Hiya. I had a mid foot fusion 2 weeks ago now. I am really struggling with non weight bearing. Has anyone else dealt with this please. I am crying with frustration. My husband and I are very keen walkers and it is really hard not being able to get out and about under my own steam.
look forward to hearing your tips.
Hi I had fusion op this time last year and cannot s
Hiya orientmick. I'm sorry but, I can't get your reply to open.
hi i had foot fusion op this time last year and cannot stress enough how important it is to follow rehab instructions set by your surgeon. I presume you will be 6 weeks in plaster followed by a similar length in the boot. The non weight bearing period is particulary tough if you have been active before, just going to the loo seems a impossibly tough mission. I cracked after about a month and although careful found myself venturing out of the house on crutches and inevitably had a few stumbles. Eventually my wife got me a wheelchair from the red cross for a small rental fee and this helped me to get out and about with my wife but also to move about with a bit of freedom and independence in the house, wheeling myself downstairs into the kitchen to make a cuppa or a sandwich. I would say throw away pride and make use of this if available in your area. The recovery is a long drawn out affair, 12 months on i am awaiting follow up surgery to remove metalwork and screws and am far from being pain free however i also had my tendons shortened in same op and the doctor says it is this that is causing me post op pain. Another option is to buy a wheelchair from ebay and re sell when finished with, please dont think like i did that you will be able to resume your life where you left off straight away. Preparing mentally is something i never entertained and yet it was/is this that affected me most. Follow physio when your ready for it and keep it up after as my surgeon kept telling me 3 months fair, 6 months good, 12 months better. Sorry i cant tell you its a bed of roses but at least you can prepare, and again please keep weight off foot however frustrating it can be it will save you time in the long run. Good luck with your recovery
Thanks for the reply Mick. I have a wheelchair from Red Cross which is a real boon although I can't use it round the house. The showering is very very hard and so have started having one every other day and a wash in between. I didn't mentally prepare for it and wish I had now. Did you become quite depressed with it all? It's particularly hard because I am a nurse and am not used to being on the other side of it. Did your toes feel numb and then have episodes of tingling and what pain relief did you take please? It's so hard not putting foot to the floor, I sometimes forget when I've got up in the night to go to the loo and just remember in time. I've had a few stumbles but didn't put my foot down thank goodness. I also have the feeling that my husband is becoming frustrated and impatient with me and so I'm trying not to ask for things all the time.
Sorry for the long post, but I could go on and on.
thanks. Michelle.
The depression is a real kicker i honestly believe it should be explained pre op and most certainly post op, for those unaffected beforehand it can be bewildering to be in pain, bored and worried. I also had a bout of it though mine was later on as i kidded myself that when the 12 weeks were up i'd be right as rain again and i most certainly was not. As for pain relief when i was in hospital for the 3 days i was in agony and was having liquid morphine squirted into my mouth but nothing was given to me upon release. I was on tramadol for 2 years before being given the op and so kept them on my repeat prescriptions although i did not suffer too badly after first week or so. The pins and needles and numbness i put down to the cast as it never affected me when it was removed and i went into the air boot. I felt that once i was given all clear i would throw myself back into action and if you can brilliant but i would say be cautious, it took 6 months before xrays showed bones had knitted together and for a period of 3 or so weeks i thought it had all been in vain and i would have to undergo it all again. This was as im sure you understand was a tough period. I am in fact supposed to undergo the same procedure on my other foot but i am thinking of just continuing without it especially as i have to have another op to remove metalwork and tidy up any problem with the tendons. Stick with it i'm sure you are over reacting to what you perceive to be your husbands frustration although i completley understand where you are coming from. The things you take for granted are suddenly precious tasks but it does get better or at least easier to handle and im sure your husband would be distraught to think you were uncertain to ask of him. Dont risk further injury by being a hero and feel free to contact me if you wish, to blow off steam or vent your frustrations i know i wish i had somebody who had been through it before
It is often perceived that "healing" takes a few days, because skin can heal in three of five days.
"Orthopaedic healing", of dense structural tissues takes months, perhaps years.
Unfortunately it seems that you were not pre-warned prior to the surgery about this (long and normal) convalescence, with which you now have to deal.
Were you adequately instructed in crutch walking, and were your crutches correctly measured?
Professionally I am intrigued by the "tendon surgery" which you report.
Can you tell me the details and the reason?
Best Wishes...
hi the operation was navicula cuniform arthrodesis which i believe is the foot fusion, as well as this the surgeon shortened the tendons by making an incision approx 6-8 inches up from the foot on inside of my calf. This was done at the same time and was pre planned. I had been diagnosed with flat feet and had been fitted with numerous insoles, steroid injections, MRI scans, some kind of electro conductivity test prior to the surgery. The symptons consisted of hot stabbing pains to the outside of my feet i described as like having a red hot knife slashing at your foot. There was also sudden pains when in bed where i would wake with the flashing stabbing pains, these were always at their worst when either sitting down or lying in bed and pre surgery were increasing with severity and frequency. My toes point up when i'm walking or sitting and it takes a concentrated effort to put them flat something which entertains my family. I think the tendon surgery was probably meant to correct this but it hasnt so far, apart from the pain in my instep which surgeon says is the screws rubbing against skin ( I am awaiting surgery to remove metalwork) i also now have a tightness on inside of my ankle which despite physio and being 12 months since surgery shows no signs of recovery. I am hopeful that when i have next surgery this will improve.I was originally scheduled to have same procedure on my other foot but at present i think i will just tolerate the problem as I'm not convinced the surgery option has been worth it as i am now in pain 24 hours a day as opposed to the spasms pre op
Hiya. Thank you for your reply. I am very frustrated and want things done " my way" I suppose. Poor Husband. I'm sure you are right about him. I've always looked after him and the house whilst he has done the garden, car and dogs, so feeling guilty he has to do it all. Like you, I'm thinking of not having the other foot done and hope it will be okay when I go back to work as I have taken semi retirement and gone from 37.5 hrs a week to 15 hrs, so that should help. I wasn't given any painkillers also when I left hospital and was in as a day case. I had co codamol and tramadol at home which takes the edge off. It's the boredom and frustration more than the pain, but I'm going out more in the wheelchair so that's a big help. Thank you for your help. Regards. Michelle.
Hiya Jp. My consultation was very short and concentrated on the physical side of the surgery and nothing about the mental side of it. I saw a physio before my op, but nothing after when I had my partial pot on which was very much harder. When I saw the physio, I was given a Zimmer frame because I couldn't manage the crutches , although now I found the crutches very much easier and as luck had it, we had a pair of crutches belonging to my husband that I used. I am frightened I am going to fall and end up disabled and I wouldn't be able to cope with that as I am such an active person.
Thank you for your reply.
kind regards.
Michelle.
I have been only heel weight bearing for 5 weeks now but must admit for the first 4 weeks it was so painful to walk on my heel that I opted to be non weight bearing. I have managed to now do most things by carrying a rucksac permanently to carry things and shuffling a lot on my bottom. Life is very limiting I know and I have been depressed and quite definitely on a huge emotional rollercoaster, the first couple of weeks were the worst. Like you |I am very active 52 year old who works and walks dogs twice a day, gym and running. I now try and fill my days with something I have achieved I have been learning french on line and teaching myself to play guitar from you tube. Both things |i would not normally have time for, also reading masses. Wheelchair has been a god send for getting out, relying on friends and hubby for lifts even if it's just to have a coffee at the garden centre. Hope you find some way around your situation, it is really hard and very frustrating. X
Thank you for the helpful and comprehensive description, which is much appreciated.
I deduce that the tendon which was shortened was tibialis posterior. Your claw toes will not be corrected by this.
I would very much like to keep in contact with you for the next many months or years, to assess the outcome of your surgery for (as I have said) professional reasons.
All my best wishes,
Mid-foot surgery is often performed blithely. As a foot and ankle surgeon I am often left perplexed, and I would like to follow as many people as possible who have had mid-foot surgery.
that's fine, as regards name of tendon that does sound familiar but i would be lying if i told you it was right. There was a lot of information given to me the day i was told i was to have the operation mostly in a matter of fact type of way which mostly over my head. It was actually my Diabetic doctor who looked up my record and wrote down the name so that i knew what i was having done. I live on the Wirral in merseyside this may help you find out my surgeon, whom i have great respect for but would not feel comfortable publicly naming him on here
I have Dalteparin sc injections which is what I expected. I was also expecting to have to wear a ted stocking but was not given one or asked to wear one. I am a little worried about dvt because of this.
Agreed that is not acceptable to name individual health-carers publically.
That you have diabetes adds to the jig-saw puzzle which I am trying to construct from your history.
It would be good to hear from you, perhaps via the private e-mail offered by this site.
OK i will look into that did not realise that facility was available here
Hello, I have just had midfoot fusion, first tmtj and lisfranc ligament. I have a very interesting injury and treatment history. I am happy to support your wish to know more. I have done research and seen several practitioners before choosing to receive surgery. Please be in touch if you like...
Hi Michelle
I had hammer toe straightened and adjacent mallet toe reduced and big toe realignment. I have wires. This was done on NHS in the local private hospital on 9 Feb: I am 2 weeks 4 days past op (I had a general). I am 68 really fit, regular gym person and a rambler and socialiser who lives with a husband who has health issued. I always did everything for my husband but now I need help. Mentally moreover. I have never felt so low. I have to laugh as my husband said yesterday that he is exhausted and he has lost 4 lbs in weight; well that's because he has had to move if he wanted to eat he had to do it. What I need is a happiness pill every day and husband is just going through the motions of servicing. When you are an extremely active person the aftermath following euphoria post op is very hard.
I have been so careful. I keep my hospital boot on the floor next to bed and a tote sock with anti slip sole to hobble to the Loo twice a night. I drink a variety of teapigs posh tea to try to stop eating treats, which means I hobble to the Loo 2 to 3 times a night. I tried using crutches but my shoulders and arms ached. I am doing upper torso exercises everyday. My next target time is When my pins are taken out on 11 March. However I guess they will just bandage again until the next 2 week milestone of 6week-post op. I am lucky I have had no pain.
I do online bridge compulsively, puzzles, suduko and crosswords. But the best thing in the world is my 10 month grand daughter and friends who come in and make me laugh