'My Feet Are Killing Me': Dr Ebonie solves mystery behind Aquila's cursed foot
A problem well stated is half solved -- this quote most certainly applies to the patients featured on 'My Feet are Killing Me'. The more Dr Brad Schaeffer, Dr Ebonie Vincent and Dr Sarah Haller know about the issues they are knowing up against, the better they can treat them. However, ever so often, they chance upon a case that seems to present no logical explanation whatsoever!
Throughout the show, there is a little the doctors haven't dealt with. From webbed feet, Proteus Syndrome and even potentially cancerous growths, they've seen it all. In this episode, Dr Ebonie Vincent meets Aquila, whose feet almost prove to be the ultimate medical mystery.
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On this episode, Dr Ebonie came across a case that baffled her completely. Aquila, along with her brother A'ron visited the clinic in the hope of finding a solution to her issue, which happens to be hereditary. As Aquila explained, she has had this issue right since she was seven years old, and her brother has a form of this condition as well. It turns out, a few uncles and aunts from their dad's side have the same issue.
As the story in the family goes, their great, great grandmother was cheating with a married man. One day, when his wife was returning home, she ran out of the house, without her shoes, to hide the affair. However, she ended up running right into the wife of the man she was sleeping with. The wife then placed a curse on her bare feet, which turned into a generational curse.
While Dr Ebonie agreed that the curse story made for an interesting theory, she was determined to get to the bottom of his medical mystery, Aquila even mentioned that she had had surgery for the same before, where the doctors scrapped out all of the growth. Post the surgery, and she was able to walk fine for about a year. But the disease soon came back and, since then, has been a constant source of pain.
Aquila even mentioned that post the surgery; the shooting pain got significantly worse. Oddly enough, Aquila's MRI revealed no imminent nerve damage or tumors that left Dr Ebonie stumped, seeing that it was in the category of a callous. A biopsy seemed like the only way to figure out what was the issue. She even took samples from A'ron, to get to the root cause of the problem.
It came as a shock that the biopsy did not reveal much either, as it just pointed out that the siblings had Hyperkeratosis, a condition that causes thickening of the outer layer of the skin. For Dr Ebonie, this baffled her, as Aquila's foot was proof of a much more significant issue at play. After extensive research, she diagnosed the siblings with Unna-Thost palmoplantar keratoderma, a condition that affects the hands and feet.
It causes the skin on one's palms and sole to become thick, yellow and waxy in appearance and may lead to fungal infections. The hereditary condition often appears earlier on. With no known treatment, the best way to handle it is by managing the symptoms through medication. For Aquila, who went into the appointment expecting to be disappointed, she was pleasantly surprised to have a real diagnosis for once. No doctor until now had a name for her condition, but with Dr Ebonie's reassurance, she felt far better about her situation.
Catch all-new episodes of 'My Feet Are Killing Me' on Wednesdays at 10 pm EST on TLC.