Okay, most of you know my story and I reposted it 2 months ago on my surgery anniversary as a "good outcome example", I'm really too depressed right now to recount it.
All I did was put on a new pair of shoes with a stiff tongue. They jabbed me in a bad spot, and for the past few days it's been getting more and more sore.
At this point, it's all back. The tiny mushy swelling on top of the malleolus, the sharp pain with weight-bearing dorsiflexion, the limited plantarflexion. At this point, I can barely walk at all, and I really believe that the synovial lesion has somehow grown back.
I have no strength to deal with this right now. I'm mentally and physically exhausted from a difficult period at work that's getting better, but not really over. We're moving to a new apartment 2 hours away in May, and I don't see how DH can do it all himself. The myofascial pain in my back, hips and shoulders has been nasty lately.
I can't do this again.
Last edited by janewhite1; 04-26-2009 at 09:28 AM.
jane, you have to take care of it. you have no choice. i am so sorry to hear this. i really thought you were done. maybe it is not as severe as you think. i am trying to be positive for you. debbie
Jane, you have provided support and hope to many on this board. You hit the nail on the head when you wrote that you have other sources of stress in your life right now that make a possible setback difficult to deal with. Call the doctor tomorrow, tell them it is urgent. You will get through this. I don't blame you if you are angry. It isn't fair, you were a good patient, and one stupid pair of shoes shouldn't send you back to square one. There really isn't anything you can do until you see the doctor and find out what you are dealing with. Please keep writing. You aren't alone and this is a safe place to vent.
I did manage to get out of the apartment today, DH dug out the crutches, stuffed me in the car, and took me off to the first barbecue of the season!
He was right. It did help to get out, and we have at least half a dozen people who volunteered to help us move. I'm not expecting ALL of them to show, but there are a couple I would never doubt, and a couple more who will do anything for pizza
Have to go to work tomorrow, I'm not sure if I'll go crutches or rocker boot. Walking would probably be a bad move. The crutches hurt my hip and hand, the boot hurts my knee... But hey, at least I've got a full set of orthopedic gear to choose from. Tuesday I can work from home, luckily. Schedule for the rest of the week is hazy.
I'll try to get in touch with my former surgeon tomorrow. Then, we'll see.
jane, I really hope that it's not THAT again. Keep your chin up, hope for the best and let us know how it turns out. Maybe, just maybe, it will be something a lot less serious. Sending good thoughts your way.
Jane,
I'm very sorry to hear about your recent situation with your foot. Were you having any other type of "weird" symptoms before you put on that shoe with the stiff tongue? Were you wearing the shoes for a long period of time and were you walking a lot in them? It just seems odd that a pair of shoes would cause this recent pain, swelling, and immobility. I hope you get some answers from your doctor! did she/he eve indicate that there would be a possibility that the lesion could grow back?? You're in my thoughts....and you are a strong person, you have a great network close to you and you have your on-line friends too! I'm thinking of you!
Let Me Walk
Julie
Thank you, everyone for your kind thoughts. Somehow, I'm feeling less exhausted and defeated than I was before the Foot Adventure decided to happen again. Need, I suppose.
So, I have an appointment for 1 week from today.
Wore the boot today, feeling ok in it. Still have almost no comfortable range of motion.
Let me walk: No, I was doing great up until a couple weeks ago. No further injuries either. Oh, there was one day last fall when it felt bad, but just one day. It's not clear to me how often these things can grow back, if ever. The articles I read before having the surgery strongly implied that for anterolateral impingement syndrome, improvement following the surgery tends to be lasting, unless you sprain the ankle again.
I wore the shoes for a couple of weeks, but there were only 2 times they caused me discomfort, each for just a few seconds, and after the second time I stopped wearing them almost immediately (yes, I sat down and changed my shoes in public.) I was wearing strap sandals but feeling OK until Saturday, when I helped move the first piece of furniture a short distance. No accidents, tiny tiny pain during, then after it started feeling really bad.
It doesn't make sense to me that two mild impacts (way below bruising force)could have caused this. I kinda think it was developing anyway, and I would have felt it soon enough even without the evil shoes.
Last edited by janewhite1; 04-27-2009 at 12:25 PM.
Reason: Add stuff!
Jane,
How do you mean that you felt like it was developing anyway?!? How long were you wearing the strap sandles? By strap sandals what do you mean...no support..?? How long were you wearing the sandals....and was this the first time that you've ever worn them? Were you wearing those when you moved the furniture?... Sorry if my questions seem silly...but it's hard to put the pieces together. Moving furniture can put a lot of stress on your foot/ankle (as you know). And, if your body isn't used to doing that it's going to effect it all over especially your foot/ankle if it was feeling funky before you moved the furniture. I'm glad that you got an appointment with your doctor on May 4th. Can you work on some of your earlier ROM PT exercises that you did while rehabbing after your surgery?! Does massaging help it?! I am thinking of you!!!
Julie
Last edited by let me walk; 04-27-2009 at 06:37 PM.
Reason: punctuation
I was wearing the strap sandals because the anterolateral area stayed tender after the second "poking" incident and the sandals don't put any pressure on the tender part of my foot. For sandals, they are actually very supporting, with good soles and multiple straps to hold them on, which is why I bought them.
I don't have any joint instability, though. I did the PT, I was diligent and lucky and it worked, the joint is well supported and the ligaments are in great shape.
I only wore them for a couple of days, between the shoe-poking incident on... Wednesday? and the furniture incident on Saturday.
I have no evidence for my theory that it was already developing, it's just the only explanation that makes sense.
A lesion or scar on the synovium is painless until it actually starts impinging on the movement of the joint, at which point it becomes more painful and swollen with every impact. (Which can eventually progress to every step. Which has already happened. Again.)
Cancer doesn't hurt until the tumor hits a nerve. It's the same idea.
so sorry for your set back. I hope you feel better soon! I too have suffered a major setback so you are not alone! sending hugs and healing vibes!
Quote:
Originally Posted by janewhite1
I was wearing the strap sandals because the anterolateral area stayed tender after the second "poking" incident and the sandals don't put any pressure on the tender part of my foot. For sandals, they are actually very supporting, with good soles and multiple straps to hold them on, which is why I bought them.
I don't have any joint instability, though. I did the PT, I was diligent and lucky and it worked, the joint is well supported and the ligaments are in great shape.
I only wore them for a couple of days, between the shoe-poking incident on... Wednesday? and the furniture incident on Saturday.
I have no evidence for my theory that it was already developing, it's just the only explanation that makes sense.
A lesion or scar on the synovium is painless until it actually starts impinging on the movement of the joint, at which point it becomes more painful and swollen with every impact. (Which can eventually progress to every step. Which has already happened. Again.)
Cancer doesn't hurt until the tumor hits a nerve. It's the same idea.
Update: So the surgeon says that it would be very unusual for an impingement lesion to grow back, in such a short time, without additional trauma, and my ankle hasn't rolled once since surgery (since months before surgery, in fact.)
He thinks I might have slightly bruised my talus, based on the location of swelling and tenderness. He did a cortisone injection, and it feels pretty good right now. (Of course, that could be the lidocaine he mixed in with it)
I'll just wait and see what happens with the cortisone. It might settle things down again entirely.
Interesting to hear that it could be a bruised talus. I hope the cortisone injection helps. Did your surgeon give you any sort of time frame? Do you have another appointment set up with him in the near future? Did your surgeon ask you to "take note" of any pain while under the cortison injection? I'm glad to hear that you're feeling OK right now...I hope that continues!
Julie
As of now, the cortisone injection is definitely working. Within 4 weeks, it should wear off if it is going to, likely within 2.
If it stays better, I'm supposed to email him and let him know, if the pain returns when the shot wears off, I'm to call for a new appt and possible repeat MRI.
Glad to hear that the cortisone shot is really working for you! I hope that continues and it's great that you have good communications with your surgeon! I'll keep my fingers crossed for you! Keep us posted!
Let Me Walk
Julie
