minkydog
DIS Cast Member
- Joined
- Dec 8, 2004
- Messages
- 16,926
Went to the orthopedist today with my post-tibial tendonitis. The good news is he didn't give me a shot in the ankle, as I feared he would(excrutiatingly painful). The bad news is he says the foot is "way past that point." :-( He assured me that I am doing everything I can to help the foot, so it's not something I'm doing wrong. And he said it's not an issue of not being aggressive enough. At this point, the only thing that will arrest the situation is surgery.
Major surgery. Like, cutting bones in two, fusing other bones, and transferring tendons to other places. Majorly gruesome surgery with a major recovery period, 6 months. The good news is it's not an emergency--it can be done "at any convenient time." When is it ever convenient to have your whole foot taken apart and reconstructed? I asked him what happens if I refuse to have surgery. His answer: "This is as good as it gets. Your foot will never be better and it will eventually get much worse. It's easier to fix this before you've shredded that tendon. Putting it back together at that point has a much less chance for good outcome." 
I'm calling my family doctor in the morning to get a second opinion. She is affiliated with a very well respected teaching hospital in Atlanta. I know she has connections. I have my MRI films that I can take with me. I do think the ortho is probably right on the money. I've done some research about this post-tibial tendon dysfunction and it pretty much says the same thing--once you've exhausted all the conservative treatments, there is nothing else left. My current Ortho is a sports medicine guy. He is a team doc for the Hawks(basketball.) All he does is knees and feet.But I want another doctor to check it anyway.
So now I"m in a walking cast that I must wear 23hrs a day. I'm allowed to take it off for baths, swimming, and periodic icing of the foot. Otherwise, I have to wear it at all times, even to bed, for the next three weeks. And if it starts hurting I have to wear that blasted thing until I have surgery, whenever that is. What fun.
Poo.
Major surgery. Like, cutting bones in two, fusing other bones, and transferring tendons to other places. Majorly gruesome surgery with a major recovery period, 6 months. The good news is it's not an emergency--it can be done "at any convenient time." When is it ever convenient to have your whole foot taken apart and reconstructed? I asked him what happens if I refuse to have surgery. His answer: "This is as good as it gets. Your foot will never be better and it will eventually get much worse. It's easier to fix this before you've shredded that tendon. Putting it back together at that point has a much less chance for good outcome." I'm calling my family doctor in the morning to get a second opinion. She is affiliated with a very well respected teaching hospital in Atlanta. I know she has connections. I have my MRI films that I can take with me. I do think the ortho is probably right on the money. I've done some research about this post-tibial tendon dysfunction and it pretty much says the same thing--once you've exhausted all the conservative treatments, there is nothing else left. My current Ortho is a sports medicine guy. He is a team doc for the Hawks(basketball.) All he does is knees and feet.But I want another doctor to check it anyway.
So now I"m in a walking cast that I must wear 23hrs a day. I'm allowed to take it off for baths, swimming, and periodic icing of the foot. Otherwise, I have to wear it at all times, even to bed, for the next three weeks. And if it starts hurting I have to wear that blasted thing until I have surgery, whenever that is. What fun.
Poo.
