Foot Anatomy 101

Good Evening! Several friends have asked me to specifically explain my foot problem. There are really two issues and the first one listed below is much more significant. The "toe issue" is not a new issue and it existed prior to the latest surgery. The idea of getting to the foot to lay flat was the goal of the last surgery and it doesn't look like the foot responded successfully.

What is wrong with the foot? .... basically two problems:

1. The foot will not lay flat to the ground. The entire foot tips to the right, so there is about a
1 1/2" gap between my big toe and the ground. (This gap could easily increase with time, as it has in the past.) I put weight only on the back half of the foot and cannot get the foot to lay flat & make contact w/the ground. The foot is also very rigid and no matter what we do, the foot naturally wants to lay on the side. When the foot tips to the outside, this is called "supination." Therefore, this make walking very hard, can't wear a shoe, painful, etc. It is not normal to continually walk on the side of your foot. Imagine your foot staying tipped to the outside the entire time - this is me!

2. Little Toe issue - The big toe will never move again, because it is "fixed" with hardware inside in one position. All 4 of the "little toes," normally work in conjunction w/the big toe. Since the big toe doesn't work, then my the four little toes decided to quit working also. They are all very "droopy" and just hang lower than they should be & serve no purpose at the moment. Your toes normally aid significantly in walking, but since none of mine are working it is a big problem. They hurt constantly because they are so stiff and there is no movement. We need to do surgery to bring them all upward and place them in the correct position .... they likely will still not move, but at least they'd be in the correct spot.

I'm sure this is more information than you wanted to know, but hopefully it gives you a better picture of the current issues. I am thankful to be working with a doctor that is willing to continue with a complex medical case. I also have a former physical therapist that is now a great friend and it has helped a lot to be able to discuss things with her throughout the process of making medical decisions.

Prayer Requests:
- wise decision making when I meet w/the surgeon on January 10th.
- my walking will improve and become easier each day.
- patience .... to not let my mind get ahead of the healing.
- we'll be able to make an appropriate decision about when to begin physical therapy.
- that I might be able to return to my house for a few weeks, before we operate again.
- that my current surgeon and I will be able to come up with a "workable" solution very soon.
- work .... that my employer will continue to be gracious and understand my situation.
- if additional appointments need to be made, that this will happen in a timely fashion.

Wishing you a great New Year!