9+ Months (January 2)

I posted the below response to someone on the Healthboards forum that asked for an update.  Don't think there is anything in it that I haven't posted here before.


I would say my foot is about 70%.  I get random pain but it is pretty light most of the time.  I'm beginning to get more sensation along the lateral side of my foot.  When I first get up to move, it is very stiff and I still get burning at the back of my heel and the lateral side where the incision for the osteotomy is.  The bottom of my foot is still sensitive if I'm walking on an uneven surface, especially if I step on something.  Long walks (over an hour) result in stiffness and additional pain for about a day.  Long trips in the car also aggravate it for the rest of the day.  I went bowling over the holiday and was very sore the next day.  One thing that is very random is that I had to go up a full shoe size.  Now I need a 13 for my surgically repaired foot and a 12 for my non-repaired foot.  Makes things a bit challenging.

8+ Months (December 3rd)

Still trying to figure out what makes the back of my ankle where the achilles attaches hurt so much.  Pressing on it does cause a decent amount of pain but it is nothing compared to how it feels trying to walk after.  I applied pressure to different parts of the area with my finger for about 3 minutes (total).  Within an hour, I could barely walk.

Here are some pics of how my ankle and calf look 8 months after the surgery.  In the pictures of my calf, I was flexing to show the indent.  In the pic of my ankle with the arrow, I'm pointing out where something in my ankle is protruding.  It is most obvious when I'm pointing my foot down.

 

8+ Months (November 30th)

It has been a while since my last update.  Not too much has changed.

1.  I am able to go up on my toes using just my surgically repaired foot now.  It's up and down very quickly but still progress.  However, this type of engagement of my calf muscle results in swelling and tenderness where my achilles attaches to my ankle.  It will then be very painful and stiff for me to move around until the next day.

2.  The left side (lateral) is still partially numb as well as the ankle.

3.  I have had to go up 1 shoe size.  I have worn size 12 shoes since I was 18 and now have to wear a 13.  Doesn't make it easy since my non-surgical foot is still a 12.

4.  The ends of 2nd and 3rd toes are very sensitive and painful when walking barefoot on a hard surface.

5.  My ankle continues to discolor after extended periods of engagement (i.e. mowing the lawn).

6.  If I point my toes down and rub my fingers along my ankle, I can feel something sticking out where my doctor fixed the ligaments.  I'm assuming it is some of the wire he used.

7.  99% of the time, when I get up after sitting at the desk or watching tv, my ankle is stiff and sore to start out.

8.  A full day at the office still results in swelling.

9.  Still occasionally need to take pain meds.

I'll take pics of my ankle and calf shortly and upload them.  Still have a nice dent in my calf where the doc cut the fascia.

6 Months (September 26)

It's been over 6 months since my surgery.

Here's all the bad:

I continue to have terrible stiffness in my ankle when I first get up to move around.  Part of my foot (lateral side from heel to half way down foot) is numb or has very little feeling.  The rest of my foot is still very sensitive and stepping on a grain of sand still feels like a needle.  A walk for over an hour results in very sore toes and horrible burning in my plantar fascia.  An 8 hour workday also results in swelling of my foot.  Lastly, the burning pain on the lateral side of my heel and in my achilles has not gone away.  It still happens randomly and is miserable.

Here's the good:

I can almost go up on my toes using just my bad foot/ankle.  I can fly across country with a compression sock and have minimal swelling (only around my toes).  The bottom of my foot is slowly becoming less sensitive.

Still believe the osteotomy was not necessary and only served as a $ maker for my surgeon.  Sure, my foot is now "perfectly" aligned but at what cost?  A surgeon needs to take more into account than just the perfect alignment - age, stage in life, etc.  Perhaps the surgery could have been justified if I was rolling my ankle every month or 18 years old with a very active future ahead of me.

I'm obviously still bitter.

5 Months (August 23)

Had a 5 month checkup with my surgeon today.  Was the exact same as the last visit.  X-rays and then 5 minutes with the doc saying everything looks fine.  Had me stand and face the wall so he could look at my alignment but that's it.  Didn't manipulate my leg or anything.  Really think these guys are just interested in the surgery and then passing the buck.  I told him I was still having quite a bit of pain if I walk long distances or am on it a lot.  His response was to offer me a few samples of a pain killing patch (called the Flector patch which I apply directly where it hurts).  He suggested that I see my internist for pain medicine as he will not see me again for a few months.  I did mention that I feel as if my recovery has stalled and he said it's perfectly normal.  Said there will be ups and downs for the next 6 months.  He asked if I still felt the osteotomy was not necessary and I told him yes.  He still feels it was the right thing to do as it will help my ankle and comfort levels years down the road.  He said if I continue to have problems in a few months or so, we may want to consider taking out the screws.  Sweet.  Lastly, I mentioned that I am still having quite a bit of pain along the entire lateral side of my foot.  He asked if it is still partially numb and it is.  He said the pain/numbness is due to the nerve regenerating/settling and will slowly return to normal.  The one positive thing he said is that I have made tremendous progress since the last time I saw him 6 or 8 weeks ago.  I guess I need to remind myself to be patient.

I did do quite a bit of travelling the last few weeks.  At one point I was on a very rocky beach and I wore some water shoes so I could swim.  It was definitely challenging but my leg handled it well.  I was sore the next day but not too bad.  On a different day where I drove for 6 hours, my foot did swell but within reason.  I did spend all day Saturday walking around the city.  My leg swelled up a bit but nothing too severe.

It's been a while since I've posted pics.  Here you can see how my leg looks after 5 months.  This is as good as it gets.  I usually have a fair amount of swelling around my achilles.  The colors of my scars are constantly changing as well.  One thing I do want to mention is that when I was uploading the below pics, I did look at my old pics from before.  It was a definitely a good reminder of the progress I've made!

First pic is the lateral side of my foot.  You can see the scar from the modified brostrom repair on top and the scar from where he went in to do the osteotomy on the bottom.  The second pic shows the scar from where he put in the screws.  The last pic shows the dent in the back of my calf muscle and the scar from the gastroc recession on the front.

  

4 Months+ (August 14)

Some positive news to report.  I went to the beach over the weekend and was able to walk around without any major issues.  The last time I tried, my foot was too sensitive and it was painful to step on anything.  I even had to walk across a 10 foot path of rocks & shells to get fully into the water.  It didn't feel great on my foot and far from normal but I was able to do it.  Every now and then I'm able to do something that reminds me of how far I've come.  Just have to keep that in mind.

4 Months+ (August 8)

My recovery has really seemed to have stalled.  The pain in my achilles area seems to be getting worse and the ankle joint is very sore when walking.  The fascia on the bottom of my foot is hurting quite a bit.  My big toe is incredibly weak and the whole bottom of my foot plus my ankle hurts when I try to flex it with any resistance.  Getting very frustrated again.

I did go boating over the weekend and suffered from the usual daytime swelling but it went down over night.  I did step onto a boat cushion that must have had a latch or screw underneath and it really hurt my heel.  It wouldn't have felt great on my good foot either but my repaired heel is still extra sensitive.  Had that horrible burning feeling....