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Post by mrsclark2012 on Apr 20, 2017 15:32:45 GMT -7
Hello everyone! I was in a MVA in August of last year and shattered the heel bone in my left foot and fractured 2 bones in the right ankle. The right foot has healed nicely and did not require surgery to fix the breaks, I just have a rouge tendon that needs repair. The left foot is a whole different story. The force of the impact was so severe that my foot burst open on the right side and pieces of the bone were visible. The podiatrist that workers comp had working on me ended up screwing my heel bone back together about 6 weeks after the accident and did a skin graft on the open wound on the right side. It causes me significant pain constantly. From the beginning, the Dr told me that my left foot would never be right again, I would never be able to use it like I did before, and would always cause pain. I immediately thought "well then what's the point in having it?" and asked him to amputate. He told me that I was crazy and refused to discuss it. After a multitude of problems with him, I now have a new dr, an orthopedic surgeon, and he wants to do a fusion. I've been reading about people's experiences with that, and it seems to cause a multitude of other problems if it even takes. I still feel that is like an amputation and a prosthetic. No one around me seems to understand that decision. I'm going to request that my new Dr do so. Any advice?
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Post by thebrianmo on May 3, 2017 16:48:34 GMT -7
The best advice I can offer is do your "homework;" Get all the information, statistics, pros and cons and seek a second or third opinion if need be. If you haven't already, talk to a prosthetist and ask them any questions you have and schedule an appointment with a physiatrist who specializes in amputees. At the end of the day you are the one who has to make the decision and do what is best for you. I always support people choosing the option that will allow them the most mobility to live an active life. Best wishes to you!
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Post by jeffs11 on Jun 20, 2021 21:49:45 GMT -7
Hello mrsclark2012,
I'm not sure if this thread is still appropriate but it's like to discuss your situation further. I've had a long list of medical issues stemming from a birth defect and I'm currently considering amputation. Wondering if you ended up getting your amputation or if you went ahead with the fusion. My left ankle is currently fused and my orthopedic surgeon is suggesting amputation and would like to hear about your experience either way.
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rg8
New Member
Posts: 32
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Post by rg8 on Jan 28, 2023 7:56:59 GMT -7
Hi, everyone! As someone mentioned above, do your homework before you do anything. There are many well-meaning surgeons that consider an amputation a failure of medical care. That is a fallacy, taught to us in medical school and throughout our training. At the point you are at it would be best to amputate,but choose your surgeon carefully. There are extremely good surgeons who are really at the cutting edge of amputations and are doing all sorts of procedures to optimize your residual limb for a well-fitting prosthesis. Again, you need to research, two of the best centers for this are the University of Michigan Hospital and the Boston area. I know of these two places personally, I'm a doctor, I graduated from the U of Michigan, and I live close to Boston, where I have been referred to to fix the initial botched amputation I had 2 years ago (very long story). Let me know if I can be of any help.
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