Got my foot fixed last week

[MikeT]

I got my foot fixed last week from an injury I had about 13 years ago. Many years ago I shattered the front of my talus bone and it just never healed properly. I just had (after some debate) a surgeon fix the problem for good. First to clarify, the top of my talus (ankle) is in beautiful shape and doesn't have a problem. The top allows you to tap your foot and shift gears. The front is where the damage is and that joint between the talus and navicular bone is what lets your foot sway left and right. That joint in my foot has gotten really bad over the years and doesn't really work anymore. My foot can still sway left and right a little because of all the other joints in the foot. The Doctor fused this one joint and said that will stop all of the pain I am having. He also said that I probably won't lose any motion in my foot because I have already lost all the motion in that joint. Since it really doesn't slow me down at all, I decided to go for it.

With the joint before the surgery I ran three 5K's and have ridden thousands of miles on my bicycle. I have also ridden my dirt bike a bunch. The Doctor says that if I can do all of that with it in the bad state that it was in, that I would give him a high five after the surgery because all the pain would be gone and my foot would be much more stable.

Well a week and a half ago I had the surgery. The Dr fused the bone and removed several bone spurs that were also causing me some burning nerve pain. He said that there was absolutely NO cartilidge in the joint and wondered how I even was able to walk. He said my bone was really good to work with and that the whole operation went better than perfect. This Thursday is 2 weeks and I get a new cast on my foot.

I just wanted to let you all know because I think about this place a lot.

MikeT

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Cool! How long before you get to test it out?

 

[MikeT]

Cool! How long before you get to test it out?

Well, that is up for debate. The Doctor told me 2 months in a cast and then 1 month in a walking boot. To me that equals 3 months. Well apparently while I was still under anestesia the Doctor came out and told the wife that it was a 4 month recovery period..... I want to know where the extra moth came in!!!!! I have a 2 week post op appointment on Thursday to have the temporary cast taken off and then the real one put on. I do not like this additional month!! I will need to get some better information about this now that I am fully awake!

 

[MikeT]

Update. I went in and he took off the temporary cast and it actually looked pretty good. Not as much swelling as I thought there would be and he went in through the old scars so I can keep looking my best :) Anyway, they removed the stitches and put on a new Yamaha blue cast.

The best part is they told me to come back in 4 weeks. At that time I "might" get a walking boot which would be really nice. I won't have my hopes up but we'll see how it goes.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Make sure you behave!

 

[Bonehead]

Doesnt 4 months mean 6 weeks in the moto world? Get well soon

 

[MikeT]

Doesnt 4 months mean 6 weeks in the moto world? Get well soon

See, that's what I told my wife but she doesn't believe me! I figure the sooner (within reason) I get this foot moving again the better. I mean really, it is all screwed together on the inside with screws and such. That's like a cast on the inside, right?

 

[MikeT]

Well, they took my cast off and gave me a walking boot but said I can't walk on it. :coocoo: They want me to wait until this Thursday to put 25% weight on it. I guess they will be fitting me up with some sort of scale on my leg so I don't push too hard :) Anyway, I got on my bicycle (on the trainer) and pedaled in first gear for about 4 minutes yesterday. It hurt a little but it was nice to be able to do it. I was surprised I could get my bike shoe on. It was pretty loose but I still got it on. I'm not supposed to get on the trainer until this Friday. I am starting to see light at the end of the tunnel.

 

[High Lord Gomer]

The problem with putting pressure and/or flexing a place that is supposed to be fusing is that if you keep moving it before it is healed, it may never heal fused together. I had to go back in for bone grafts a year after my original knee surgery but that was because I had broken it in so many pieces that now all of the pieces healed as bone but instead just kind of filled in with something else (scar tissue?)

 

[BSWIFT]

Glad to hear your healing up. Patience Grasshopper! If you got paid $250,000 a year to race, 6 weeks would be about right, take your time and sneak a ride a PW50 next chance you get.

 

[MikeT]

Well, this past Monday (15 weeks post op) I was given permission by the Doctor to go on a light jog. I think I went about a 1/2 mile and felt Ok. The same normal pain that I have everyday so I think everything went well. I took a few breather breaks because I am not a runner but all in all I think I jogged pretty well. I still have some numbness in the bottom of my foot in the front which I believe is from the nerve block they used during surgery. The numbness seems to be getting less and less by the week so that is also a move in the right direction. I am doing PT twice a week and that also seems to be helping.

I look forward to getting this behind me which should be hopefully by Thanksgiving. (at least that's when my 10 year old says I'll be all better :) )

 

[High Lord Gomer]

Cool! Sounds good.