopedic specialty in it for a second opinion on my arms. 2 years and got that worked out as best I could and developed a spinal problem. Ended up needing surgery for spinal stenosis, emergency surgery for it last June. Was getting back on my feet, still going to PT in August when I started having trouble with both feet and ankles. I was afraid that it was something with my back so went back to see the spinal doc. He said it was from correcting the back problem and standing up straight and now my feet where having a problem because of it. He was more than willing to ok my going to a podiatrist and knew the one I used, or I could see their foot, ankle, knee doc there. I chose to do that as felt they could work together to be sure that what ever was done with my feet didn't cause problems with my back. The foot orthopedic doc diagnosed the tarsal tunnel syndrome and gave me a PT order and order for custom orthotics and see him in 6 weeks. He also had no problem with the podiatrist making the inserts for me, especially because his office was 15 minutes from my home and the ortho docs are about 40 minutes away. Went to the podiatrist and got a different diagnosis and he refused to make the inserts because I needed surgery and would have to be on crutches for 6 weeks. I can't use crutches because I can't bare weight on my arms without tearing the tendons in my arms. He told me that I was wasting money on inserts and PT and I would either have to have the surgery or suffer the rest of my life in pain. Chose the PT and had the inserts made at the place the ortho doc told me to go. The guy there heated up some kind of, what looked like craft foam and I stepped on it and it molded to my foot. After it hardened, about to minutes he did some cutting from the shape and he put them in my shoes. I had to walk around in them for about 5 minutes and then tell him how they felt. Well it took about an hour of moving shaving off in this spot, adding in another, etc. to get them to feel comfortable. The I was told to wear them only for 3 hours a day for the first 2 days and build up from that over the next 2 weeks. Unless they where really uncomfortable before the 2 weeks. I got used to them in a week and they have been fine ever since. Your inserts where made the "usual way" foam shape and then the work is done outside without your foot and no adjustments made. The people that make them in a custom place are specially trained to do this and can tell what is wrong with the foot from the mold and where the stuff is needed to add. They also can take care of making sure it is done so as not to cause further problems with your knees. Between the PT and the inserts my feet heeled quite well and I don't really have a problem with them now. I asked a friend, who is a physical therapist in a hospital, if they are trained to do molds for custom orthotics and she said no way. Occupational therapists are trained to do hand and wrist molded splints but we are not and we are not trained to do foot moldings for orthotics. she said that you need to go to a specialist that makes them while you wait and have them adjusted while you are there. I would talk to the doc that did you knee surgery about the pain you are suffering and what is going on. Ask him/her for the name of someone to use for your feet. they should be able to work together to help you. Do I find it funny that the doc you're using can take care of your foot? No way in h##l. I went to the head of the hand and arm orthopedic department of one of the most prestigious hospitals in Massachusetts and he is as about incompitent as a doc can get. If I could find a mal practice attorney to take my case I would sue the crap out him and get his liscence for good. But none want it because there isn't enough money in it. Like any other profession, there are good and bad docs. We both have found the bad ones first, but the first thing everyone should remember is that if you are not getting any help for a medical problem after some time then it's time to get another opinion. You have every right to do this and if the doc doesn't like it, well that's just too bad. Get all your xrays, CT, MRI and anything else and take them with you to a new doc and do it ASAP. forget about the fact that the physical therapist you like said to use him. He didn't work for you and there is someone out there that at the very least, will be able to diagnose the problem and the provide the proper treatment. Good luck and let us know what happens.

Hello, sweeby, uxorial, weed, & mitch...((((to you all)))) Dd is 9--sorry I spaced answering that, thought I had... Today she seems to have stopped with the pains. Nothing. She's keeping down food (which I think was due to the morphine anyway). We were going to go to the symphony tonight but I think we'll skip it just to be safe. She's saying now that the same feeling she had before when the pains started is coming back...so it's kind of touch and go. But we'll miss a 13-y.o. cellist playing the Saint-Saens cello concerto #1 *sigh* we were all really looking forward to seeing. sweeby, the phenergan was IV, which she already had in for the morphine--since it was already in, I'm glad they didn't try to do the suppository--she was not into any more orifices being affected...sorry to hear about your son's syndrome...I hope you know about the respiratory depression possibilities with it when administered to kids--just might want to keep an eye on him when he has to have it, although my DD had it in conjunction with morphine, which *also* can cause respiratory depression, so we were doubly at risk there...probably much more risky than what your son gets. uxorial, WOW! What a story. Who would have guessed. weed, that was exactly the site I was looking at last night! :) Thanks. The net is amazing. mitch, OW, poor dear...I shivered reading it. That would certainly cause the intermittent pain...I'll keep that in mind and I hope she hasn't had any recurrences or repercussions... So it's a quiet evening at home, applying sanded caulk and comforting my dear girl :) Thanks again you all--I am so grateful for this forum and the wonderful folks on it.

THank you all so much for writing...it's been a roller-coaster of a day...I called the dentist back and said that it was worse than ever, not subsiding, just growing -- he folded and referred me to an endodontist, but I couldn't call them until after 5, so I won't know if I can be seen until tomorrow morning. By around 5:30 as I was driving DD to orchestra, it finally HIT so bad I was ready to go to an ER. I was sweating, panting from the pain, and felt faint...oh my gosh it was bad and just getting worse...luckily DH met me at the orchestra place and he drove me at first to a dental ER, but I REFUSED to let them see me because it seemed so shady (weirdly, I got definite vibes not to let them near me, and the weirdness was confirmed by the completely inappropriate behavior of the people behind the desk and the questions on the registration sheet -- how many medical offices make you write the name of your "Financial Institution" and warn you about the fee if you don't call within 24 hours of your next appointment before even handing you the *long* registration form??! but I digress)...by then I had given in and taken an extra half tramadol, just because I was going completely insane with the pain. I would categorize it as the second worst pain I've ever felt--first being childbirth. But I think the tramadol what did the trick because in about 45 minutes I was living again, doing errands with DH while we waited for DD. I can feel it's coming back again now, but I know now how to control it until tomorrow morning. jbrig, thank you for the clarification -- you're right, I was being too broad-brush and ended up just being wrong -- I think I was thinking of the prostaglandin-inhibiting and the anti-inflammatory effects of ibuprofen (or at least that's what I had been told). Thanks for correcting me. Funny that you should mention the tramadol/flexeril, because those are what I take -- the tramadol in the daytime for fibro and the flexeril at night (low dose, as a muscle relaxer as you mention). camlan, WOW...that's scary...how did they end up finding it? Do you have complete resolution now and you're pain-free? And Pat, I'm sorry to hear you've had that situation for years...I can only imagine what it must be like for that long. Could TN2 include the feeling that teeth are about to explode? INTENSE ache? I'll bring it up with the endodontist tomorrow. I can feel a tooth throbbing now, starting the wind-up. I really appreciate your all's understanding, help and good wishes so much. I'll post back about the endodontist. THANK YOU!

Well, I know who it is but what to do about it?? As I said nothing since last Sat. morning when I started my experiment. Yesterday I let the remaining two up and as I was typing the last post with Annie, fat daughter, sitting on the windowsill, I went to the kitchen after and saw a pile at the cupboard. So I took Maddie out to the carriage house and everything is fine now. No messes anywhere , everything in the litter box and that includes out in the carriage house. She has one box along with food and water and there were two piles of poop and three things of pee all in the litter box.... Nothing on the floor or anywhere else. So now what? She will be 15. My two oldest, the boy is 18, are the only cats I didn't rescue. Louie came from a friend whose kitten became pregnant before she was neutered and he is the only one of the four kittens remaining. My daughter had his brother who died awhile ago. I got Maddie from an ad..don't even ask why. She came from a house and was one of 6 of the cutest tiger kittens I have ever seen. For some reason her mother who was a total house cat was not neutered and ran out when the door was a jar and got nailed by the cat next foor..Maddie has anxiety issues and I would like to know why. She attacks her wet food altho I stand there and don't let anyone take hers and there is always dry food available as well as water and treats. She lays with the other cats and I see them head butt her so I can't think of an enemy. They basically ignore her so I don't know why she's suddenly having issues. It's very clear she cannot go somewhere else at her age. I even feel bad about her exile out there but I isolated the problem,. Do you think kitty Xanax would work? I hate to pill a good cat..she'd be hell to try.