Devastated

I had severe arthritis & had a double ankle fusion & an arch reconstruction as I’m very flat footed. I also have a birth defect in my feet called skew foot which means my bones are in a twisted state. I ice twice a day & I’m non weight bearing. It’s hard to see the positive in this mess. 

Dear Barb

I'm sorry to hear about your situation.   I looked at your profile hoping to find out where in the world you live but you have not completed it.

I'm speaking as someone who had a total ankle replacement five years ago that was fine until last years when osteolysis has meant that I'm waiting for a very difficult revision.   I suggest that icing twice a day is just not enough as you still have pain and perhaps swelling though it did not mention this.

I found that those wide elastic bandages known in the US as Ace bandages are very effective.   Soak in water and wring out then pop in the freezer until frozen.   Wrap around the area giving you pain and leave on for twenty minutes and repeat as needed.

Good luck.

Richard

I took it for granted that you are elevating your ankle above the level of your heart frequently.  If you have swelling then the stretch stockings that they often supply you with in hospital are a great help.

Cheers

Richard

Hi Richard, it sounds like you're in a hard place also. How awful. What is next for you? It's so crushing when we go into these surgeries with such high expectations & then things like this happen. I live in Canada by the way. The province I live in (NB) has a major shortage on specialists. We only have one foot & ankle surgeon in the whole province. I'm going to start bringing my ice machine to work with me & ice more.It throbs continuously. It's hard at work as I'm up & down about 10 times in a given hour. I really hope things work out for you. Keep me updated on your progress & good luck. 

Hello Barb

My ankle was pretty good for four years following ankle replacement surgery but at my annual checkup the surgeon said that I had cysts that meant that my bone was being degraded with holes and that a revision was needed to prevent the bone failing and the prosthesis falling out basically.

I spent time in trying to find a good revision surgeon and then my twenty year old replaced hip failed which meant that this had to be revised and time for my full recovery before the ankle could be revised.   I'm now hoping that the ankle will be revised in the next three months.

At least here in the UK we have a more than one ankle specialist thank goodness but good ones with lots of experience of doing revisions are few and far between.   it is a day trip for me each time I'm called in to see him which has been quite a number of times.   I think it is now six times and two more until surgery at the very least....Golly!

Yes good plan to take your ice machine to work.   I think it should help you through the day.   Do let me know how it goes.

All the best, Richard

I'm so sorry you are in such a difficult place. It must be hard to have no one else to go to for a 2nd opinion. Are you able to travel out of province and consult a different specialist? I'm lucky I'm in Toronto as we have lots of different ones we can consult with here.

As for the ice, I've been using Trycold ice packs. They are designed for shipping products that need to stay cold through the shipping process. My husband gets them with his insulin prescription when it is delivered. When frozen they are rock solid thin rectangles, but once they start to thaw they get a little bit squishy and then they are super for icing. They are different than medical cold packs given their ability to stay cold a lot longer (it takes them a few hours to thaw) and are great for icing needs if you are on the road. If you can get some of those they might be helpful.

I hope you get some helpful news from your cat scan

Thanks Carolyn. If nothing shows on my X-rays & he sends me home to live with thus, I will ask my family Doctor for a referral. They don’t like giving referrals for some reason bi wanted them to send me to Toronto to have this surgery but they wouldn’t. They would of had to apply to Medicare & they don’t want to do the extra work. I have device called Cryo Cuff Therapy which is a wonderful rig for icing. I fill it up with ice & it lasts all day. The foot part is a Velcro wrap that fills with ice water & stays cold for hours. I haven’t been taking it to work but will start. I hope you realize how lucky you’re living in Toronto with some of the best Doctors in the world. 

Sorry - seen your reply to others now.

You've had major surgery then.

Was your arthritis osteoarthritis? And was it due to the Pes Planus?

With regards to the Arch Reconstruction - what was the purpose of that, since the damage seems to have already been done.

Hi Ben, I had an arch reconstruction because my feet were flat to the floor which was contributing to my pain. I had heel valus plus pes planus & I over pronated. I had a surgery about five years ago (Hyprocure Stent Surgery) which didn't work out & had to be reversed which contributed to my ankle arthritis. That plus the skew foot all worked against me. I had lost my of my mobility & could only go from point A to point B. I had such high hopes for this surgery knowing there was a 70% success rate. My other foot is as bad or worse than this one so I have two feet that have failed me. He of course won't do surgery on my other foot where this one didn't pan out for me. If this all fails, my only hope after that is to raise $25,000 & go to Gig Harbour Washington to be fitted with the EXOSYM braces. They cost about $9000-11,000 each US. I live in Canada so that would convert to about $25,000. They given so many wounded & injured people back their mobility, even people worse off than me.That's my only hope after this. Hopefully when I go for my cat scan, it will show up what's going on.

Why do the EXOSYM braces cost so much?

Dear Barb

Am I right in thinking that follow up visits are needed every so often for adjustments etc so an on going cost.

Cheers Richard

Dear Ben

Development costs and specialized highly skilled staff and facilities and perhaps the fact that they are used to charging what they like to the military and supply and demand all push up the cost.  Yes it does seem a lot but if it is the only way to gt your mobility back......   I'm keeping it in mind in case my revision does not work out!   The cost for me would be considerable coming from the UK each time or a very expensive accommodation cost.

Cheers, Richard

Richard

They were originally designed for people coming home from the war that had severe lower limb injuries. They are not your usual brace. They off load all the pressure from your ankles. You should read about it. It sounds really amazing.

 I called them last night as I had a lot of questions. I asked them about follow up appointments. They said that would be minimal. Sometimes people will lose too much muscle mass around their calves & the brace might become to loose. If that was the case, it might require a trip but a lot of issues can be resolved over the phone. At lease it gives us one more hope if things don't work out. It certainly beats a wheelchair or amputation.

Dear Barb

Thanks for that.  Tat's reassuring news   Yes indeed it is a bit of a fall back option for us if thinks do not work out..

Cheers, Richard