This may very well be the craziest post I ever make here on TBH!
It's a bit of a read, but I'd love to hear some opinions from the masses.
**Disclaimer**
I understand completely that there are folks here struggling MUCH worse than I am, so please know I'm not trying to draw any sympathy, but rather wanting to know 'What would YOU do?' if you were in my place.
A little over a year ago, I started having pretty significant trouble with my left foot. I was born with extremely flat feet, and my left foot has been getting worse and worse since I was about 25. Long story (somewhat) short, after a few weeks of increasing pain and discomfort, I woke up one morning and couldn't put any weight on my left foot. Every time I tried, it felt like the bones in the top of my foot would snap. After seeing a specialist and having a bunch of x-rays, we discovered that over the years the bones in my foot had fused, and apparently the fusion/coalition had caused the rest of my foot to shift, and the fusion/coalition was causing everything to really disagree.
Without any 100% solution, I chose to have a surgery that Doc *hoped* would at least alleviate 70% of my pain. I entered into the procedure knowing there was a possibility it wouldn't give me the relief I was hoping for. The biggest trouble however, was that everything was working together to create the perfect storm. My foot issues have caused severe arthritis in my ankle, so both things were working against each other. After the surgery, things were a little better, but nowhere near what I'd hoped. Now, after 13 months, I'm struggling almost as much as I was before the surgery. My daily pain level is higher than I can bear without medication, and I don't want to live like this.
I am at the point where I have a few options, but none are ideal. 1: I can try to find a Doc who would try some injection type stuff in my ankle to see if the pain is really all stemming from there (from what I've heard, this is mainly stuff used on knees, but some Docs are willing to try it on ankles as well). Like my first surgery, there's NO guarantee this will alleviate my pain issue. 2: I can have my foot fully fused, which would *hopefully* alleviate my FOOT pain, but would give me significant mobility limitations (no side-to-side movement). The main issue with this option is that a fusion would transfer significant pressure to my ankle, and the Doc believes that this will make a total ankle fusion immanent. Apparently, having your foot AND ankle fused is a pretty rough deal, and most Docs don't even like to do it because of how limiting and difficult it is.
The third option would be amputation of the foot just above the ankle. I know it sounds crazy, but it's a legitimate option, and is the only guarantee that my pain would be completely gone, and I'd be starting with a "clean slate" using a prosthetic. I've done quite a bit of research on this, and though the expense of a prosthetic is great, the technology in that area these days is incredible.
When we discussed this, my Doc was VERY intent on telling me this was NOT his suggestion, but it was truly an option given all the negative possibilities of the situation. I really trust this Doc and feel like he's an excellent surgeon. I was really shocked at first to even be discussing it, but the longer I think on it, the more I wonder if it should be something I really do consider. At this point, I'm nowhere near a decision, but just thinking a lot about all the above options, as well as the option of just living on medication and fighting through the remaining pain.
So there it is. What do you guys think?
It's a bit of a read, but I'd love to hear some opinions from the masses. **Disclaimer**
I understand completely that there are folks here struggling MUCH worse than I am, so please know I'm not trying to draw any sympathy, but rather wanting to know 'What would YOU do?' if you were in my place.
A little over a year ago, I started having pretty significant trouble with my left foot. I was born with extremely flat feet, and my left foot has been getting worse and worse since I was about 25. Long story (somewhat) short, after a few weeks of increasing pain and discomfort, I woke up one morning and couldn't put any weight on my left foot. Every time I tried, it felt like the bones in the top of my foot would snap. After seeing a specialist and having a bunch of x-rays, we discovered that over the years the bones in my foot had fused, and apparently the fusion/coalition had caused the rest of my foot to shift, and the fusion/coalition was causing everything to really disagree.
Without any 100% solution, I chose to have a surgery that Doc *hoped* would at least alleviate 70% of my pain. I entered into the procedure knowing there was a possibility it wouldn't give me the relief I was hoping for. The biggest trouble however, was that everything was working together to create the perfect storm. My foot issues have caused severe arthritis in my ankle, so both things were working against each other. After the surgery, things were a little better, but nowhere near what I'd hoped. Now, after 13 months, I'm struggling almost as much as I was before the surgery. My daily pain level is higher than I can bear without medication, and I don't want to live like this.
I am at the point where I have a few options, but none are ideal. 1: I can try to find a Doc who would try some injection type stuff in my ankle to see if the pain is really all stemming from there (from what I've heard, this is mainly stuff used on knees, but some Docs are willing to try it on ankles as well). Like my first surgery, there's NO guarantee this will alleviate my pain issue. 2: I can have my foot fully fused, which would *hopefully* alleviate my FOOT pain, but would give me significant mobility limitations (no side-to-side movement). The main issue with this option is that a fusion would transfer significant pressure to my ankle, and the Doc believes that this will make a total ankle fusion immanent. Apparently, having your foot AND ankle fused is a pretty rough deal, and most Docs don't even like to do it because of how limiting and difficult it is.
The third option would be amputation of the foot just above the ankle. I know it sounds crazy, but it's a legitimate option, and is the only guarantee that my pain would be completely gone, and I'd be starting with a "clean slate" using a prosthetic. I've done quite a bit of research on this, and though the expense of a prosthetic is great, the technology in that area these days is incredible.
When we discussed this, my Doc was VERY intent on telling me this was NOT his suggestion, but it was truly an option given all the negative possibilities of the situation. I really trust this Doc and feel like he's an excellent surgeon. I was really shocked at first to even be discussing it, but the longer I think on it, the more I wonder if it should be something I really do consider. At this point, I'm nowhere near a decision, but just thinking a lot about all the above options, as well as the option of just living on medication and fighting through the remaining pain.
So there it is. What do you guys think?
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