Anle fusion 6 months later! Was it worth it!
Posted , 7 users are following.
I had an ankle fusion to stop pain form arthritis. 6 weeks plaster, 6 weeks boot ha ha!
7 weeks plaster, 10 weeks boot. then 6 weeks weaning off the boot now trying to walk. unfortunately I can only hobble around the house without crutches and very short distances with crutches.
6 months on I'm in as much pain and much less mobile than before the op. I feel like I will never walk properly again!
the front of my ankle, (where fused) is quite painless. the main pain Is on the inner side of my ankle up the leg, where the pins are. can the pins be removed? will the ankle be less stable if removed? anyone had them removed, if so did it help?
0 likes, 7 replies
sandra91776 anne0606
Posted
I believe you can have pins removed once everything has healed
I had long screw removed from back of my ankle two weeks ago He also removed one screw because the head of it was visible on bone part of my ankle
He said the other screws could be removed but it would be more complicated
anne0606 sandra91776
Posted
has it made it any better?
keith38551 anne0606
Posted
Anne,
I feel your pain - almost literally!
I'm nearly five months post op. Still in boot.
I also got DVT and a pulmonary embolism (and pneumonia)after 3 months.
Another CT scan in three weeks to see if its fused enough or need another op with bone graft to make it fuse.
In the meantime, I can barely walk on it (but can weight bear if careful) and aches all around.
Consultant says - dont worry it can all be fixed! - simples! (oh and screws will be removed and pollyfilla pumped in the holes - or something!)
Not happy!
LDT anne0606
Posted
Hi Anne
I am now in my 5 th week in the boot after six weeks in a cast. Ankle Arthrodesis aka ankle fusion (right side). I also have a couple of screw heads detectable to the touch under my skin. My ankle felt great until a few days ago when I noticed more swelling on the outer side of my ankle..heel area. Now it has become painful when I walk without the boot..short distances. I am due for x-rays in 14 days time to determine the stage of healing.
At this stage I also have no pain in the fused joint.. front part and I have sort of made peace with the fact that one has such a lot of pain and discomfort before the fusion that one tends to take it for granted that all the pain is caused by that worn out joint. Then after the fusion, you discover that there were actually more than one cause of pain and only one has been eliminated. I am terrified thinking of the possibility of another problem joint that may be present and will have to be fixed. I have OA in almost many of my joints.
I guess the screws can be taken out but having as many as 30 screws in my body, I can honestly say I have never had pain caused by screws per se...so far.
In my case I will have to be patient and wait out the 14 days and take it from there. You should have the ankle checked out by another orthopedic surgeon just to compare the results. Maybe you have loose screws that cause the pain when you put weight on the ankle?.
Regards
Leon
anne0606 LDT
Posted
thanks for your reply Leon and I hope you continue to improve I go back to the specialist in a month so will see then!
LDT anne0606
Posted
Thank you Anne. I guess for now it's a 'wait-and-see' game for both of us.
coljc anne0606
Posted
I had ankle replacement over 4 months ago and you are describing what I'm going through exactly but I also have pain on outside of ankle that makes me feel like it's collapsing if that makes sense, I had it before the op so have to wait til screws out so doc can look. Go get screws out they are causing me pain on side also. I had done couple years ago very simple only have to wait for stitches to heal. Good luck and hope this op is the one for both us.