As some of you may know, last January I
had subtalar fusion in my right foot...this is after having a total
ankle replacement in the same foot a year prior (Dec 2013). I also
had total ankle replacement in my other foot prior to that (June
2013). To read about my ankle replacement journeys, please click here. Below are my updates...
A short summary of the Ankle
Replacements...
Going into my ankle replacements, I was
very hopeful. My surgeon told me that the replacement surgeries
would take all the pain I was experiencing in my feet away. Did it?
Well, not really. The best thing to come of the surgery is that my
“bounce back time” has greatly improved. Meaning that if I
overdue it today, I usually get a restart tomorrow. Before the
surgery it would be days. And a couple times I overdid it so badly
that it actually took several weeks...meaning that I either could
barely walk on it, or, on better days, I was using a cane to get
around. So that's the major pro of having the total ankle
replacements.
The negative effect of the ankle
replacement surgeries is that I can only stand or walk around for
about 10-15 minutes before I'm completely done for the day. This is
extremely frustrating and severely limits me.
Subtalar Fusion time...
Because I was so limited, I went ahead
with the subtalar fusion in my right foot in January 2015. My
surgeon said that I still have a lot of arthritis in the rest of the
foot (really, both feet) and this may give me some relief. I wasn't
as hopeful going into this surgery, but I was trying to remain
optimistic. I knew it would be a much longer recovery time, but I
also knew I could soldier through if it meant making a difference in
my pain while walking/standing. The plan was that if this worked, I
would get the left foot done after the right was was completely
healed.
When I saw my surgeon last, in
September, he told me that I needed to give the fusion a full year to
heal before passing judgment. Well, in another week it will be a full year. This is my judgment...I've
wasted the last year trying to rehab from the subtalar fusion and it
is no better than before the surgery. If anything, it's more painful
when I walk.
I've been putting this blog post off
for a while now. I guess I was hoping that things would turn around
and my ankle would suddenly start feeling better. I hate sounding so
negative, but I need to be honest in hopes that it may help someone
else.
Not every surgery is going to be a
success for every person, and I know that with my SED it makes
everything way more complicated than the average person. Up until
this point, I've been very lucky with my surgeries. But the past
three surgeries (both my ankle replacements and now the subtalar
fusion) have been a let down for me, especially the last one. To
think that I've wasted the past year is a hard pill to swallow and it
depresses me whenever I think about it.
But, things could be worse. At least I
have my feet. At least I can walk. I have a supportive family and a
husband that is a superman for me. And my kids are 90% of the time,
pretty awesome (they're teenagers, so that accounts for the other
10%!) And I have this squooshy face to cheer me up...
What does the future hold? I'm not
sure. I know I won't be having subtalar fusion in my other foot,
unless all of a sudden that foot starts to hurt worse than the other.
I may have to look into a scooter sometime in my future (God help my
local public!).
Mostly, I'm hoping for a miracle breakthrough in
medicine...where they can grow bone back and instead of giving you
metal and plastic replacements, you'll get a new and improved bone
instead. How cool would that be?
I ordered it from Amazon (shocking, I know...seriously, I buy
everything from this place!) for about $340, which is more than the
wheelchair I bought a couple of years ago! Most people that have to
be NWB for some time get knee walkers to make getting around a little
easier. Here is an example of a knee walker: 
Those are a great option for many, but because I've had my knees
replaced, it would cause me a lot of pain to use one. This seated
scooter is a similar idea, except it has a seat instead of a platform
for your knee (fyi...my scooter has a knee attachment, just in case you want both options). Many thanks to the person who originally posted about
this option on my ankle replacement forum several months ago...wish I
knew about it sooner!
