Oh, No .... Toes Lifting

Today has been an incredibly difficult day in relation to the foot. Since November, things had been going very well and I have been walking with minimal pain and pretty much back to everyday life. Last weekend I was in Chicago with friends and we commented on how great it was that I could go on the trip with no crutches/cast. Things have now changed significantly in the past few days.

Over the past 4-5 months, I have had a continual callus, swelling and soreness on the left side of my big toe. I attributed it to my big toe being fused, using it more now, etc. Basically I’ve just dealt with it & thought it was an inconvenience that I’d need to live with. At the same time that was happening, my little toe (#5) was off the ground. I noticed that when I wore different shoes in would get stuck in a strap or poke out the top of a sandal. I tried on sandals last weekend in Chicago & my co-workers even asked me why that small toe was sticking up ….. I told them then that was just the way it was. .

During this week, I’ve come to realize that the toe positioning problem that we had a year ago has returned. Now the four small toes are fixed off the ground and nothing makes contact with the floor ….. exactly where we have been twice before. There is an strong inch+ gap between the toes and the floor .. the little toe is even higher. I can run my entire hand under the toes.

I only bear weight now on the heel and left side of the foot. I am about 13 months post-op, so the fact that this has suddenly returned is quite puzzling. I now realize that all the issues with the side of the big toe have likely happened because that was the only side of the foot that was making contact with the ground. It is most disheartening to say the least …. I thought we were so far beyond needing to have anything else done, I was going to close my medical bank account this weekend (not now). Why it took me so long to put it all together is beyond me!

I called the ortho dr.’s office in Dallas this morning and got a new receptionist to relay a message to his assistant (both were in surgery). Dr. C’s PA called me back & then went and spoke w/Dr. C, while I stayed on the phone. I won’t do justice to explaining this well, but basically the tendons that were lengthened are weak and it is causing other tendons to overwork to compensate … to the point that they are pulling up the toes. There is more to it, but I was in such shock that I only grasped a few facts.

It feels just like it did a year ago – tense, pulling up, etc. …. it is scary at how quickly this has gone from good to bad. In the past, the pattern has always been that once the toes come up, they do not go back down. We have to try pt, but I am doubtful.

Dr. C does not want to lengthen the tendons again (would be the 3rd time), as the risk of “foot drop” (droopy, floppy foot) happening is quite high … the risk is likely not worth taking. The tendon leading to the small toe could be lengthened. The solution for now is to resume pt immediately to try and manually get the toes to relax, come down and stay down. If I do pt for 3-4 weeks with no results, then Dr. C could lengthen the small toe and see if this would be enough to get the others to come down or maybe pt will work on toes 2-4 and then we fix the small toe.

I promptly scheduled pt appointments, but the soonest I could get in is next Thursday ….. pray for a cancellation. We need to work on this sooner than later, if there is hope of turning it around. I do have an e-mail into my therapist begging for something sooner. Thankfully, the pt office is right next door to JA so I can be over there in a few minutes, if needed.

Between now and the end of June, I have a super busy work schedule … students every day and three weeks of summer camp in June. It is not a good time for me to have this happening or leaving mid-day for pt appointments. I will figure out a way to make it all happen, but it seems like a big task at the moment. I am glad there is only one day of work left this week …. I need the weekend to wrap my head around this. I am very thankful that Dr. C’s PA called me back today in between surgery cases.

The hip appt. earlier this week was not real productive. I was going to get another opinion on it this coming week, but given the foot issues the hip is taking a back seat. There are mixed feelings on the right time to do the revision surgery. Forget the hip issues for the time being …..

Wednesday, April 21st – 3:20 appt. w/Dr. K in STL – to get his opinion on the situation.

The bottom line is put my name back on your prayer list …. Pray specifically that the pt will be effective & for an appt. to happen by early next week. Pray for wisdom, strength, grace, acceptance, and a positive attitude.

In His Grasp,
Jenny