6 mos post surgery

[Sue Clark]

Hi,

I am 6 mos. post ankle fusion.  I still have a lot of pain in my ankle heel and top of my foot.  I have a lot of swelling on top of my foot.

Wondering what others are experiencing.

[Brian Beitz]

Hi Sue,

It can be a long haul so don't be too hard on yourself.  I am nearly 5 months since subtalar fusion, calf muscle lengthening and tendon re-allocation and there are days when it is just sore and unpleasant.

My surgeon told me swelling and pain can hang around for up to twelve months in some cases.

I now walk quite well after some good physiotherapy and am pain free most of the time.  By the evening however I usually have some swelling and a bit of an ache.

I still try to elevate the foot and use my ice pack which helps a lot.

I think it is just a slow recovery process.

Best of luck.

[Vonda]

hI sUE

 

I had ankle fusion, Achilles tendon lengthening and correction of foot deformity (after polio as a child) in August 2019t.  I was just discharged from physical therapy two weeks ago.  While I do not typically have aches and pains during the day, after a busy day of walking or standing, I do experience some pain not much swelling. 

 

At 5 months, I was still having pain on top of my foot, heel pain and swelling as well.   It is a long recovery period  just take one day at a time as you recover. 

 

Sent from Mail for Windows 10

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[Dennis Hull]

  Hi Sue I am 10 months from a triple arthrodesis. I still have pain and discomfort everyday, Swelling still going on. Can't be up on my foot for very long periods. My physician said that it would be 12-18 months before I see what benefits I get from this surgery! My foot was fused in 3 places and this will take a lot of time and patience. Hang in there! Keep icing and elevating and try to have a good attitude! Maybe some water therapy when your physician says it is OK! Lot's of ups and downs emotionally with this type of surgery! Good Luck! This is a long road to recovery!

[zap...@aol.com]

Dennis,

Thank you for writing.  I am so frustrated.  If I sit on the recliner, it takes me 5 min. before I can take any

real steps.  I have to sit with my foot on the floor and then it still swells like crazy and i have trouble walking.

I have the plate from my ankle onto the top of my foot.  Now the doc is talking about sub-talar fusion.  Do you

have the screws from the heel up ?  I really don't want that.   Again, thanks for writing.  Wanted to know if my

case is like the others.  I'm very tough, have had 30 ortho surgeries on everything.  This is the first thing to kick my butt.  Sue

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[zap...@aol.com]

ankle-fusion-sup...@googlegroups.com.

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[DENNIS HULL]

Hi Sue, I do not have any screws in my ankle. I have plenty of screws, staples, and who knows what else in my foot. My surgery limited my foot movement right and left, I can still bend my ankle. But my walking motion is different because of the fusion. I was lucky that my foot healed my doc said. 

You can elevate your foot in your recliner? Do you have a foam wedge to help elevate your foot? I hope you have a knee walker to help you get around. Wow! 30 surgeries! I have had both knees replaced and open heart surgery and this foot surgery is so much tougher to recover than those. Hang in there! Keep positive and just know that this will be a Long Term recovery! Will send some prayers your way for your recovery!

https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ankle-fusion-support/807910455.2279154.1588180575354%40mail.yahoo.com

.

[zap...@aol.com]

Thanks again Dennis,

I feel bad for you, sounds like you have been through a lot also.  Seven rotator cuff surgeries

were nothing close to this recovery.  I read about a man who couldn't take anymore and had an amputation

above the ankle.  There are days I'm glad my chainsaw is hard to start.  Haha!  I appreciate hearing from you.

I hope it all works out well for you.   Sue

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[DENNIS HULL]

Thanks Susan! Hang in there! Stay away from the chainsaw!!!!

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/ankle-fusion-support/2019221547.2454783.1588194642577%40mail.yahoo.com.

[Lorraine Hoffman]

Your post was uplifting. And informative. Thanks Lorraine Hoffman 

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[Lorraine Hoffman]

Pain is the name of this entire issue. Hopefully after the 1 year post surgery mark it will be more tolerable.

Does anyone have a  year ! ?

Thanks Lorraine 

[Adina Barukh]

I’m 26yo and I just reached 1 year post Subtalar Fusion on 23 May. I was in a fibreglass cast for the full 3 months, returned to work 1 month after cast removal (month 4 post surgery). It was painful up until month 5-6 mostly in my forward motion and I was extremely stiff and anytime I’d walk and my foot bent too far toward (particularly walking down stairs) would hurt me. Despite the stiffness I was not limping that much.

I’ve been going on and off to a Physio Pilates which has really helped me gain back some extra range of movement and become less stiff. It also helps manage secondary pain in my mid foot due to my different walking motion and overcompensating so I now strap that part of my foot up whenever I work. I am able to walk with no limp mostly unless I have days I feel the screw in my heel - not very often, and I can jog if I wanted to but I don’t mostly bc I’m nervous and it’s a weird feeling. It’s Winter time is Sydney and I’m definitely starting to feel it in my joints but Pilates really helps.

Overall no regrets as I compare the pain I had before surgery and it really is not that bad. I was crying everyday working 8-10 hours on my feet and not being able to move, walk properly and limping every day. I would avoid sitting down a lot as it was extremely painful to start walking after. If I bumped my foot in any direction by accident it would leave me in tears or if I stretched suddenly in my sleep I would wake up in shock. So basically I’m happy I have good stability now and no agony on a daily basis despite not being completely pain free.

Hope this helps. Take care :)

[Lorraine Hoffman]

Very interesting and helpful. I am 5 mo. post ankle fusion. Still have a lot of pain most days but I am hopeful. 

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[Luis Riera]

My ankle hurt every single step I took for the first YEAR! One day I woke up and the first 10 steps to the bathroom weren't excruciating and stiff. It took another year of ramping up activities (I am very active). Work through the pain. Work through the swelling. 6years have past and I'll still swell up on flights, long drives and specially days of activity. Compression socks and raising the foot does it. Pain. Not so much. You're in this for life. Don't take meds, even advil. You'll actually get used to it and it'll stop bothering you. I'm 33. Lets see where i'm at in 20yrs though..

Just sharing, I hope brings some motivation. I was really afraid my life would end when I f*d up my ankle. It definitely slowed me down. But not much to be honest.

Get it!

[zap...@aol.com]

Luis, Thanks so much for sharing your experience.  I have been so discouraged, I'm at 8 mos. now.  I have been

researching amputation.  You have given hope.  I'm much older than you, 64 , but I am very very active.  I have a

little farm with animals and a lot of work to do.  Thank you, Sue Clark

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[Luis Riera]

I know exactly what your brain is processing right now. I also looked into TAR's, below knee amputations, experimental research etc anything that could get me more mobile. But everything I read was regrets of amputations so I stuck with it even though I was very down and negative for... yeah the first year!

I am an engineer so luckily I can work sitting down. But when i'm on my feet i'm going! Pain just became a part of every day life. I said no to meds. Even Advil. That actually helped me deal with pain better long term and not destroy my body. 3yr after I discovered a high CBD cream - try to find some!!

So yeah. 6yr's in. I still swell up. Sometimes use a sports compression sock from amazon at night. BUT I'm still mountain biking. Hiking. Rock climbing. Surfing. I stopped the running sports - soccer, tennis (I was ranked even!), triathlons. Kept to low impacts. Saving the ankle for my 5yro. I'm happy at my current level. Dangerous enough to have fun.

Wish you the best and i'm glad my experience helps. I definitely needed to hear more stories like these too. Screws are out too btw. I broke one dirt biking on year 2 : P. The surgery also came with scar tissue removal - that was magical on its own regarding pain and swelling after. I even feel I recovered a bit of my ROM (probably a mental thing).

On Tuesday, June 23, 2020 at 1:44:46 PM UTC-7, Sue Clark wrote:

Luis, Thanks so much for sharing your experience.  I have been so discouraged, I'm at 8 mos. now.  I have been

researching amputation.  You have given hope.  I'm much older than you, 64 , but I am very very active.  I have a

little farm with animals and a lot of work to do.  Thank you, Sue Clark

My ankle hurt every single step I took for the first YEAR! One day I woke up and the first 10 steps to the bathroom weren't excruciating and stiff. It took another year of ramping up activities (I am very active). Work through the pain. Work through the swelling. 6years have past and I'll still swell up on flights, long drives and specially days of activity. Compression socks and raising the foot does it. Pain. Not so much. You're in this for life. Don't take meds, even advil. You'll actually get used to it and it'll stop bothering you. I'm 33. Lets see where i'm at in 20yrs though..

Just sharing, I hope brings some motivation. I was really afraid my life would end when I f*d up my ankle. It definitely slowed me down. But not much to be honest.

Get it!

On Tuesday, April 28, 2020 at 10:35:24 AM UTC-7, Sue Clark wrote:

Hi,

I am 6 mos. post ankle fusion.  I still have a lot of pain in my ankle heel and top of my foot.  I have a lot of swelling on top of my foot.

Wondering what others are experiencing.

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[zap...@aol.com]

Thanks again Luis,  My original injury was from a horse falling on me .  It pulverized part of my ankle and about 6 in. of my tibia and fibula.  7 Mo in wheelchair 7 surgeries plates and 42 screws.  All were removed before fusion.  This has been 10 times more painful than all of that, believe it or not!!  Anyway I feel infinitely better after hearing from you. where do you live?  I am in Las Vegas, Nv.  U.S. 

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[Luis Riera]

Sorry to hear. My fibula was fine, it was all Talus here so yours sounds a way more complex. I was only 4mo non-weight bearing on crutches, 3 surgeries, and still have some random pieces of Talus floating around that the X-rays pick up. Just give time time. I mean, my ankle made me aware of every single step I took for the first year and change. Rest. Elevation. Ice = not so much, compression + elevation was way more helpful for me. I'm in NorCal. Working on your feet maybe no the best idea though : ) Wish you all the best Sue!!

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[Amy Corsi]

Today is the 3 year anniversary of my original injury where I shattered my ankle. I had a rough go with reconstruction and bone infection. No matter how hard my journey, there were always people here who had much less support and were much braver than I. My 7th surgery was a subtalar fusion, along with Achilles tendon lengthening 1.5 years ago. 

I've been working on my gait, riding my bike and stretching more. I'm grateful to say that now, there is far more numbness than pain. 

What a long strange trip this recovery has been. Hang in there! Waking up to pee, and not having to struggle terribly to travel to the bathroom was a really great day, and things just get better from there. 🦋

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[elijah]

I ended up going through below the knee amputation a year ago. While I’m not where I want to be yet I’m no longer in pain. I did electro bone stimulation therapy, had 7 surgeries and finally made the decision.  I do not regret it.  It was the hardest decision I’ve ever made though.  Feel free to reach out with any questions. 

- elijah (who apparently never unsubscribes from this list)

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