Re: Charcot Foot and surgery

March 22, 2007

Hi :

I too have been told that I have Charcot ankle (not foot) and yes, I

also have CMT. I have had 3 ankle fusions in 4 years and everytime

they have failed to stay fused for any real length of time. My longest success

was about 1.5 years (#2). Now the dr.'s are trying to decide exactly how to

manage my case.

They are considering an external fixation along with doing surgery to correct my

forefoot which has started to roll and is causing the bones to crowd together.

They sent me away with the promise to contact me when they decide exactly how to

proceed. When I say " they " I mean that my ortho surgeon has asked for

assistance from his mentor at the U or A for Medical Science.

Apparently, I am not the best candidate for this surgery due to the

CMT. As in earlier post, I certainly agree that not everything is CMT

related, BUT it surely can exasperate conditions/situations that

exist. How has your recent surgery turned out so far?

in AR

March 22, 2007

Not too sure where this thread left off, but fortunately, after a

mis-diagnosis by an ER ortho doc that I'd need more surgery, I've been walking

since February 1st. My gait is severely effected by the fused foot, causing pain

in my knees and hip, so I no longer consider walking a primary form of exercise.

I've always been a lap swimmer and have finally gotten back in the water. I'm

just now getting to where I've got sufficient strength to actually work out, so

hopefully I'll be back in the fast lane with the big dogs soon.

I'm petrified of damaging my foot now. I have no confidence that one wrong step

won't break the foot all over again.

At one point I found a thread on the CMT web site forum regarding

amputation, posted by someone considering it, and replied to by someone who'd

done it. The amputee felt that it was the best thing he'd done after multiple

surgeries failed to fix anything. Somehow I found if comforting to know that

there are options beyond more surgeries.

Thanks for asking , and please keep us posted on your ankle progress.

O

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