ankle fusion v Lower leg amputation advice please...
Posted , 15 users are following.
hi, I am seeking advice from anyone who has had a ankle fusion please. has it been a sucsess ? would you reccomend having one done, and how is your mobility now ect...my breif background..had a TAR nov 2014, failed..revision/ repair sep 2015 failed.. Tendon Decompression surgery june 2016 not eased the pain or discomfort. now ive been told by surgeons at Wrightington hospital (uk) that the only two options are ankle fusion with bone graft, or lower leg amputation. i would greatly appreciate any advice. thank you in advance..wayne
0 likes, 23 replies
Ceejay87 waynescott
Edited
Hi Waynescott
Sorry to hear you're going through such a difficult time! I've had a fusion on my left ankle and a partial fusion on the right. However the right has never managed to heal/become pain free and rather than have 2 fully fused ankles I will be getting a below knee amputation in a few weeks. I will then have 1 prosthetic and one fully fused ankle which will be difficult and there's a chance that I will end up having the other leg amputated a couple of years down the line. So although my fusions haven't been entirely successful and I'm going to end up getting an amputation, the left ankle which was fully fused 9years ago has been relatively pain free for that time! So I think I'd say that before you go through amputation, if the surgeons think there's a high change of success from a fusion then maybe try that. The worst that will happen is the fusion won't work and then you get the amputation at a later date.
I hope that helps a little, and I wish you lots of luck with your decision and future health.
If you have any questions just get in touch
C
waynescott Ceejay87
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Ceejay87 waynescott
Posted
I can completely understand where you're coming from. I've been in chronic pain since 2007. It destroys your life! And I've met loads of amputees while making my decision (which was really helpful and I'd really recommend it!) And their quality of life was always so much better than mine that I came to the decision that I'd rather take a chance and have the amputation than stay in the pain and on morphine etc. for the rest of my life!
When making my decision I saw 3 surgeons (I wanted 3 opinions) and all said that my only surgical option left was amputation. Then I went to a prosthetics facility to see the prosthetics, meet some amputees and speak to people about recovery etc. And I also asked friends and family if they knew any amputees and I ended up meeting some fantastic people... Some were doing incredibly (joined the Paralympics less than a year after the op) and others were just coping, but were still better than they were pre op. It gave me hope that my life might get better!
Of course there's the chance of phantom pain, or that you may not be able to use a prosthetic for some reason, so you need to think about all these things and whether your going to be able to cope with such a life changing op. But for me, when it came down to it, I knew it was the only thing I could do to give myself a chance at getting my life back!
Please keep me updated on how you're getting on, and message me anytime!
C
karran6974 waynescott
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mikew94 Ceejay87
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Hello Ceejay, i dearly hope this message gets to you as it seems to be an old reply, i hope you are in the best of health.
you stated that you were to have an amputation of your right ankle because of your pain, even after fusion.
I'm writing you to ask for your experience coping with both an amputation and fusion, how it fares and if you are willing to discuss in detail the affects of having such a procedure performed on yourself.
i myself have lost my left ankle in an accident but managed to save my right ankle, albeit with minimal cartilage and a lot of pain and metal work.
My surgeon has recommended a fusion of my right ankle and I disagreed with him stating a second amputation would save me suffering and eventually having to get an amputation later in life where I'm likely to be better able to recover than i am now considering my age (mid 20s)
The surgeon stated that he understands my objections and has tasked me in finding two people who have had both a fusion and an amputation at the same time. and try to get details regarding their experiences, ideally from professionals too.Mike
if you feel this is something you can provide, please let me know.
i apologise for the lengthy message and hope you are able to respond soon.
many thanks.
Mike
gill08601 waynescott
Posted
Wayne I'm so sorry i can't believe what I'm reading here. I'll PM you shortly when damn site stops crashing
Gill xx
gill08601 waynescott
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andy88 waynescott
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Christ Wayne, what I choice!?
i had a longitudinal fusion of my left ankle back on the 26th January this year, that's following a successful lateral fusion back in 2005 and an unsuccessful joint clean up in 2014.
At first everything was fine until I started PWB after about 10-12 weeks. I sustained a fracture to my tibia directly above where the two screws were inserted through the bone in the ankle joint! New cast, back onto NWB which is where I still am today! The fracture is taking forever to heal. I now have a bi-valve cast which is to allow for swelling. I still can't putbanybweight through the joint because it is so painfull! I go back to see the consultant next Thursday the 18th for more X-Rays and to see where we go from here.
Seven months in a cast is starting to put pressure on my right ankle and lower leg too! l think I'm showing signs of osteoarthritis as I've now got a clicking in my right lower leg! I've just 3 fractures in there from a footballing injury 25 years back!
Worrying times! I told work I'd only be off for about 3 months!!
I wish you all the best mate ????
gill08601 waynescott
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I got one of these befor my second surgery and it's great
iwalk 2 from peg legs uk
Lilibond waynescott
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I had an ankle fusion in 2010 by a bad orthopedist, so I had to have a "re-do" done in 2011. I had a total of 4 surgeries in 3 years. 3 by the bad doctor and one by a good doctor and it was a success. My left leg has lost about 1/4", but I was able to put inserts into most of my shoes and this year I don't really need the inserts anymore. I have a plate in my ankle - at the top - for added support. I recommend that. Overall, except that I can't run and taking stairs down...and walking up and down hills is not all that easy, I am still able to walk many miles per day, do most yoga and exercise activities and unless you knew about my fusion, you would probably not really notice the differences in my ankles.
karran6974 Lilibond
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Wow u have been through a lot. So happy for u, that u t doing so well now. U r a great inspiration. I have just been walking for three weeks now without bending the mid section of my foot. I hope in two more weeks I'll start pt & My next phase of walking. Thank u.
Karran
Lilibond karran6974
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You will do well as long as you believe you are able and capable. I never had pt - and am unsure if it would have helped. I have always been a walker - and had strong legs. My initial ankle fracture, which was "unexplained" - was probably caused by my taking Nexium for many years. I am a woman in my late 50's now and luckily I remain very active. You can do it!!!!!!
Guest waynescott
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I don't have any experience w this, but if you had tendon decompession surgery in June of this year, it seems you have not given the situation enough time. Of course it will be painful, but healing time should be maximized. In the US, one would certainly incorporate physical therapy. Do you have that option?
Lilibond waynescott
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Tammy289 waynescott
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I had my fourth ankle Fusion 12 weeks ago,I'm still recovering from it. I would highly recommend ankle Fusion surgery. I was in a bad car accident in 1989 and I have Osteo arthritis really bad. The pain got so bad I couldn't walk very far at all and it was excruciating. Your motion will come from the toe area but it really isn't that bad you'll be out of pain and you wouldn't have to go through an amputation.