Good evening! The past 2 ½ weeks have been rough and discouraging as we have watched my foot deformity quickly return, after the cast was removed on December 22nd. This is not at all the fault of the surgeon, but instead simply the way my foot has responded to the November surgery as we attempted to correct the problem. Everything seemed to be going well until the cast was removed and things have quickly changed. Unfortunately, it is not time to buy new shoes yet! The big toe is almost 2" off the ground & doesn't make contact with the floor.
After meeting with my St. Louis surgeon, researching options, and much prayer, we have made the decision to make one final attempt at getting the foot to lie flat and in the correct position. For many reasons, the next surgery needs to be done by a surgeon in the Chicago area and my St. Louis doctor will continue with post-op follow-up care. Thankfully, I had already seen this doctor in October and we had a minimal relationship established. The surgery is called Triple Arthrodesis and is designed to get the foot in the proper position and then fuse the foot in three places, which will eliminate all movement of the foot forever. Presumably, if you eliminate all movement then there is no way for the foot to tip or remain positioned to the side.
Upcoming Surgery Details are as follows:
Wednesday, January 31 – Jenny & mom will drive to Illinois & spend the night with relatives
Thursday, February 1 – Meet with surgeon from Illinois Bone & Joint Center – Dr. Ptaszek
Friday, February 2 – Triple Arthrodesis surgery at Glenbrook Hospital in Glenview, IL
(no time set yet, but it will be early morning!)
- Plans are to be in the hospital from Friday through Monday.
- Will travel back to STL in a splint.
- 6-8 weeks in a hard cast w/no weight on the foot.
As with anything, there are no guarantees that this will be successful. We have slowly and thoughtfully made this decision and it has not been easy. It is tough to have faith in anything truly working at this point, but we have to try. I am thankful for these things in the midst of a very challenging medical situation:
- A Christian surgeon in St. Louis that is willing to continue to work with me on this.
- A surgeon that has coordinated setting up surgery details in a timely manner.
- Family that is supportive spiritually, emotionally and financially.
- An employer that continues to do whatever it takes to allow me to keep my job.
- A glimmer of hope that I might be able to walk, wear a shoe & live pain free someday.
- Strong support from a physical therapist that is now a good friend & very knowledgeable.
I realize this is an extremely difficult situation and it is hard to know what to say about this ordeal. Please know that I hardly know what to say about it either, so you are not alone! I’ll never understand why we haven’t been successful with previous surgeries, but we have to move forward and work with our current situation. I am doing okay emotionally and am frustrated, but not bitter or angry about it. My artificial hip (opposite side) has started to “act up” as a result of carrying all the weight and this is going to become a significant problem, if we don’t get the foot situation fixed sooner than later. I am at my parents’ house and will likely be there until mid-March. I am working now (sitting mostly) and will continue this until Tuesday, January 30th. Keep praying that the pain is manageable until we get to the surgery date.
Many thanks for your support and continued prayers …. at peace with the decision move ahead.
Love,
Jenny
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