By Dave Tompkins
A few years ago, Carolyn Stevens was experiencing unbearable pain in her right ankle. It was so severe that she was having difficulty walking and frequently came close to falling. At 73, aches and pains are not uncommon, but Carolyn knew this was different — and she is not your typical senior.
Diagnosed with polio when she was just 18 months old, she has walked with a limp or used a brace most of her life. Still, she never considered herself handicapped.
“I did anything everyone else did,” said Carolyn. “I think it was harder on my parents than on me.”
Pain and limited mobility have always been a part of her life, but did not prevent her from raising a family in Yates City, IL and working in a variety of positions including preschool teacher, day care assistant, and even a bus driver. Still, this pain was different, so she started seeing an orthopedic doctor who discovered that the disease had significantly damaged her ankle muscles — twisting them around the bone.
She also suffered from rheumatoid arthritis, so she began taking shots to alleviate the pain and considered ankle replacement surgery. When the surgical option fell through, she resigned herself to living with discomfort and continued to receive medical treatment. When the pain spread to her knee, the doctor said both her knee and ankle were worn out and recommended she go to Comprehensive Prosthetics and Orthopedics of Peoria. That made all the difference.
“Since meeting with Raju Roy, Certified Prosthetist and Orthotist I have a quality of life I didn’t know I could have,” said Carolyn. “When I first met him, I was nervous, but he was so caring and reassuring.”
During her initial review, Raju Roy assessed her needs and current abilities, and then made an impression of her leg right there in the office. He also reviewed her brace and was surprised to learn it was 18 years old. Carolyn had no idea that she should have had regular assessments to ensure the brace still met her needs and functioned properly.
Carolyn was also impressed that Raju knew so much about polio. Today, the disease is almost unknown, but at the time Carolyn was growing up, it was a crippling childhood illness that all parents feared. Carolyn had met many doctors who knew what polio was, but had no idea what the personal impact of the disease was.
Complicating Carolyn’s situation were past medical procedures which had been common during the time they were performed. Growing up in rural Wallace, Indiana during World War II, Carolyn frequently went to Riley Children’s Hospital in Indianapolis for treatment. There, she was fitted for a steel and leather brace when she was just three years old.
She received new braces as she grew in addition to undergoing operations to strengthen her ankles. As she got older, the doctors were concerned about how both legs would grow as she matured.
“I had an operation on my left leg — my good one — to keep it from growing,” said Carolyn. “Now, my good leg is a half-inch shorter than my bad one.”
The disease, operations, and years had taken their toll, but despite these difficulties, Raju was optimistic that CPO could help.
“My ankle had twisted my foot almost completely to the right, and he told me it will never be completely straight, but he was certain that CPO could get it as straight as it could,” said Carolyn. “I found that hard to believe.”
When the brace arrived, Carolyn was discouraged by the size, assuming she could not put it on over her jeans. Raju took the time to show her how to put it on and how to use it. He also told her that the brace would be painful initially as her foot would resist being reset into the proper position, but it would fade as it adjusted.
“Putting on the brace and using it for the first time was such an emotional moment for me and my husband (Chuck),” said Carolyn. “I used a walker when I was getting used to the brace, and he (Chuck) said that he’s never seen me walk so straight.”
Now, she occasionally uses a cane and is sure to visit Raju and the CPO staff every six months for a review. As she continues to progress, she recalls how much things have improved since her first visit.
“CPO has made a huge difference in my life,” said Carolyn, “and they are just as helpful as the first time I came.”
CPO has more than 20 locations including an office in Bloomington at 908 North Hershey Rd. CPO offers innovation in prosthetics, orthotics, and pedorthics with compassionate care and attentive customer service. You can learn more about Comprehensive Prosthetics and Orthotics, as well as find a directory of all of their locations, at www.cpousa.com, or call them for more information at 309-664-6930.
Photo by Amanda Williams, In Your World Portraits