I am properly manufactured! - I have dodgy hip joints, high arches and hyper mobile joints. This has meant a lot of trips and falls during my life but surprisingly few bouts of real damage to my ankles. I tend to stand on the outside edges of my feet when relaxed. Creepy to look at but I don't notice.
Despite having the worse possible body for a runner I started running marathons and got a kick out of completing them - especially if there was a t-shirt involved. I always had sore hips and spent a lot of time visiting physios. I was convinced that my hips were not right because they'd feel like they were clicking out if I made a drastic change of direction but everyone would just pat my hand and tell me not to be silly.
In 2010 I was training for a marathon and I stepped off a curb and something went click. It was painful for a little while but I presumed that it would come right. It didn't and after a lot of to and fro and an CT scan it was confirmed that I had split my Perineus brevis and possibly longus. I was set to get it fixed but with one thing and another didn't. It actually seemed to improve somewhat with time or so I told myself.
In 2012 my hip was getting so sore compensating for my weird gait so I demanded an X-ray. The sports doc agreed and low and behold it was discovered that I had very shallow hip joints. I was already developing arthritis! So I had a total hip replacement and now it's like I'm Wonder Woman. No hip pain.
So I was behaving like a normal person until August last year. I was walking my dog and slipped on a rock into a hole. I felt the familiar pain in my ankle. I tried physio but after a couple of months and being made to balance on a wobble board I pulled the plug. I got a referral from my GP to the orthopedic clinic at my local hospital. It was a long wait!
When I was finally seen I had an X-ray that wasn't conclusive so I was sent for an MRI. Another appointment was made to discuss the results. There were split tendons looking messy and arthritic changes in the ankle bone. The next step was to have a steroid injection in the joint to see if that helped. No, it did not!
I had to wait six weeks after the jab to report back but finally the day rolled around. I was disappointed having to report the failure of the jab but the Orthopod was pleased. It showed it wasn't arthritis causing the pain it was the tendons most probably.
I was given two options. Have surgery to stitch the remains of one tendon (the brevis, I think) to the other or have my ankle fused and the tendon fixed. Since the pain wasn't likely to be caused by the changes in the ankle I thought it silly to reduce my range of movement unnecessarily, time enough for that later.
So I was put forward for surgery. I got a call on Monday this week to see if I could come in on Tuesday for my pre-op. Darn right I could. I saw an anaesthetist first and had a long discussion about anaesthesia since I have a problem with the muscles in my throat due to multiple sclerosis. I have had spinals in the past because of this so I was keen to go that route if possible. It basically came down to "We'll see" which I'll take as a no even though it's been consultants in the past who have said I shouldn't have a GA.
Next was the orthopedic consultant. I found out the date for my surgery there so that was useful. She once again made me stand up facing away from her and then had me stand on my right foot - instant wobbles. Once I'd sat down she said that when she feels the joint it feels stable but when I stand on it it obviously isn't and I lean laterally. She said she also wanted to do some work on my heel bone. Nothing major, just chop it in half, slide the outside edge over and whack in a couple of giant screws. She said it would just be keyhole surgery for that so it should be interesting. The other procedure won't be. She also asked me if my tight calves bothered me but you can't catch me that easily. I said no because I'm not keen on a tendon release right now.
The final person I saw was a medical officer who basically said you will have lots of pain and swelling for a really long time. Such a cheerful soul.
So that brings us to this point - me twiddling my fingers and waiting for the big day while surfing the inter webs for other fellow sufferers.
No comments:
Post a Comment