pabeach

Here goes...
In 1997 I stupidly tried to go to work in an ice storm. I fell and broke my left ankle with a severe dislocation. The Dr. in the ER pulled my foot like "taffy" to put it into place then off to the OR. They then placed a brace inside my leg down the tibia and around the anklebone. Everything healed good and life was great until now 11 years later in '08 ARTHUR had decided to come to stay. Those of you that has dealt with or dealing with arthur knows the pain! After seeing 4 drs and all of them telling me fusion due to arthur in the talus bone; I decided to go for the ankle fusion last Nov '08. Well...3 days after (in soft cast yet) I missed my knee walker and fell to the floor with a BANG! 10 days post op I went into get the hard cast on and the dr saw how black & blue my foot was I said " I guess i should tell you I hit the floor hard when I fell" Xrays showed I had broken a toe-bone! He wasn't to concerned as the cast would emobilize it and it should heel OK. Well as my foot continued to heel I was having problems...when I was put into the walking boot it hurt like H... on the inside of the foot. All they kept telling me was to pad it and wear heavier socks. Nothing helped and I struggled along also noticing my toes no longer moved either! I was sent to the wound care clinic where there they would put me in a custom made walking brace(that didn't help much). You see my heel decided to shift out from under me and now by april-may I was in an inverted state with my foot. Trying to stand and work 8 hours a day was no picnic; while waiting for my Dr. to give me the OK to operate again. Now finally 60 days post-op my foot is starting to look like a foot again but now I will live with no motion at all since he did a triple arthrodesis. I now have a nail up my tibia held by a pin and 8 screws besides in it. The only discomfort now is the outside back where my Dr now tells me it is probably one of the screws!!! He said they can be removed next year if they bother me to much! As I have not weight beared yet(not till Jan) I don't know what I will be experiencing. I don't know if I am ready for a 3rd surgery or if my work will let me off again another year! I will keep you all posted after Jan as to my improvement or not.
Your friend in ankle fusion-pabeach