Post by jwatson on Nov 20, 2016 0:21:12 GMT -7
6 years ago I fell 35 feet, landing on both of my feet. I was 24 and working for my local fire department as a wildland fire fighter, on my way to become a full time fire fighter. My right foot took the brunt of the fall...my trauma team said it looked like a bomb went off inside my foot. I shattered my talus and a few other bones. When I woke up after surgery I had an external fixature and somewhere around 15 screws holding everything together. I was discharged 14 days later(had a blood clot that prolonged my stay.) A few months later they removed the fixator and casted my foot. A few months later I was able to walk with the assistance of a cane. Prior to my accident I was extremely fit and active so I was motivated to get back to that life. Initially there was talk that I would be able to go back to fighting fire. Rehab was extremely slow, I just wasn't able to get any range of motion back. Doctors went in to remove screws and scar tissue, hoping this would give my some more range. No success. My foot began to lay to the right side, meaning when I walked I couldn't get my whole foot on the ground, all that would contact the ground was the outside of my foot. The pain just got worst and worst. About a year and a half after the initial accident I opted for a subtalur ankle fusion. This left me with no range of motion through my ankle moving side to side. I had around 5 degrees up, and 10-15 down. The fusion initially helped with the pain as I was able to contact my whole foot to the ground and distribute the weight. 2 years ago I had screws from the fusion removed and a few others that were still in my foot. 5 or 6 remain in my ankle, that the doctors have not been able to remove. The issue now is that I am in constant pain. It goes from dull, to sharp, to holy shit I can't even put my foot on the ground. My knees and hips are getting worst with all the compensating I do just to get around. Lately I have been wondering if an amputation would be the best fit for me. I have just started looking into this as I know it is extreme. Mentally I have been holding out for an ankle replacement, but given my age I know it is going to be a while, and even then there are no guarantees. It just gets harder and harder to deal with the constant pain. Any added range of motion to allow for more activities would just be a nice bonus. Anyway I have been talking to close friends to see if I am crazy for entertaining the idea. I know amputation isn't the grand fix, but just curious if anyone has any similar stories and what they ended up doing or advice.