Saturday, April 6, 2019

FOOT RECONSTRUCTION update....AND THE SAME RATTY SNEAKERS.

On May 15th of 2017 I walked into a Surgeons office wearing these shoes
since I thought at 66 years old I really should be able to have a better shoe choice.....
I was about to have foot reconstruction surgery to correct a deformity
that happened over the course of about 6 years.....
Back at the old house I had two accidents within a 6 month period...
Our old Pyrenees Boo dragged me down my front porch at 3:00 in the morning when he heard a noise under the porch. I broke a toe on my right foot and within 6 months...
I fell on a slippery ice covered front lawn while taking same dog for a walk...

At the time no one knew the cause of why my foot was moving but after I was diagnosed with 
RSD....this fall and the broken toe was probably the cause of my foot
starting to move....
It did not come from the Club feet I was born with....

little by little I noticed my foot was curving.... the day of the surgery my big toe had become dislocated and my arch had ruptured....The Fam thought it was time I got my foot fixed...
Consulting with 5 different surgeons over the years I finally found the one doctor
who was different then all the rest...
If you have read the first blog post you might remember that he said to me the first time we met...
I asked him what happened to cause the deformity....???
He Said....
"I know how to fix it I am not a detective"
where all the other surgeons were going to fuse my big toe he was the one guy who didn't believe in that.... stating that once your toe no longer moves you will have many other things go wrong.
it seems that Big Toe is there for more then just putting nail polish on it.
It helps balance....it makes you walk normal and if it is immobile your back and
your hips will eventually act up....
So I chose Dr. #6........

I didn't care that he had zero bedside manner...I was having this in his surgery center as an out patient so He would be the guy to fix the wonky foot..... there would be no bedside encounters so who cared that he had a crappy personality....

On June 26th of 2017 I had the second portion of my foot repaired..He would be working on my toes.....I had been in a hard cast unable to walk at all from the first surgery. He tackled the rear of my foot first...he shaved off bone
he transferred a ligament from leg into arch and did work on my heel....
All this time I complained that my toes...which had not been touched yet.... were unable to move....not once or twice but Every Week I would go in to have the cast changed and every week I would bring this subject up...
To Deaf Ears....
I heard every excuse in the book....I had and still have a weird sensation under my toes..
It feels like someone glued them shut....He would always say...
"I have no idea what your trying to explain"...

He did not want to know what I was trying to explain...
Finally out of the casts and able to walk but still not able to wear normal shoes.....I was able to travel to NYC for the birth of Jack...I was about to have a grandson and I wouldn't have missed it if I had to crawl to NYC....
I did pretty well and was able to put on shoes for 2 hours during Jack's Bris....
My foot went crazy after that and swelled to twice it's size....
But I was able to walk....so all was good....I thought...

A month later in October of 17' I was actually able to host a Octoberfest Party for 30 people...
I did ALL the cooking and baking and it was a hit....I love to throw a good party....

Many more appointments to follow my foot was not getting any better but I was mobile.
Moving right along into 2018.... in April I was actually able to take Monty for a walk around the neighborhood....I was thrilled...I had gotten Monty the Pyrenees so I would have a reason to get up and out and get some exercise for both me and him....This lasted all of about 4 days....

My right knee started to get numb.... my foot by now can be safely called paralyzed....

No wiggling of toes...no motion at all....it looked and still looks frozen. Foot cramps and ice cold toes were not a good sign.....walking up stairs became a chore...my thigh were I was given a nerve block during surgery one was so painful that putting on clothes became a problem.
So what did I do since the surgeon is either an "Idiot Savant" and his only talent is straightening toes....or he just doesn't give a damn....I Googled my symptoms....
A Friend of mine once said....
"Im not a doctor I just play one on the internet"
I brought to his attention that my Femoral nerve in my leg might be injured...
 This was one year after the first surgery....

Mr. Personality suggests I might want to see a Neurologist to see what exactly was wrong with my 
Foot....He claims innocence.....He suggested I could have a bad back or perhaps Gout??
I see Neurologist #1.....a goof ball is the only way to describe him...
in all of about 3 minutes maybe a little shorter....he tells me I would have to wait a minimum of 
18 Months before expecting any improvement....There is a test they can do to find nerve damage but he claims it's too painful and he would never do such a thing...
I actually talked to myself out loud as I walked out of his office saying
"Well that was an hour out of my life I will never get back"....
I counted in driving time!!

I continue through the summer of 2018 no better off then the day of the first surgery...
In fact the foot and leg were getting worse....
Luckily even though I was putting all 165 pounds on one leg my good leg was doing just fine....
I never even thought to think of Medical Malpractice or the statute of limitations....
I wanted to know when my foot would get better....
In September of 18' at the referral of my BFF I called her Neurologist for an appointment....
Explaining that I was to the point that I could not walk more then a few feet and the 
paralyzed feeling had worked it way up my leg....

"We only give appointments to emergency cases"....
That was what I was told by office staff so I go ahead and make their first appointment for November 1st.
I decide the pain in my foot was getting so severe that I went in and had them take out the two screws that were put in my ankle...my foot had healed so it was okay to remove them...
BTW.....they gave me the screws as a souvenir and they looked like they came from the hardware department at Home Depot.....
I kept telling the Boss that one felt like it was going to pop through the skin at any moment...
He thought.... like I'm sure everyone else.... that I was embellishing the situation...
He was shocked when I came out of surgery to see what they took out...
I got an apology.....

On September 28th while waiting to see the Neurologist my good leg decides that it doesn't want to be left out of the fun so it decides to tear my meniscus and give me a cyst behind my knee....
Oh this is great because now both legs are like jello.....But not one to stay silent I go in to see
the Surgeon for a "where do we go now"......
I was still having hope that all of this would just go away....I was trying to be
Reasonable as everyone was saying it takes time....I did have over 100 stitches in my foot so I played along....
I...as most people would do...trusted this man...Surely he didn't know that something went wrong during the surgery...He is there to help people not hurt them....Or So I Thought....

As the days went on I started doing less and less......
Monty could not understand why he had not been on a walk since April....He looked sad...
My everyday gourmet meals went from filet mignon and lasagna to
Take out and sandwiches....
I used to spend my entire day in the kitchen....

The Surgeon....and I use that title loosely.....
Still wasn't saying a word...and then I slapped myself in the face and woke up to what was going on around me...I wondered why his entire medical staff both in the office and in the surgery center had all left.... apparently all at the sign time...
I'm as good as the FBI in finding out information....it was time to use my skills at finding out
what in the world was going on....
This was my typical 
"This could only happen to Sue" moment.... 

Watch out for post #2.....The Legal Disgrace.....and if your old....as in over 60..... your basically screwed....

8 comments:

Salmagundi said...

Hang in there, Sue --- there has to be a reason, a solution, and some peace.

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Only to Sue, but this is a tragedy my friend.

Barbara F. said...

I hope it can be fixed, Sue. But you might need to come up to the city and go to the Hospital for Joint Diseases or Special Surgeries or whatever it is called.

Peg said...

Feet, knees, shoulders....all falling apart in my old age. Hope you get help soon!

Penny from Enjoying The Simple Things said...

Yikes!!!

Cheri said...

I hope with all your FBI skills you are able to find out what the problem is (since the Dr is clueless) and be able to find a reputable Dr. To fix your foot/knee/leg, this is a crime. I can’t tell you enough how sorry I am that you are going through this, Sue. Even though I am the one always saying “This could only happen to Sue,” I am truly sorry this is happening to you. I hope you get some help real soon. Hugs my friend.

Chatty Crone said...

I am so sorry too. I would get ALL the notes from ALL the doctors and ALL the hospitals and go to a medical lawyer and see if they can tell anything from the records.
I am not sure what you mean and what all is going on, but my heart, my thoughts, and prayers are with you! Sandie

I started blogging back a couple of years ago - not much, but Andy is 18 now - check this out if you want:
https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=34486160#allposts

Veronica said...

Sue, I am so sorry to hear about the journey you have been on for the past couple of years. The medical profession can be a blessing but also can be a "curse" if the people that are suppose to be for OUR well being and took an oath to do so, no longer honor that oath, and it has just become a job. Just want you to know that you are in my prayers that you will find the root cause of your medical issues, and that you will find people in the medical field that really care about YOU and your health. Take care Psalms 31:24