Ankle Fusion

[Guest guest]

Greetings and Salutations,

I had ankle/foot fusion surgery a few months ago, and all seemed well (no pain

to speak of). Yesterday I was wandering around the Blue Ridge Parkway, and I

began to get a really sharp pain, where the screws are inserted at mid calf,

whenever my foot came down at an irregular attitude. My question is should I be

worried or is this a normal part of the healing process, a result of exposing my

foot to untried conditions?

The pain is severe not that I really feel much, but it but it shuts done the leg

and it collapses then regains strength almost immediately.

Ed

[Guest guest]

Ed:

I'd call your surgeon. My experience has been that if I'm feeling any

pain, then something is going on. I've had 4 fusions in 5 years and

have my 5th scheduled for the end of June. They are going to try a new

procedure. Mine always heal, but eventually the fusion crumbles and the nails

break. Are you having any swelling in your ankle and foot?

in AR

[Guest guest]

Ed,

Anytime you feel sharp pain it is cause for concern. I've had 5

ankle fusion related surgeries and sometimes when you over do it you

can twist and loosen hardware. Slow down, take it easy, don't " wander "

so far.

[Guest guest]

Ed,

I've had fusions and there can be pain occasionally, but it still sounds

worrisome and worth checking up to make sure the fusion is progressing normally.

Craig

[Guest guest]

Hi Ed,

When you had your surgery, were you under anesthesia or did you opt for the

nerve block and drugs to keep you comfortable? (if there's any such thing) Or

nerve blocks with the anesthesia? I had my ankle fused, and the achilles tendon

lengthened plus a tendon on the inside of my foot was legthened. I had this done

on June 28th and am now waiting out the first cast (had split removed on 7/9)

Really kinda sick of the whole cast thing already. Can't wait to see how it

goes!

Hope

[Guest guest]

Hope,

Spencer, my son, had the nerve block after he was under anesthesia. So

when he woke up he wouldn't be in as much pain.

I Love my Fusions by the way.

[Guest guest]

Hi Hope,

I had the surgery done under general anesthesia, then I had a morphine pump for

a day afterward. I drank a lot of milk the first day after surgery and had very

little pain after the first day. I think I took maybe 3 perocets. I purposely

had the surgery done in the dead of winter so there was no inclination to go

outdoors. I spent 6 weeks doing guy things on the internet. Once the cast came

off I was more mobile, but it was really 4 months after surgery before I could

move around well. I've since developed an inflammation in the ankle area that

hurts like the dickens, but hurts somewhat less than walking on the side of my

foot did. Hopefully that will go away once the healing process is complete.

Hang tight Hope it gets better. Now is the perfect time to for you to learn a

programming language, knitting, develop a web page, read trashy novels or eat a

lot of comfort foods that will make you pork out to hopeless proportions. Or any

combination there of. Also a 16 " steel rule will get that itch halfway down

your calf under your cast. Stop fighting it and enjoy your down time.

Ed

[Guest guest]

I had mine done one at a time one thirty years ago and the other twenty

eight years ago. I am presently having trouble with the left one, I am

not sure if it is arthritis or scar tissue. I am 47 and I can tell you

that you will probably have tightness in the mornings and after you

stay on your feet a lot during the day, especially when you get older.

It is amazing how much I read on here that I can relate to. I have also

had a lot of work done on the toes, as hammertoe started to develop

later on in the years. I have had a total of seven operations since

1973. It starts to take its toll, but the best thing to do is stay

active. If you give up and lay down...you lose. I still play golf and

snow ski, and my doctor cannot believe it. If you saw my feet you

wouldn't believe it either. Having lived with this since I was five,

this is my advice...do what ever you have to do to prevent any

infections, and keep moving. If you can prevent the hammertoe problem,

the rest is easy...relatively speaking. Best of luck on the triple

orthodesis, it helps but I still wear out shoes on the outside edges.

Hopefully yours will do better.

[Guest guest]

Hi , and you too Ed,

How long ago did you have your fusions done? Were both ankles done at

once? How was the recovery period? Was it the usual 6 weeks of non-

weight bearing cast, followed by 6 more in a walking cast? I'm

considering the fusion surgery, though my wife seems very reluctant,

do mostly to the recovery period at home. She feels she'll be unable

to help me do all the things I will need help with all day, each and

every day, like bathing, toileting, dressing etc. I am perplexed to

say the least. My ankle joint is completely gone. But I don't like

the thought of fusing my foot in a permanent 90 degree angle either.

I'd like a little up and down motion left after the surgery. What to

do, what to do?

Wm. (Bill) Shaw

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill,

I had my right foot fused among other things 20 years ago. I walked out of the

hospital using a walker then eventually went to crutches. The only help I needed

was carrying things. I didn't have any free hands using a walker or crutches. I

was non weight bearing for about 6 weeks then weight bearing for about 6 weeks.

Then I went onto using 1 crutch for a while. My son just went through surgery

similar to a fusion. Everything was the same for him as far as I remember

anyway. I think he was weight bearing after 4 weeks tho.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thanks and I know though the Dr says the feet are straight he also said " as

straight as he could get them for someone with my deformities " I will still walk

on the outside of the foot, just not as bad as I was. I think I will do the

other ankle in Jan. I hope that I can walk without the AFOs - even if it is only

a short distance (to the bathroom and back!). Hearing that you can ski is

awesome. I want to ride my snow machine and am keeping my fingers crossed that I

can ride a horse again. It has been a while since I was able to mount one as

mounting while standing on one's ankles is extremely painful. Life in a

wheelchair is not an option I can live with at this point in time. Thank you to

you and everyone one else who has shared their stories - I always felt so alone.

Good luck with the toes. A Dr cut the tendons in mine about 14 years ago - has

it's down side but also " cured " the hammertoe problem.

Hope

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Thanks for the reply. Every little bit of info helps.

Bill

[Guest guest]

Hi Bill,

I was worried about fusing my ankle together and being unable to move it - but

what is the option? Walking completely on the side of your ankle? How's that

working for you?

I had my right ankle done on 6/28/07 - I use a wheelchair to get around and a

walker to transfer from wheel chair to toilet to shower chair. Unlike the

others - I do not have a leg to stand on as the left ankle/foot is as bad as

the right was before surgery.

I was literally walking on both ankles because my CMT is so bad. I cannot use

crutches because of the ankle pain in the left side but if your other ankle is

still strong it would probably be easier than dealing with a chair.

I am recouping now and am on week 3. I can honestly tell you that the first

week is the toughest (I'm 40 - the older we get the slower we are getting over

these things!) mostly because you're wiped out from the surgery. I was in the

hospital overnight and used my morphine drip very little.

Be sure to have your prescription filled before you head home. I had an hour

and a half ride home from the hospital and had to wait for my meds to be filled

- I was okay for the first hour (tons of meds to help with pain and motion

sickness) then the vibration fom the car kicked in and I was in quite a bit of

pain by the time I got my pills. The surgery is a shock to your body so it

needs some serious down time that first week and that foot needs to be

elevated!!!!

I used my pills that first week but mostly because my left ankle was in pain

due to over use and a newbie in the hospital put the turnicate on incorrectly

during the surgery and twisted some muscles or something.

I can get around pretty good now - I'm getting the tranfer from chair to

" whatever " down to an art and am trying to find something to occupy my time (I

am a little bored) I did go for a walk with my mother (she walked I was in my

chair) and her little dogs just the other day and was attacked by a fairly

large neighborhood dog - almost ate our little dogs.

Although it through something new into the normally humdrum day...I do not

recommend this. Good luck with your surgery if it is what you decide on.

Hope

[Guest guest]

I have finally had enough of the pain and am going to try and set the wheels in

motion to get my Left ankle fused. I had my Right ankle fused 18 years ago. Been

wearing an Arizona AFO on my Left for a while, but it just moves the pain to

different areas of the foot, now. Go to my GP in a couple of weeks for the Ortho

referral.

SLB in Peoria

[Guest guest]

Hello all.

I had my RIGHT ankle fused in 1990. One of the best things I have ever

done. Now, I have waited a bit too long on the LEFT ankle. They will

fuse it next month, but it is a different procedure (see link below).

The best news is that, in 18 years, things have come a long way.

1990 - Cast to mid-thigh for 6 weeks

2008 - no cast above knee at all

1990 - General Anesthesia

2008 - we may try a spinal block instead - no puking in the recovery room!

http://peoriafoot.com/display_new.php?ID=e07e46c308a002e57ad15867909c3ddb

Shaun

[Guest guest]

Hi Shaun,

I haven't been around for a while, but I still check in now and

then... I just had to reply to this one.

WOW! Things have sure come a long way since 1985 when mine were

both done. At one point I had a thigh-high cast on my right leg and

a knee-high cast on the left - they did them in succession. I was

so tired of people asking my " What did you do to yourself? " that I

told one guy that it was a skydiving accident. I even turned on the

fake tears and sobbed that I just couldn't talk about it anymore!

Yep, I was pretty fresh at 20. ;-)

Anyway, good luck with your procedure.

[Guest guest]

I was 19 when I had my right ankle fused. I told my new neighbor that it was a

skiing accident. I didn't know he was an x-ray tech. He kept telling me that I

should be healed by now blah blah. I can never lie and get away with it!

Skydiving sounds so much cooler then skiiing!

[Guest guest]

Shaun,

Going to my ortho tomorrow (really I guess later today) to schedule

the fusion (and heel shift, foot realignment, achiles lengthening and

maybe tendon transfer). Afraid I waited a little too long too and the

Arizona AFO isn't doing much more than keeping me secure.

Thanks for the diagrams, they answer many of the questions I have even

after two visits to this doc and evals by three other docs.

I expect mine will be delayed a few month while we try to move into a

new single floor plan house. My brother did the fusion and said he

couldn't imagine living somewhere during recovery that had stairs even

to the bathroom. He could go up only one stair with crutches right

Please keep me/us posted on your progress.

PS: About that " what to tell people " I'm thinking motorcycle accident

or old college football injury ... I'm to old to say it's a war

injury. :-) I was wearing the arizona with shorts in Key West and

heard a small child who passed say " daddy, did that man lose his leg " .

[Guest guest]

Shaun,

Trust me -  new drug in the recovery room - no barfing!!!

Hope