Hello All,
I originally posted a few months ago about having surgery to correct my fallen arch in Nov/Dec. I finally scheduled it for the beginning of Jan. I am getting cold feet and thinking of cancelling. I don't know if I am mentally ready for it and I am deathly afraid of the pain and loss of independence. Thinking of wearing my Arizona brace a little longer. Any words of wisdom?? Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Being anxious is normal. I had my surgery done the beginning of September and am now almost 3 months out. I am walking in a shoe at this point. Yes, I have discomfort and sometimes pain if I do too much. Just today though, I was standing in my stocking feet thinking about how much more stable my foot feels now than before surgery.
I won't deny that these past months have been hard but at least I feel I am working towards progress. Without surgery, your foot will only get worse. Be sure you feel confident in your surgeon and begin making your plans for your recovery at home.
Sending you good wishes and peace!
The Following User Says Thank You to kindredsprit For This Useful Post: doggiewalkersha (11-29-2011)
Thanks for the response. How long did you suffer with your fallen arch before your surgery? It is my left foot. How long was it until you could drive? I have been dealing with this for 3 years. I have my good days and bad days. I find I need to wear my brace more. Was the pain tolerable after surgery? Did you use a roll about? I have so many questions. Thanks in advance for any input.
Hi, I was the same many times I was going cancel my surgery but in the end I did the surgery to tighten the ligaments, clean up scar tisue, drill the bone etc.
I wasn't too scared to do the surgery but being placed in a cast terrified me.
I am now 1 week post surgery and coping better now. For 2 weeks I have to be in plaster cast with back slab. Then change to lighter cast for 4 weeks may be more. I was told nwb for 4 weeks.
At this stage I can't wait until I get a lighter cast. my leg is killing me.
The day after surgery wasn't too bad but few days after that was different story. yesterday and today I am able to go outside and move around more because swelling is not that bad anymore.
So I am hoping that it's down hill from here on.
Some advice to help u if u have surgery -
There is a sticky post with good advice read it.
Train ur legs so they are ready for the extra load and also arms, chest and shoulders to push ur body weight.
I tore my tendon in 3 separate incidents over a year period because it was not diagnosed--the final one finished it off. Once diagnosed, I had planned to put the surgery off until this January but my foot's condition deteriorated very quickly over the summer-- even with orthotic supports--so I moved it up to September. Boy, am I glad I did!
It was my right foot, so I did not start driving until week 12. My doctor said I could drive @ week 7 by removing the boot but I was not comfortable doing that and had no pressing need anyway.
I have a high tolerance for pain so even though it hurt, it was manageable --and painkillers were there when I needed them. I followed what my doctor said and didn't push myself, either.
I could not have survived without my roll-about. I also agree that any exercies for your upper body you can do ahead of time is worthwhile. Getting the knee walker ahead of time lets you try it out and see where it can fit in your home and where it won't. Be sure to read that sticky about coping while NWB. It helped me immensely, as well as many of the other posts here. Just keep asking questions, we are here to help you --like others did for us!
Before I had flatfoot reconstruction surgery I was terrified. It was my first surgery and I did not know what to expect. I was also scared of the pain I would have afterwards and the loss of my independence. Yes it is painful at first, but if you stay ahead of the pain with the pain pills, it is manageable. The road to recovery is long and at times difficult. In the end it is so worth it. Your foot will only continue to get worse and waiting too long can limit options of fixing the problem. Be sure to read the thread coping while NWB following foot surgery. It will help you prepare for surgery and give you great ideas of what to have before surgery.
The Following User Says Thank You to Missyluke For This Useful Post: doggiewalkersha (12-01-2011)
It sounds like it wasn't too bad. Are you having a hard time adjusting to the non weight bearing?
I still haven't decided what to do. I don't know if it would be better to wait till the summer. I am afraid of the pain and loss of independence. I have 3 children and 2 dogs so it will be a difficult time for me.
I hope I get the courage to make the right decision.
I am 16 months post op. Just prior to having the surgery, my foot problems had progressed to the point that I had pain along the ptt and into the arch after taking 15 to 20 steps. My foot had pancaked and my ankle was starting to collapse towards the floor. I found it difficult to walk from room to room due to the pain. Recovery is long and tough but now, I am so happy that I had the surgery.
The Following User Says Thank You to roxygirl1 For This Useful Post: doggiewalkersha (12-01-2011)
I am 5 1/2 months out of surgery and had my final appointment with my surgeon today and have been released to full activity. If it weren't for my wife I too would have backed out of the surgery. I wanted to back out even when I was in the hospital waiting to go into surgery. Today I can tell you it is truly the best decision I could have made and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. I have been back to a 100% normal life, without participating in sports, for the last two months. I can spend all day on my feet and still have a very slight limp but I have no pain - at all. I do have some swelling but it's what I consider to very minor. 5 1/2 months after surgery and I can honestly tell my foot is 1000x better than before. Prior to surgery if I stayed on my feet all day I would be in a lot of pain and have trouble walking that night and the next day. I run dogs in agility and had to quit running in December of 2010 due to the pain. I am now back on track to start running them again in March or April and can't wait. I did a lot of research on all of the orthopedic surgeons in my area and researched even further the ones that concentrated primarily on foot and ankle surgeries. I had an awesome surgeon and my foot turned out exactly as he said it would. I hope everything works out good for you. Good luck.
I am 5 1/2 months out of surgery and had my final appointment with my surgeon today and have been released to full activity. If it weren't for my wife I too would have backed out of the surgery. I wanted to back out even when I was in the hospital waiting to go into surgery. Today I can tell you it is truly the best decision I could have made and I couldn't be happier with the outcome. I have been back to a 100% normal life, without participating in sports, for the last two months. I can spend all day on my feet and still have a very slight limp but I have no pain - at all. I do have some swelling but it's what I consider to very minor. 5 1/2 months after surgery and I can honestly tell my foot is 1000x better than before. Prior to surgery if I stayed on my feet all day I would be in a lot of pain and have trouble walking that night and the next day. I run dogs in agility and had to quit running in December of 2010 due to the pain. I am now back on track to start running them again in March or April and can't wait. I did a lot of research on all of the orthopedic surgeons in my area and researched even further the ones that concentrated primarily on foot and ankle surgeries. I had an awesome surgeon and my foot turned out exactly as he said it would. I hope everything works out good for you. Good luck.
It sounds like it went well for you. I am just wondering in what state you had your surgery. The surgeon I am going to use is in Philadelphia. My Mom had the surgery in 1993. She was 73 at the time. I recall her being in immense pain after surgery. She had to have a fusion of her ankle because of the state of her ankle. The surgeon who did her surgery is listed as one of the top foot and ankle docs in the area. I did not go to him, but I just heard of someone with my condition who used him and loved him. I am 45 and thinking that I have a little more time if I don't do it now. I also thought I would be able to exercise to get myself in the best shape prior to surgery and have not been able to do so. I have to make my decision this week. It is stressing me out!!!
Thanks for your info.
I am going to need to have the same surgery on my right foot (my left foot was done 8/2010). I was also thinking I could put it off until, at the very earliest, I could not do a single toe raise on that foot. My surgeon told me that 1. I should let pain guide me on surgery and 2. If I wait until I can not do a single toe raise or whatever other reason my foot could deteriorate and surgical options could be limited. So I would say that although you would like to put it off longer, it may be detrimental to your foot. I also thought the same thing about losing weight prior to surgery, but during the recovery process I actually lost weight which I have been able to keep off.
May I ask if you had your surgery with Dr. Myerson and if so, what comments you could offer. I am planning on seeing him soon and am trying to decide on whether to have surgery. My situation seems to be getting worse quicker than I anticipated which sounds like what you have experienced. Thank you.
I chickened out again. I went for a 3rd opinion. The new Dr I went to see suggested to get a new Arizona brace made. My old one is 2+ years od and I started having pain while wearing it. The new Dr suggested trying to buy some more time since I am in my mid 40's. The feeling is tendon transgers started being done in early 90's. The tendons have lasted tis far but thet do not know if they will last a lefetime. Because I am in my mid 40's, she would hate to see me have to have another surgery in my 70's. I am going to try the new brace for 2 months. If I don't have any relief, I will have surgery in summer. I did not see the Dr you mentioned. Hope this helps. I also feel like my foot is getting worse quickly but am still afraid of the surgery.
I had fallen arch surgery two summers ago, and had the other one last week (recovering). So far I am liking the winter better for recovery. Like you, I also have 2 kids. I am finding the routine of the school day is easier than the bedlam of summer with kids, there are actually less demands as a mom because there is time alone during the day to rest. And I found that in summer I resented missing out on all the fun...now, I am just hibernating...so don't hestitate!
Very scared to have fallen arch surgery 
