Surgery, Now or Later? Ankle fushion, arthritis, etc

ashbash20

Hello!

I am a 20 year old woman who has multiple foot problems. Since I was 12, I've been to more doctors than I can count about them. At first I was told I had tendinitis, then plantar fasciitis, and finally on flexible flat feet. I had a surgery to correct the flat feet, and everything seemed fine for a while.

Now though I've got mild arthritis in the earliest stages forming in my ankle joints. To go along with that, I've got heel bones that are improperly aligned, a calf muscle that isn't long enough, and more tendinitis than I know what to do with.

My doctor's suggestion is major surgery. He wants to realign the heel bones, lengthen my calf muscle, scrape off the outside of my tendons, and fuse my ankle joint. This all sounds pretty dramatic and terrifying.

At this point, my pain is pretty mild. No running, no long walks, and no standing for long periods of time are my limitations. I have to wear ankle braces any time I want to stand for a while. Occasionally I get pain that is seemingly random, but that's not too often.

So, I'm not sure what to do. It seems pretty understood that at some point this is going to get worse (what with an improperly aligned heels and the arthritis already showing up at such a young age.) The question is: Do I do surgery now or wait? I'm young now so recovery will be easy, and I've got time off for school, but... The pain isn't so bad, and there's always a chance it won't get worse on it's own. There's also the chance that the surgery will cause yet another issue.

I know this is my decision to make with the help of my doctor, but any opinions would be greatly welcomed. Thanks!