Getting better everyday…Next surgery scheduled.

I’m beginning to understand why the doctor said I’d be ready to have the other foot done by next month…I’m making improvements everyday. Sometimes I even surprise myself with how well I’m doing. The pain I was having in my heel and ankle has diminished significantly in the last week. I’d say I’m only experiencing about 10-20% of the heel and ankle pain that I was last week. I’m walking without a cane or any other aid and I can even walk fast enough to keep up with my husband now! LOL Yesterday we even stopped over at Best Buy for a little light Christmas shopping and I walked around the store for about a half an hour. That’s the longest time I’ve spent walking (without sitting or taking a break) since the surgery. And I wasn’t even in pain when we were done!
The doctor’s office called today and informed me that I’ve been scheduled for surgery on my other foot on December 17th at 715am. Exactly 3 months after the first surgery…kinda weird. I’m hoping that’s a good sign. I’m not looking forward to doing this all over again but I am looking forward to getting it all over and done with. So...in a little over a month, we’ll be going back in for round 2! LOL

Laura, how are you doing? Has your pain improved? Are you able to get around your house okay? Hope you’re feeling better!
Dana

A successful doctor visit!

I went to the doctor’s office yesterday afternoon. He was very pleased with my progress. He said the x-rays looked good and he was very happy with the way my foot looked. He said I can start physical therapy next week to get weaned off the cast boot and he even said I can start swimming again anytime I want to. I was pretty surprised, I thought he’d make me wait at least a few more weeks before swimming.
No worries about trying to get through the airport or courthouse metal detectors…he said all the metal in my foot is stainless steel and won’t set off metal detectors. Yeah!!
As far as the ankle swelling and pain, it has gotten a lot better in just the last two days. So maybe one week is the magic time frame that it takes for your foot to get used to walking again. It started feeling much better on Thursday and Friday; that’s exactly a week since I started walking. The doc said the ankle is part of the foot and moving all the foot bones around causes the ankle pain; it’s all connected.  You can see in the pic that the swelling isn’t gone entirely but definitely looks much better. The doctor said the heel pain was due to the screws and, like everything else, would go away with time. I’ve been using “Mederma” scar gel on my scars 4 times a day and it’s already beginning to make a noticeable difference. They seem to be getting flatter and smoother already.
                             
            11/07/09                        vs.                             11/03/09
As far as getting the second foot done…the doctor blew me and Rex away when he said we can schedule it for December! Next month!! I thought he’d say 6 months or something! But he said there will be a big difference in the next 4 weeks and I’ll be ready by then. So…they’re gonna schedule me for December and we’ll get it over with. I’ll be so glad when it’s all done and over with!

High arch (Pes Cavus) & hammertoes caused by CMT

I've decided to blog my experience with my surgery due to the limited amount of information I found online regarding pes cavus surgery. There seems to be a ton of info about hammertoes and what to expect from surgery but nearly nothing on the high arch surgery due to high arches being rather rare. Severely high arches are generally caused by a neurological disorder, in most cases, as in mine, Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT). I hope you find this information helpful.

I was diagnosed with CMT about 15 years ago, although it runs in the family and I've known that I've had it most of my life. It causes muscles to waste away but due to muscles wasting at different rates, you commonly end up with bent toes, fingers, etc. This is how I ended up with hammertoes (clawtoes) and high arches (medical term: pes cavus). Over the years the stronger muscles on the top of the foot continue to pull your foot up and your arch gets higher and higher until it's nearly impossible to get your foot into a shoe. Your toes curl up and under until you are nearly walking on your toenails.

This is the point I find myself at now. I have large red sore spots on the top of each toe where it rubs the shoe. If I wear anything other than crocs or extra-wide tennis shoes my toes will actually bleed because the shoe will literally wear a hole through the skin. Also, my arch is high enough now that it won't fit inside most shoes or slippers. So I went to see a specialist a few weeks ago thinking that he would suggest some sort of orthotic like the doctors I've seen in the past have. The problem with orthotics is that they are expensive, temporary and rarely effective, at least for me. However, this doctor was different, he was an orthopaedic surgeon and an expert in feet. He told me about the surgery that can be done to straighten out my toes and lower my arch while also straightening my heel bone (which I didn't even know was tipped to the side). So, to cut to the chase, this is what he says they will do....they will remove the middle joint in each toe (except for the pinky which is straight) and then pin the toe temporarily. The big toe will have a permanent screw in place. They will break the bones of the arch and realign them to allow a lower arch (which gives a more stable platform to walk/stand on) then reposition the heel bone so that it's straight, which will prevent me from walking on the edge of my foot in the future. Sounds kinda gross and very painful, but if I end up with a more stable foot which will actually fit into normal shoes again, it'll all be worth it.

I'm having surgery on 09/17/09. I'll post as soon as I'm able to get on the computer after surgery. I'll try to keep updating with how I'm feeling and how well the healing process is going as well as follow up postings so that you know whether or not it truly worked. Hopefully this will help you make your decision as to whether or not this surgery is right for you.