Prayer Request: Reconstructive Foot Surgery

[ccgr]

Thanks for the update, sorry to hear that it's not a positive one. Will keep you in my prayers.

[centaurianmudpig]

You are in my Prayer's. Praising God for a miraculous healing.

[EchoDelta]

Hi everyone,

Well it’s been a little over two months since my last update I have a lot of news to share today. First thing is, my foot started showing signs of improvement again in September. The reason my foot didn’t show signs of improvement in August was due to the heat and humidity. As the temperatures began cooling in September, the swelling in my foot began to reduce and the pain from the operation did diminish a little as well.

Last month in October, I visited with my doctor for a follow-up. At first I thought it would be routine but certainly not the case. I first said how the bone pain has only shifted to a part of the navicular bone that wasn’t fused. Next, I discussed the ongoing numbness in the foot. (There’s been no improvement.) His reply was the same as last time in which he stated the nerves may grow back in due time. He also said that no operation can repair nerve damage. What he said next was shocking. He said that my bones have healed and that there’s not much else he could do. So he discharged me.

My doctor did suggest to stop using the walking boot and return to my old shoes and orthotics while I wait for the new ones. Since the bottom of my foot changed, the old orthotic just doesn’t fit right. Right now I walk with a bad limp and cannot walk far. I’m hoping this improves in time and with new shoes and orthotics.

It’s only been six months and admittedly I was stunned because I’m still having problems and the foot doesn’t feel right with the numbness. When I got home I made some phone calls which were reassuring. Even though I’ve been discharged medical coverage does not end. I can continue with physical therapy. I remain off work for now. In January, I’ll return to my doctor to discuss several forms that need to be completed. This has to do with work, a disability rating, and documentation for a disability retirement. In addition, I’ll ask if he can recommend another surgeon for a second opinion. I also seek to see a nerve specialist due to the numbness which I will talk more about.

In the past couple weeks, what I can only guess is nerve pain, has appeared in the numb areas of the foot. I’ve never experienced this type of pain before. It starts with the numb toe then spreads to the dull areas of the foot. It's at its worse in the morning and evening. Add this to the pain from the surgery, bone pain, and the overall chronic pain in both feet, it makes for difficult days.

During my last prayer update, I briefly discussed my elbow. When I was finally able get off crutches in September, I returned to my doctor to have my elbow looked at. As to review, in January of this year tendinitis appeared in my right elbow. I’ve been dealing with tendinitis off and on since 2003. In February I got a cortisone shot and it didn’t help. In April I have the foot surgery. I guess with the added stress of using crutches, it put a lot of pressure on my elbow. In May I went to pick up something fairly light and something in my elbow popped. I had a feeling it was a ligament but healing from the foot surgery came first. In late September I got an MRI of the elbow. It showed obvious tendinitis with a build-up of heavy inflammation and a partial tear of the outer ligament (known as RCL). This is the reason my elbow never improved and became worse over time. Right now I am limited in using my right hand. While I minimize computer use, I use the mouse with my left hand. I recently bought dictation software and I’m trying it out for the first time writing this prayer update

On November 16, I’m having my elbow operated on to remove the inflammation caused by tendinitis and to reattach the ligament to the bone. Recovery time is three months and I’m hoping it is a speedy recovery.

I’ve had a lot of time to think about this and pray so I’m not completely overwhelmed as I was when I first got the news I was discharged. Prayers are appreciated for the continued healing of my foot. This is also in line with the numbness. It would be nice if complete feeling returns. Then add the nerve damage and the overall pain. Next for a smooth and uncomplicated elbow operation.

Thank you,
-Ed

My favorite devotional is Oswald Chambers’ My Utmost For His Highest. I recently read this in it:

Never confuse the trial of faith with the ordinary discipline of life, because a great deal of what we call the trial of faith is the inevitable result of being alive. Faith, as the Bible teaches it, is faith in God coming against everything that contradicts Him – a faith that says, “I will remain true to God’s character whatever He may do.” The highest and the greatest expression of faith in the whole Bible is, “Though He slay me, yet I will trust Him” (Job 13:15).

[ccgr]

Praying for your upcoming surgery and continued healing for your foot. Please keep us updated.

[qshop]

I will be praying.

God Bless

-qshop1

[skeer]

Praying for you!

Out of curiosity, how are you doing financially? From what I can tell, you've been going from surgery to surgery a lot.

Have you had time to relax? Like I said, praying

[EchoDelta]

Hi everyone,

Thanks for the prayers. As you know, I had elbow surgery on Wednesday and I'm now into my third day of recovery. At first the pain was constant and intense. Monitoring it today, I'm getting these little spikes periodically. My doctor said that I had shown no signs of a torn ligament. So he only cleaned out the tendinitis. This was a surprise as I do know my elbow popped/snapped back in May. I hope he is right because I do not want to go through this again. My arm remains in a sling and the stitches come out on November 30. Being one-handed isn't as bad as I thought it would be.

I have some news to share for my foot. I spoke with the hospital and case manager again right before my elbow surgery. They said that I can seek a second opinion as well as a nerve specialist on my own. I also received a letter from my workers compensation asking my doctor for a return to work status. It is still my intent to seek a disability retirement. My case manager said to just heal from the elbow surgery for now and wait for what my doctor says. The last part is what I've done from the very beginning. And that is to completely trust God. These last 3.5 years have been difficult but God has never let me down.

Praying for you!

Out of curiosity, how are you doing financially? From what I can tell, you've been going from surgery to surgery a lot.

Have you had time to relax? Like I said, praying

Hi skeer. To answer your question, financially I'm doing fine. With worker's compensation I am taking in less money and there's a lot of restrictions to it that prevent me from taking other types of income. But God has met my needs and I can't complain

[skeer]

Glad to hear you are doing ok on workers comp. Hopefully your body heals, and you get disability, or at least a full recovery. I know from my dad's experience, that it usually doesn't heal all the way and even after fixed up, it doesn't work like it used to.

I don't fully understand how disability works, but according to my mom, they are looking for both physical and mental problems. That's why they tried kicking my brother off, even though he has a steel rod in his spine and the same genetic heart problem as me. Meanwhile, I just have the heart problem, very mild autism, and schizophrenia (which is perfectly under control now), and they never pick on me. If I was able to drive a car, I may possibly be able to work (everyone around me tells me I don't want to work, and to stay disabled).

But enough of that, I hope God helps you, no matter what path your life takes

[EchoDelta]

Glad to hear you are doing ok on workers comp. Hopefully your body heals, and you get disability, or at least a full recovery. I know from my dad's experience, that it usually doesn't heal all the way and even after fixed up, it doesn't work like it used to.

I don't fully understand how disability works, but according to my mom, they are looking for both physical and mental problems. That's why they tried kicking my brother off, even though he has a steel rod in his spine and the same genetic heart problem as me. Meanwhile, I just have the heart problem, very mild autism, and schizophrenia (which is perfectly under control now), and they never pick on me. If I was able to drive a car, I may possibly be able to work (everyone around me tells me I don't want to work, and to stay disabled).

But enough of that, I hope God helps you, no matter what path your life takes

Thanks Skeer. Yes it looks like trying to get disability will prove difficult. Everyone who has seen my feet/xrays says I should of been on it already but call it pride or forgetfulness, I continued to work and every day when I came home was dealing with intense pain. And this occurred prior to the new set of operations that began in 2013. These new operations have fixed some problems in the bones but overall the pain is more intense now. As for trying to get disability, I will lean on to God for guidance in this matter.

I have a small prayer request regarding my elbow. When I posted the update on Saturday, my arm was itching slightly. I attributed it to the large amounts of Percocet I had to take. On Sunday I went to urgent care due to my arm not feeling right. When the bandages were were removed, nearly my entire arm was covered in a rash and my hand was swollen. The cause for the rash is unknown but I think it may either be latex or the iodine solution used to sterilize the arm prior to the operation. Last night my arm continued to be inflamed with rashes and at the elbow itself has blisters on it. The incision for the operation looks unaffected so far by the rash. The only thing that "soothes the savage beast" of the rashes is an ice pack. I tried two different types of anti-itching cream but they make it worse. So if everyone could add this to the prayer list I'd appreciated it.

[ccgr]

praying for healing and comfort

[EchoDelta]

Hi everyone,

Figure I should provide a new update before the beginning of the new year. I have a lot of important information to share regarding my right foot. But first here’s a small update regarding my elbow. It’s been about six weeks since the operation. I find that keeping a compression elbow sleeve over it not only allows me to use it for small tasks but also reduces the pain. The rash is almost gone and it no longer irritates my skin. I am taking Zyrtec daily now.

Regarding my right foot, there’s still been no improvement in the numb pale areas. Funny how I thought that the completely numb toe would be the biggest issue. However, for the past month, it seems my foot continues to grow weaker in the pale areas on the bottom. I’ve already mentioned I walk with a limp and it’s getting worse. From as far as I can tell the pain there is not due to the bones but due to the paleness coming from the tissue. It feels like it's very swollen there but it's not. This is new territory because the pain is usually chronic or comes from the bones. For the past two weeks I have stopped myself from falling due to the foot giving out. It’s like I take a step and the pain causes my foot to spike and then I need to stop myself from falling over. It’s important that I prevent this because if I were to fall my immediate reaction is to brace myself with my right arm It was recommended that I try Lyrica for nerve pain but after reading the side effects, I decided against it. Another medication for it is Neurontin. I've taken that in high amounts with no improvement.

Over the past 3.5 years with all these operations, it’s always been a test of willpower to improve even if the odds are not favorable. Even while I was recovering from the elbow operation, I kept up at home with physical therapy for my feet. But it seemed like no matter how hard I worked there was no improvement. So about 10 days ago I decided it was time for a change. The weather was nice out with no rain and I started walking again every other day. These are trips around the neighborhood and I can only go 30 minutes with a slow pace. I need to be careful when I walk because any uneven ground or even a transition to a sidewalk can cause me to fall. The last two trips I started taking my cane. Honestly I’ve had to swallow a lot of pride to take a cane because the only mobility aid I’ve ever agreed with are custom shoes and orthotics. I still don’t want the cane to be permanent.

In January I plan to search for new doctor for second opinion. Also given how I was quickly discharged for my last doctor, it’s been very unsettling. I need some spiritual guidance of whether to seek a lawyer for a medical malpractice lawsuit. I’ve read the operative notes and nothing seems out of the ordinary. But given that the same procedure was performed on my left foot with no complications, I am still concerned for what happened to the right foot and how my doctor reacted. Unsure if this is the right thing to do. The pursuit of a disability retirement is on hold. There needs to be an official medical closure to my feet first. I know the Lord’s thoughts are higher than my own and there’s something brewing in the back of my mind which I won’t reveal yet as for why God allowed this to happen. I’ve always trusted God; He’s never let me down. Throughout all the pain and complications, I’ve remained faithful. That’ll never change.

I can’t say it enough, but thank you for the support and prayers throughout all these years.

-Ed

[ccgr]

Ed,

Thanks and sorry for the update. I'll continue to keep you in my prayers and let me know how the search for a different doctor goes. I'm glad to hear that you've been seeking a change of scenery and don't worry about the cane, in fact you can go out in style. I think my brother uses one similar to this and gets lots of compliments on it.

[EchoDelta]

Hello,

It's been awhile since I've written an update. While I did have a few updates to share the past couple months, I’ve been waiting on a new diagnosis (CRPS) so I could compile it into one post. This may be a long update.

It’s now been about 11 months since last April’s reconstruction to my right foot. Unfortunately, there hasn’t been much improvement. I still deal with excessive pain when walking, standing, or even sitting. The only improvement is that I no longer need a cane but I still walk with a slight limp. A simple walk to check the mail across the street can trigger enough pain to sideline me for hours. Many times throughout the day, I need to sit and elevate my foot. Even without walking or standing, my right foot can still throb with pain. Pain can wake me up early in the morning and keep me awake at night.

A lot occurred in January but the most important news to share is the decision to have my right foot amputated. Although I loosely explored the idea back in 2015, I wasn’t serious. In early January however, my podiatrist raised the issue of “quality of life.” She suggested the foot amputation and I was at 50% whether to go through with it. As the month of January went on, I continued to pray about it, I researched lower limb amputations, watched some YouTube videos, and spoke to my prothetist who offered professional advice as well as prosthetic limb options. At the end of January, I leaned about 95% for it and what sealed the decision was meeting an amputee in person. More on the amputation decision later.

As with my December update, I still needed a new doctor and the search began in January. My case manager suggested I find a physician who will oversee my foot issues. This person could then send out referrals to other specialty doctors. I was turned away by the first physician who stated my case was too complicated. The second agreed to meet for a consultation. That was on February 1. He was so shocked when I provided the history of the crush injury that he said I was the most complex case he's ever encountered. Fortunately, he agreed to take me as a client. This doctor serves as the medical liaison between my worker’s comp and me. First thing he did was to ensure that I have continuous access to pain medication. This has been a blessing. He next stated that I should never work again. He also ordered new xrays. He believes I have a condition in my right foot called Complex Regional Pain Syndrome or CRPS. This can occur as the result of a traumatic injury. He did diagnose osteopenia, which is a precursor to osteoporosis. Numerous doctors over the years have stated I already have osteoporosis but I never believed it because my feet should have had a few broken bones since the original injury but it’s never occurred.

In meeting with him last Wednesday, he sent out a referral to a pain clinic. His idea to reduce the amount of pain I have is for spinal injections in order to deaden the nerves that travel to my feet. There’s no timetable on how long a spinal injection would last. It could be a few days to a month. He also intends to order a bone scan from a medical imaging service. A bone scan is another method to diagnose CRPS as well as provide better detail if there’s actual issues with the bones in my right foot. In 2014, I had an MRI of the right foot but it did not reveal anything suspect.
My new doctor understands my reasoning for a foot amputation. He doesn’t want that to happen. I believe he is doing everything he can to keep the pain to a minimum and I respect him for that. While I’m for the spinal injections, I’m at the end of my rope. With 25 operations, my right foot has endured enough. The end of April will mark one year since last year’s foot reconstruction. I’m giving my foot until the end of October to improve. That’ll put the heal time at 1.5 years. If there hasn’t been improvement, then I will request the foot amputation.

I’ll provide an update after the spinal injection as it should occur within a month.

Thank you for the prayers,
Ed

[ccgr]

Will continue to pray, glad you have good doctors who are looking out for you.

[EchoDelta]

Hello.

It's been awhile and I have a few minor updates.

First and most important is I have postponed the amputation for my right foot. After nearly 1 year of constant pain, my right foot began showing signs of improvement in May. Right now, the pain is almost equal to my left foot. Last week I told my doctor that I've decided to not have it amputated due to these improvements. I did state that both feet could probably benefit from being amputated but I couldn't go through with it at this point.

My right foot has developed 2 new issues though. I'm sure I've written about it in the past that the big toe fused itself and has no movement. Last year, xrays confirmed it was severely arthritic. One of the procedures for that April 2016 reconstruction was to fuse it. About a week prior to the operation, I told my doctor not to fuse it because it had no pain and it didn't move anyways. Over the past 6 weeks, the toe's arthritis has shown itself now. It hurts to touch and when I walk, it spikes with pain. On the other end, the fifth toe has a new problem too. I've written about this pinky toe too where after last April's operation, it went completely numb and was paler than the rest of my toes. After 13 months now, it remains pale and only some feeling has returned. The tendon that attaches to it has begun to shrink rather quickly which has made the toe shift upwards. I first noticed this in early March but it was minor. Now it's more prominent and is even visible when wearing a shoe or sock. This was the main reason the 4th toe on my left foot was amputated. It had shifted so greatly that near its end, it sat on top of the fifth toe. My doctor said just say the word, and he will write a referral to have both toes examined by an orthopedic surgeon. I'll probably begin that in late August.

I did have an initial consultation with a doctor at the pain clinic who stated that spinal injections may not help but was willing to try. That was on May 9th. After numerous phone calls, I haven't heard anything since. No response from them. I've given up. My feet continue to have pain. Walking can still sideline me for the rest of the day. But not a day goes by where I don't do some form of exercise in an effort to improve them. I still have this intrinsic belief that there will always be some improvement to be made and it starts with being able to withstand the pain and do something about it.

Thank you for the support and prayers. I'll provide another update in August when I seek an orthopedic surgeon for my toes.
Blessings,
Ed