Re: foot surgery to improve quality of life

[Guest guest]

I had foot surgeries in 1997. My quality of life is so much better because

I did it ! I couldn't put my feet flat on the ground. I could wear nothing

but 2 " heals, no flats, etc. It is truly remarkable that I can now walk across a

room in my bare feet!

...... Florida

[Guest guest]

,

What surgeries did you have. I have had quite a few and although I walk around

my house barefoot (occasionally stepping on my toes as they bend under my feet)

I am never seen in public without the heels. I have to lift my knees too high

and the heels help me feel like I'm walking better.

Thanks,

[Guest guest]

, I had my arches lowered, my Achille's tendons stretched. Bones

broken on the top of my feet to make that part lower. Some tendons were tied. My

left foot turned in, so he straightened it. I had the first operation on my

left foot Nov. of 97, eight months later the right foot. About 8 months ago, I

had tendon release procedures on all ten toes. Because my toes turned under, I

was getting corns and they were becoming infected, etc. The release procedure

has helped my toes greatly, at least I am not walking on the tips of my toes

any longer. There were no stitches involved in this surgery. It took me a few

months to re-cooperate from the tendon procedure. Hopefully I weon't have to

need surgery again. I am now having trouble with pain in my feet. The doctor has

been giving me injections in the feet and they feel much better. He says it

is the nerves.

[Guest guest]

,

Wow. Thanks for all that. I had the tendons cut in my toes a long time ago

to straighten them before anyone knew of the CMT. Also, before the diagnosis,

I had the ligaments in my left ankle tightened. The doctor warned that I

would need to do the right ankle eventually. It was 10 years later that I

walked

into another podiatrist's office (because I had moved across the country) to

have him look at the other ankle. He is the brilliant man who first suggested

CMT to me . . . and yes, I went through the thought process of thinking he

meant Country Music Television. He performed the same ligament tightening

surgery on my right ankle. He also performed tendon transfers as an experiment

to

see if he could reorient the tendon that goes under the foot and make it work

like the pereoneal tendon when he moved it to the top of the foot. When he

did the second one he stretched out the Achilles . . . OUCH. As much as I think

I wish he would have done that on the first one I'm not quick to go back for

that. He was hoping those surgeries would give me more flexion. They did a

little but I still walk better with a little heel . . . at least in public.

Also, I struggle more walking in flats, even just adding that bit of weight to

the front of my feet. You should see me when I visit the east coast in my

sandals with heels during the middle of winter!! Closed shoes make my feet burn

so I just laugh and say that I'm a California girl and I won't change that just

to visit Pittsburgh!

Thanks for your input. Sounds like I've had as much done as is available to

me at this point. I don't have high arches. Glad you're feeling much better.

[Guest guest]

,

Sounds like you have a wonderful Podiatrist. I am not able to bend my

ankles because of the surgeries, are you able? My feet burn on the bottom much

of

the time. I just learn to live with it. I get callouses all of the time

because there is no longer cushion on the bottom of my feet. Actually I am

battleing an ulcer right now. Going to the podiatrist every two weeks. He has

told

me to use vinegar soaks at least twice a day. Vinegar will kill anything ! A

great healing agent....

[Guest guest]

,

I can bend my ankles, but my mother can't because she had a triple arthodesis

(did I spell that right) on each ankle, so they are fused. As for the

burning, as long as I can keep them in open shoes I don't get too much burning.

If

I even try to put on a tennis shoe or something like it, I'm in pain

immediately with the burning. I get callouses which is a great excuse to keep

up on my

" medically necessary " pedicures. Hey, make the best of it, right? ; ) My

mom used to get the ulcers but not since her major surgeries that flattened her

feet. Hope yours clears up quickly. I can't imagine " dealing " with the

burning, although I remember feeling it regularly as a child. People don't

understand how high our tolerance for pain is . . . I learned to never complain

as a

child because the doctors told my parents I was fine. I was diagnosed (at

27) prior to my mom as she had other physical problems on top of the CMT. So,

as an adult I still try not to complain much. What surgery did you have the

stopped your ankles from bending?

By the way, vinegar is great to use for cleaning the kitchen. Hee hee