The Big decision

[lefty]

So I'm new to most things tech... So bare w me. .. I need advice.
I was in a car accident in 2009 right foot reattached w plates and rods. As a bartender I have work it smooth out and have loads of arthritis. Now I have trouble walking , have to hide it to keep my job. Been lucky enough to have only fallen UP the stairs. Doc says he is perfectly willing to do replacement or fusion, doesn't want to amputate untill I'm over 60....!!!! I don't want to wait when that is inevitable. Insurance will cover everything. I'm 34. I feel like I should do it now when recovery would be much faster. I used to be very active. Every yr gets harder. I don't know where to start... HELP

[cherylm]

Hi, lefty, and welcome to the Forum! Please do yourself a favor and get some second, third, or even fourth opinions on your situation...your current doctor sounds like he could be one of those folks who considers amputation a "failure" and will keep a patient in pain forever rather than remove a malfunctioning part. It might be possible to do a decent repair on your foot/ankle...or you might be able to deal with a fusion...but if those seem to be "temporary" or "stopgap" solutions, there is no reason to wait for decades to amputate. You're right in thinking that recovery tends to be easier when you're younger and healthier.

Now, obviously, it would be preferable to have a working natural foot. If someone can convince you that there's a way to fix what you've got, go for it. But fusing a foot or ankle seldom does much to help, and feet are incredibly difficult to repair. I have one troublesome foot that has been through eleven different surgeries to get it basically functional...and one foot that went through four surgeries before ultimately being amputated. Both of those solutions have worked well for me...but I was fortunate that I had doctors who were able to work out which foot was worth working to save and which one was ultimately doomed.

The ultimate choice is yours. It may take you time and research to decide on a course of action...but it will be worth it if you can get back to enjoying an active life. Check out some of the posts here, and ask any and all questions you can think of...there's likely to be someone here who can offer up their own experience to you!

[slip2117]

It is a definitely a big, life changing decision and I agree with cherylm and get more opinions. I was injured on the job back in '13 (chemical burn) and got nerve damage from it. Flash forward a little over 2 years and multiple surgeries, pills, and chronic pain I just told the doc to cut it off. And I was literally that blunt about it. Would I love to have my leg back, sure, however, that was the best decision I made throughout my journey. I'm pain free and about 95% of what I used to be. Everyone's results and situation is different so I'd highly recommend getting other opinions. From the time I made the decision (BKA by the way) until I actually had it was about 5 months so I had lots of time to think and meet with people but like I said, it was the right decision for me.

[mrmcstubby]

I was in a similar situation - foot and ankle injuries and an accumulation of damage that was beyond repair. It was painful to walk or stand for any length of time. I faced a salvage operation (and almost surely a second procedure) and total ankle fusion, with no hope of any improvement in function or any hope of returning to an active lifestyle. I did as mentioned above: researched the procedures the surgeon insisted on doing first; found, chatted with, and talked with a several that had been down that path, including a several that ended up at amputation after all.

Along the way I stumbled on the Ertl Osteomyoplastic procedure. If you're considering amputation, I strongly urge you to contact Dr Will Ertl (OU Med) or Dr Jan Ertl (Indianapolis). The procedure aims to provide a solid, partial weight-bearing limb that is key to comfort and a return to active life. More importantly, the procedure does something special with nerves. It seems the majority of their patients report NO phantom pain past initial healing. (I'm in this pain-free category, and it's a blessing to be pain-free!) I'm a RBKA.

It's a big decision, and it's irreversible. No go-backs, no do-overs. Being an amputee adds a few challenges to life. Some people are freaked out by it. You will get starred at. Dating and getting a new job might be more challenging. You might also lose some folks you thought were friends.

So be really sure it's the best outcome for you. It was for me. Pain free, I walk on a prosthetic with no limp or impairment. I'm back to cycling on- and off-road, hiking, and camping. I'll be snowshoeing and maybe doing a little skiing this winter. Life is good again. Different, but every bit as rewarding.

[stonecutter]

Good advice seen already. Your surgeon not wanting to do an amputation until after 60 is baffling me a bit. Not sure how that helps your quality of life if you're in pain all the time.

I was involved in a crushing-type injury and subsequent full-thickness burns when I was 19. Amputated a few weeks later after attempting and failing to save it. Like a lot of folks on here, I've been an amputee longer than I was 'whole' To be honest - it does take an adjustment, for me it took up to two years to feel 'normal' but really I haven't looked back.

I'm not going to enter into a foot race anytime soon, and i do have the occasional "bad leg day." But I do hunt, fish, go ATV'ing, have a great job and career, I've gotten married and had a family since. Life went on - I can't say if they were to 'save' my mangled mess of a foot that I would have had the same quality of life.

[rburgos71]

Aug 7, 2017 14:04:44 GMT -7 lefty said:

So I'm new to most things tech... So bare w me. .. I need advice.
I was in a car accident in 2009 right foot reattached w plates and rods. As a bartender I have work it smooth out and have loads of arthritis. Now I have trouble walking , have to hide it to keep my job. Been lucky enough to have only fallen UP the stairs. Doc says he is perfectly willing to do replacement or fusion, doesn't want to amputate untill I'm over 60....!!!! I don't want to wait when that is inevitable. Insurance will cover everything. I'm 34. I feel like I should do it now when recovery would be much faster. I used to be very active. Every yr gets harder. I don't know where to start... HELP

Hi, I am so sorry to hear about your situation. I am 46 years old, I have been an amputee for 5 years now. My recommendation is for you to get it done a.s.a.p. The younger you are when you get the amputation, the easier your recovery will be. The rest of your body will need to compensate for the missing link so you need to have all of the strength that you need.