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2nd surgery and now screws 60 days post-op are bothering me! I was wondering how long the re-cope time is for this then?
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Well I had the MRI and went back to the ortho. The AVN has more than doubled in size, has spread to the outside of the bone and all of the articular cartilage and joint surface. Told I could have an ankle replacement but it was not a good choice because I am active. Said I really have no other option but a fusion but they are leaving in all the dead bone, and inserting screws into the dead bone. I am terrified this is not going to work and I am going to end up losing my leg. I am scheduled for March 27 and I am going to seek out another opinion as well as legal counsel at this point. I don't see anything that can be done but a fusion but I am not even sure if this will work with all the dead bone. I can't believe it has gotten so bad and the dr admitted yesterday that if the fracture had been found and fixed at the time of injury we would probably not be having this discussion. So it is what it is I guess. I hope I have the good experience you have had, I am trying hard to keep the faith. Thank you again Angela!
January 13, 2012 - 8:33am~Kris
This Comment
Hi Angela, well I had my appointment last week and I am going for an MRI tomorrow and back to see the dr in a couple of weeks. He said he is definately going to do some type of surgery, he just isn't sure what yet. He talked about scraping the joint surfaces and cleaning it up and also about doing the bone graft. I am nervous but ready to get something done to at least try to make it better. I will let you know what he decides. Thanks for sharing your story and being such an inspiration to everyone. :) Happy New Year!
January 9, 2012 - 6:25amThis Comment
My cartilage is disintigrating for some reason. They did the bone grafting which didn't take and then the lesion is now 21/2 cm. It has gotten larger in a year. Wouldn't be so bad if I could drive but it keeps giving out. I wish there was something I could do becasue I am 38 and would really like to keep doing sports with my 8 year old son. ANy tipa would be greatly appreciated.
December 28, 2011 - 8:45amThis Comment
Given all that, I would try fusion. I had no cartilage at all in my ankle, and inside the join was bone rubbing on bone. Fusion was a long and not so easy process, but it has given me 100% relief from the pain. There are some things I will never do. I can't ride a bike. I can't ski or ice skate or climb up hill very well, but I can hike for hours. I can walk at a really good clip for exercise. I can JOG. I suppose I could do almost anything else that I wanted to do, probably including anything you wanted to do with your son. Hope that helps. :)
January 3, 2012 - 9:07pmThis Comment
Your words are so encouraging. Going in on Wednesday to get the procedure done. I am a little scared but I know it will all be worth it in the end. Thank you so much.
January 8, 2012 - 10:00pmThis Comment
Good luck to you on Wednesday. I hope you find yourself heading down the road to recovery very soon. Please keep us updated how you are doing. :)
January 9, 2012 - 6:20amThis Comment
Good luck with everything! I'm glad you are going for it. Just know that the recovery process is quite lengthy. Be sure to get physical therapy and stick to the workout. The pain is great in the beginning, but it will lessen and you will be with less pain than you had before. Be sure to let us know how you are doing!
January 9, 2012 - 5:54amThis Comment
Yes, I would recommend it. I was in bad shape and barely walking even with the help of a cane. The bone spurs and arthritis were really bad and they had to end up taking part of my leg bone out to mix with the donor bone and use that to adhere my bones back together b/c they took my whole ankle joint out & fused it all back together. Even though it is still hard to walk b/c of how my ankle does not bend, I am not in as much pain. I will admit I have more pain in other areas, such as my big toe and my hip, but swimming helps with that pain. I would recommend it, but ONLY if you find a good, experienced surgeon. I had mine done by Dr. Aaron Scott at Baptist Hospital in Winston Salem, NC, and he did a wonderful job.
December 24, 2011 - 11:49amThis Comment
crutchgirl, I understand why you don't want to have your ankle fused. I avoided having it done for YEARS because of the horror stories I'd read and my own fears. But the surgery has come a long, long way since I started reading about it. It has made suuuuch a huge difference in my life. Do you know I can jog now? Not for super long differences, but still it's something I've been unable to do for the last 10 years of my life. If I had it to do over again, the only change I'd make is that I would have had it done years and years ago. I am COMPLETELY pain free now. Completely. It's the most wonderful feeling in the world.
October 15, 2011 - 7:40amThis Comment
Thanks to everyone who has posted, I really needed to hear the views of those who have gone through this. I am so sorry for those who are still struggling but happy that some have found a better quality of life.
I fell and dislocated and fractured my ankle a year ago. Had my ankle put back in place in the er and surgery the next day to repair my shattered fibula. Dr. said he also would need to plate and put screws in the tibia and syndismotic pin but after surgery he only repaired the fibula and said all was well. I went on towards recovery, was told all would be fine after about a year. Started therapy and was able to regain my range of motion but every time they added strength the whole process stalled. Walking was terrible but I am a nurse and had to get back to work. At the end of the day my entire leg would be so swollen that it didn't even look like a leg and I couldn't hardly walk. I kept telling the surgeon something was not right and he finally sent me for an MRI and CT which said I had avascular necrosis of the tibia, my tibial fractures were unhealed, found previously undiagnosed fractures of the tibia which were not healed, joint widening, and ligament rupture. He said he didn't really believe the 2 radiology reports and wouldn't have done anything different and he would not change my current course of treatment but he could tell I wasn't happy so he sent me to see a dr who specializes in ankles.
This dr in May said I just had a simple stress fracture and go back in the walking cast and on crutches, come back in 6 weeks. Then he said after further review of my scans I had actually broken the tibia completely through but because it wasn't displaced the diagnosis was missed and it just needed to heal. Said I would make a full recovery. Put me in a hard cast and remained on crutches the entire summer with a bone growth stimulator. Repeat scan after cast removal revealed more dead bone, fractures through the entire lower portion of the tibia, joint widening, and arthritic changes. Again, remain on crutches and come back in 2 months. He discussed 3 different surgery option at that time but said he hadnt given up that I was going to heal.
Went back a few weeks ago. He said it was possible I could still heal and at best would get 80% function, said to try walking on it with the boot and see what happens. Said more than likely my joint will just collapse and he will have no choice but to do an ankle fusion. I said I wanted to try something else before we got to that point, that I didn't want a fusion, he said he had no other options at this point.
I am 38, have 4 kiddos, am a nurse, was a runner before all this and had a real love for life. The emotional and physical trauma from this has made this my darkest year ever. I have gained 50 lbs and we have depleted our savings. I have been walking without the crutches for the past 2 weeks and it is terrible but life is easier so I am trying to tough it out because I know another surgery is coming sooner than later. Being on crutches for 6 months made nothing better. I feel like people think that I am just being a baby and wanting attention. They are always like, are you STILL on crutches? You JUST broke your ankle, right? UGH! It makes me want to scream!
I am trying to accept I will never run again but it is very hard. I want a better normal but I am so scared of it being worse. Again, thanks to all of you who have shared your stories.
~Kris
"Get over your hill and see what you find there with grace in your heart and flowers in your hair." --Mumford & Sons (After the Storm)
October 15, 2011 - 5:42amThis Comment