Friday, May 4, 2012

update! the biiiiiig news

So in a nut shell, one doctor says surgery

Another one says it's not worth it.


The bone was crushed on the bottom of my foot and one doctor wants to put the hardware in
but I went to get a second opinion and he said that it wasn't moved enough & that either way i do it i'm always going to have problems, & that's surgery would further complicate things because the broken bone is already probably healed since it's almost been a month since the injury and at this point it might not even move. He said he wouldn't do it if it was his foot and that we should let it heal on it's own and if i'm still having problems in 6 months to a year then he would do the fusion.


I have no idea what to do!!

4 comments:

  1. Hi Sally,

    The night I injured my foot, I went to the ER. The attending at the time x-rayed my foot and told me it was just a sprain and to go home. He didnt'even offer me crutches. Two weeks rolled by and it was still painful to walk. I went to my GP and she said give it six months to heal because sprains take time. I insisted she give me a referral to a podiatrist. She reluctantly did, but the podiatrist had a six week wait list. I refused to wait, so I found another podiatrist. He ordred weight-bearing (VERY IMPORTANT) x-rays and immediately noticed a potential Lisfranc injury. He then told me to come back in two days because he wanted his colleague to review the xrays.

    Those were the longest two days of my life. When I went back he told me he had a foot and ankle orthopoedic surgeon look at my x-rays. The surgeon confirmed it was a Lisfranc and I was to visit him in two days.

    I saw the surgeon. This is what he said. "You have suffered a really bad sprain. You can treat it with a cast, ORIF, or fusion. Casting has a low rate of success. Clinical studies have shown that fusion has a 92% success rate. I recommend a fusion. We'll scrape out all the cartilage and debris in your 1st, 2nd and 3rd metatarsal joint, bind it with some 'bone glue', and hold it together with five screws while it fuses. You will be on crutches for 6 to 10 weeks. It will take 6 to 12 months to recover". Of course, I am paraphrasing because I was in shock and really only heard him speak the words 5 screws and 6 to 12 months, while giving him my best WTF face. The surgeon's schedule was booked solid, so he scheduled me another surgeon.

    The following week I had my surgery. Just prior to going to the OR, I met with the second surgeon. I was really concerned a midfoot fusion was too agressive a treatment and asked what he thought about ORIF as a treatment option. He reviewed my x-rays and agreed that an ORIF might be a better option and offered to show me literature that supported it (to ease my mind about the 92% fusion success hoopla). He told me that he wouldn't really know until he opened my foot up and examined it. I had to modify the waiver (which stated fusion only) to agree to give the surgeon the option of doing an ORIF. If I hadn't signed the waiver, my foot would be fused right now, and likely more stiff. Instead, I got the ORIF and am so glad for it.

    I apologize for writing my story on your blog. I wanted to show you the lengths I had to take to get the best medical treatment for my foot. Had I trusted the attending at the ER, listened to my GP, waited six weeks for a referral, or not expressed my fusion concern to the surgeon, things would have defintely turned out very different for me. I know how you are feeling. I was confused and really wanted to find a reason not to have the surgery. But in the end, based on everything I read, I knew the best chance of recovery was surgery. You may very well not need surgery. Just make sure you are comfortable with your decision and get all the information you need.

    One more thing, before I agreed to the surgery, I asked both surgeons: "How many Lisfranc surgeries have you performed?". Both of them have done over 30 to 40. Please don't hesitate to ask the doctors tough questions.

    I hope my story helps. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I love to read others stories. I have recently decided that I'm going to do the surgery. I believe that I should try to fix it instead of sitting back and hoping it will fix itself. That's not realistic. The thing about my surgeon is that he wants to try the hardware first and then if that doesn't help then do the fusion. I'm hoping that since it's a mild dislocation that the hardware will do the trick. I've researched both doctors I seen and both of them have good & bad reviews. I have yet to see a story where someone didn't have surgery and had a happy ending. I can only hope I'm making the right choice, but something inside me keeps telling me to just go ahead and have the surgery.

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  2. I would want to know what the experiences are of both surgeons. Ideally, I would want a surgeon who worked with athletes and dancers, and who had a lot of experience with Lisfranc injuries. I didn't have that luxury myself, but it would have made me feel more confident.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I have asked both doctors, they both said yes. One complained about his gray hair..lol I don't have a lot of options so I'm going with my instinct

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MIchigan, United States