Mid foot fusion after lisfranc injury advice needed

twtw wrote:

What did the doc say?

Oh boy....Where do I begin? So....I met with my surgeon on Thursday and I thought I was well prepared for anything. But I wasn't, obviously. Worst case scenario I thought I'd hear something along the lines of "let's wait a few more months to see how you're healing", best case scenario "let's book you in ASAP", but no....this is what I got.... "I don't think there's anything I can do that will help you". WTF? I am so completely and utterly stupified, shocked, scared, sick, you name it. I mean, I read all of these posts about how great people are doing after fusion and I can't even get any more help? He confirmed that I have arthritis in several joints already and he felt that he couldn't help me. I am crying. I am sobbing. I just don't know what to do now. He said he will send me for a second opinion (which is really my 4th or 5th opinion) but that's months and months away. I just can't live with this pain anymore and my fear is that it will only get worse. This is horrible. I was soooo hopeful. I was looking forward to the surgery, as sick as that sounds. It was my last hope. I am at a complete loss right now. I mean, in this world of face transplants, heart transplants, etc., how can there be no help for me. This is just horrible. Horrible. I don't even know what else to say. Back to pounding the pavement I guess. Start my search all over again. What a crock. Well, I guess SadMelissa is here to stay..... :(

(I wrote you last night on my tablet, and then the website froze up. rrrrr)

MELISSA - Are your hands tied to go to certain docs because this was an accident and you have to deal with certain auto insurance, court-appointed doctors, etc.? If not, you REALLY need to get your imaging studies to the doctor who did my fusion surgery in Baltimore. I wrote about it in my initial post, but let me do it again and shorten it up a bit.

He is considered the best in the "world" - yes, the world. I went to 2 other ortho guys in Phoenix and was sent to him. They could have easily worked on me themselves. My foot was ALSO FULL of arthritis. Everything was displaced...I think it was 3 of my fractures weren't even healed, the stuff that WAS healed was healed in the wrong position, my arch had collapsed and my midfoot bones were poking out so far on the inside of my foot and my foot was starting to turn, etc., etc., etc. You name it.

He took my CT scan by Fed Ex and called me a few days later personally and told me what he could do for me. He also stated twice while I was there that my first surgery simply wasn't done right the first time. Now...HIS right and someone else's right are probably two different things since he is the best! Remember, my doctor in San Antonio came highly recommended and he acted like he knew what he was doing, and who was I to know any different?

The Godsent doctor in Baltimore gave me a 93% chance of a normal life after the healing process. YOU DESERVE TO HAVE THE SAME CHANCE!

He REMOVED all of my arthritis!!! Why should yours have to be a life sentence? Why is your doctor giving up? You have to ask yourself that because mine was all removed! It CAN be removed! He also rebroke the bones by sawing through them, repositioned them, inserted a plate and 7 screws, did a bone graft from my heel and packed all my fractures with the bone graft, instructed me not to take antiinflammatories, gave me blood thinner shots for 2 weeks to do myself at home, and kept my pain under great control. They even did great long-distance followup when I had questions or when I fell. They called in meds, called in x-rays, etc., at no additional charge.

I think the plane ticket was $300 and the hotel for 2 days across the street was $220. and the aide was $40. They accepted my insurance in full. Period. I went alone. If you can't afford for you AND someone to go with you, you can do it! It is worth the cost or the loan or the credit card charges to go do it if he says he can help you.

I made a new email address so I didn't have to put my name on here for the world to see. It is  ***this post is edited by moderator *** *** private e-mails not allowed*** Please read our Terms of Use

Hi twtw. I cannot express my utmost gratitude to you for your willingness to help me. I sent you a message to your gmail account. As I am only 34 I think I have a long life (hopefully) ahead of me and just the thought of progressive arthritis and degeneration scares the wits out of me. I am going to do all I can to get resolve. I'll wait to hear from you via email. Thank you so much again. It means a lot that there are people like you out there willing to help people they don't even know. Bless you.

hello newbie, I am 59 and had lis franc surgery on my rt foot

in june of last year. I lost my left leg in an accident when I was 19, so this rt foot thing has really messed me up. Plus, it hasn't healed properly. I have seen a couple specialists and they both say the same thing. Fusion should help quite a bit. BUT.....I am really NOT looking forward to another 2 to 3 months in that damn wheelchair, then the therapy after. I'm pretty sure I will have it done, but boy oh boy, I've done it once already, and to do it again! I have read a number of these responses from people in the same boat as myself. I see where they finally had the fusion done and things are progressing well for them. That DOES help. But still.......

Well what a difference two weeks makes! I had been told by a surgeon two weeks ago that there was nothing he could do for me but that he would get in contact with another doctor so I could get a second opinion. So, today I met with that new doctor and I am BOOKED for surgery next week! Holy c**p. I can't believe it at all. I was fully expecting 18 months on a waiting list and then some months after before getting in for surgery. The new doctor confirmed that my foot was "really bad" so it's great that he'll do the fusion so quickly. I am so full of emotions right now. I am happy, sad, scared, amazed, thrilled, nervous, you name it. I feel like someone was watching over me and knew how terrible this was and helped me. I will keep the thread going with my recovery and please wish me luck!

i didnt read all your replies but here is my experience i am going thru right now:

I, like you, had my original injury years ago and went thru many doctors trying to find out what was wrong.

I finaly got into what was supposed to be the best ankle/foot surgeon (ortho) in this area.

I had 2 screws and the bone plate put in Sept 2011. Came out of the walking boot in January. My foot has only gotten worse and worse. I discussed this with my surgeon at every visit. The  swelling and bruising continued and then last night I could feel that it had gotten worse and it looked terrible. A trip to the ER revealed my Fusion never took and one of my screws is broken. Since the fusion never took and I have a loose screw this is why I am hurting so bad and now i need another surgery to fix ASAP

I am very frustrated with all of my follow up appointments and xrays how does the surgeon not see that his surgery FAILED!!

I am now in more pain than I ever was... even had to quit my job. And I am not sure how i feel about him fixing/re doing my surgery.

Be extra careful what doctor you choose. Make sure he is showing you your Xrays and listening to you.

Good luck!! I hope that it turns out well for you

Oh boy, that's not good at all. I am so sorry this is happening to you. I have heard of non-union and I am certainly fearful of that happening to me too. Actually, I am afraid of several possible complications but for me, living the way I am now is not an option so I have to keep trying. I feel awful for you. I have been talking with twtw and she was adamant that I should not take anti-inflammatories during recovery as it reduces bone growth (I think), and definitely don't smoke (increases non-union rate from 5% to 16x that - this statement according to Sussex Foot and Ankle Centre). I am very surprised that your doctor didn't recognise the non-union before. Were you meeting with him regularly? I would think that when your cast came off they would have xrayed and seen that it wasn't fused. That's very odd. Yes, I do get to see my xrays, and I've learned how to read them somewhat. Also, I do fully trust my doctor. He is very well admired and highly regarded in the Ortho world and I truly believe that I will be in good hands. Again, I am soooo sorry for your situation. I know it won't be easy to get through it. Are they going to try fusing it again? What else can they do? Let me know and I hope you have a successful next surgery.

Hey Melissa, I just came across your blog and share a pretty similar story. I suffered a Lisfranc injury in April 2010 and was misdiagnosed with a sprain.
I persisted for 2 months before seeing a specialist who correctly diagnosed and performed ORIF.
My foot felt worse after the surgery and I had the screws removed about 6 months later.
As soon as the screws were removed the pain went away, until the joints opened up again and the pain resumed.
I eventually found another world renowned Lisfranc expert, Dr Coetzee http://www.tcomn.com/DoctorBio.cfm/pid:482/J_Chris_Coetzee_MD_Mb_ChB/
Who performed a mid foot fusion. This procedure hurt so much less than the ORIF, I felt human again within 3 or 4 days of the surgery, instead of nearly 3 weeks for the ORIF.
The story is not quite over, everything healed up perfectly, but I still had some pain. After another 6 months of healing the good Dr recognized there was some interference between screw head and ligament, so back under the knife. Out come the 9 screws and 2 plates! Truly a handful of metal.
That was on the 29th of Feb. I am still healing and feel so much better, the constant pain is gone completely and I can get around a lot better as well.
Prepare yourself for the surgery, get a handicap sticker for your car as well as the basket on your scooter.
Shoes make an incredible difference. Some shoes just attempting to put them on hurt almost to the point of tears, but check out "Brooks, The Beast" shoes, they are the most stable shoes i have laid eyes on. Great arch support even without orthotics and my foot won't do the wobble in them.
I am also 34 years old, and we both have a lot of miles left in us. Let me know how you go, and if I can think of anything helpful will let you know.

Thanks for the info Mike. I am preparing myself for the surgery, mentally, emotionally, and every way I can. I do have a sticker for my car already so that's a big help. The surgeon I have is very highly regarded here in Canada for Lisfranc injuries as well so I trust him completely. I'll probably have a mitt full of metal too. He is also breaking my heel to realign it so I think the recovery is going to be nasty. I've heard 6-10 months to put full weight. It sucks but I just need to be able to walk better and pain free. I am crossing my fingers (and toes!) that this is the end of it. One week till I go in and I'm very nervous.....

Hey Melissa, how did the surgery go?

Surgery complete! Pain intense!! What can I say.... I am 8 weeks post op now and I had a pretty rough go there for the first half but lately the pain is better, it's not that intense, sharp, searing pain, now it's the swelling pain and stiff ankle. I know that with weight bearing and physio, with time, this will get better - it has to! I am very pleased with the way my foot looks too. This is such a long recovery but I am trying to be hopeful that I will get back to a semi-normal life in a few months. I am in a walking boot but no weight for another 4 weeks yet. I do a lot of laying down due to the immediate swelling but I am so glad I have not had any complications so far and my doc says I am healing well. It seems like when one part of me gets fixed another one goes wrong - my knee is really bad from compensating for this foot now but I can handle that. I just can't wait to walk again. Dare I say RUN again!!!!! Thanks for checking in with me. I will keep up with progress reports. Take care.

How are you doing now?  Having this done tomorrow?  Are you in the Toronto area?

Hello all.... I just had surgery and I'm thankful that I did. My surgery was done in San Ramon California by Dr. Venos who was "AWESOME!" My doctor knew right away that it was a midfoot lisfranc injury and was able to treat it quickly. I have to admit that the swelling in the foot is quite bothersome but I'm confident that the recovery will be sucessful. I have eleven weeks to go until my cast is off and my screws are removed. I would highly suggest surgery for anyone who is unsure and always make sure you see a competent surgeon who is able to discern a lisfranc from a severe sprain.

Sad melissa and twtw, girls, honestly you made me cry, sadmelissa when your surgeon told you there is nothing he can do my heart just sank with you! so glad you got a second opinion! i should mention i had a lisfranc fracture in May 2011, as well as a ankle fracture (apparently one wasnt enough!) did the ORIF thing, 3 operations later... im in so much pain every damn day.  I dont know what to do anymore, i am completely beside myself.  i have so many types of pain, i dont know where to start, from burning, to stabbing, to arthritic, stiffness, aches, you name it! my ortho surgeon has said i have one option: Fusion. i really am too scared to do it, im only 25 and im scared it will just lead to more arthrits and more fusions down the track.  I have literally gotten to the point where im looking at amputation because i think that will be a better life then the one i have now that is constant pain, completely unhappy and basically giving up on any type of a normal existance! I am trying to do anything i can to heal it myself first as i think the minute i start cutting it will never end, i am hoping that is not true and you both can say that the fusion was the best option! I dont know what to do anymore...

I have been doing a lot of swimming, some yoga, natural medicine to try and get my body to heal but im really loosing hope.

would really love to know how you are all going! twtw, who was your surgeon, and how are you going now? thank you!

 

Hi twtw.

I am impressed to hear that you tried your heels again. I know that you didnt try to walk in them. It has been 3 years since that post. How are you progressing now? Wearing your 4 inches heels yet? I had my orif lisfranc duslocation surgery on 2/28/13. Injured 2/9/13. I had my 1 st post op 3/5/13 to remove splint and stitches then put on hard cast. 2nd post op 3/25/13 and hard cast and put on walking boot on and doctor cleared me to pwb 40-50% for 2 weeks then see physical therapist for another 2 weeks. I should see him again on 4/25/13 (1 month). And wants to see me ween off crutches by then. I was surprised it hadnt been 6 weeks post op and i am cleared to pwb. I have 2 plates. My injured foot is discolored and slightly deformed because of the trauma but not too much swelling slightly almost the same size as of my good foot. I went through depression, cried almost every single day because of the horror stories ive read that i will be in constant pain, arthritis, and another surgery to hopefully correct it the second time. I havent been working since the injury. Bills are piling up and i am a single parent. Im an outside sales consultant, that requires a lot of travelling, standing and walking. With that being said, dressing up requires pretty shoes for presentations and meetings. I am very short too. Im afraid that i wont be able to do that job anymore if i will have these complications down the road. I do pray a lot, this injury brought me to my knees and asked God for help, forgiveness, and another chance to recover fully. I have not heard anyone posting to say that its been so long since the injury and not having complications at all. I know that God will provide either way and i just want anothet chance to have my normal life back.

Please let me know how youre doing now?

High heels