i had ankle fusion Talovicular March 2017 and was told it did not work , wanted to do it again and i said its the only part of my foot and ankle that does not hurt , so NO then told me i had arthritis in every bone of my foot of which we have 33 ive been told , said its impossible to fuse them all, it was caused by assault which people were stamping on my legs trying to break them , it caused Bone Marrow Odemea which has eroded all cartliage between bones and now bone on bone with cysts between , I am currently on Buprenorphine 20mg patches combined with Duloxetine 60mg for the pain and without this medication dont thin id be able to walk at all , They are on about increasing to 30mg in the near future but has to be done gradually , Surgeon has discharged me and said my only option is Amputation or Medication for the rest of my life (i am 54) , I really am considering amputation as the pain some days is horrendous even with the medication , just a little concerned over the alleged Phantom pain
I am under a pain management Doctor who has been doing it 28 years i said how many times have you recommended amputation He said Never as his job was Pain Management
Would really appreciate any advice / Experience of a similar situation
Thank You
Andrew, I have had 4 ankle surgeries with the last 2 being ankle fusions. mine was from a car accident that shattered my ankle. I could have chosen amputation also but decided not to because of the phantom pain. I’m 50 so I decided to live with it. I did get myself a mobility scooter that helps with taking my kids more places. I do walk in the grocery store and short trips. what a hard position you are in and I feel for you. I still
might change my mind after I give this some time. I would also love to hear if anyone had an amputation and how it is working out. good luck to you and I hope everything works out!
Dear Andrew,
there is a young woman on youtube called footless Jo she has posted her journey from fusion to amputation.
i hope that you can find her ok and look at her story and maybe make contact if its something you are considering.
very best wishes
chris
There is something called a knee crutch. Im getting one soon, then Ill have time to research and search fir a surgeon to do an inbone TAR. The ones I have seen don’t have enough experience with it, considering the horror stories I have read on here.
All the best to you. It is no easy decision. Having the best surgeon possible should leave you w/o phantom pain. That was one of my concerns.
All staff at the hospital tell me how good he is which i dont deny
The operation i had he said had 95% success rate unfortunatley
I came in the 5%
It would not be him who did the amputation he told me