Bones fully healed!!!

Today I had my 24 week surgical follow up and my surgeon's exact words were:

"The bones in your foot are completely healed and fused together, exactly like they should be."

x-ray showing complete healing 24 weeks after lisfranc surgery

All of my fractures are healed, my joints are aligned and my lisfranc joint is fused.  I couldn't be happier with my healing and progress!!!

lisfranc healing 24 weeks after surgery

He went on to review with me my x-rays from before my surgery, at my 2 week check, 6 week check, 12 week check and today's 24 week check. 

Lisfranc injury before surgery

lisfranc joint completely healed 24 weeks after surgery

My surgeon noted that my foot still has some slight swelling and discoloration and I filled him in on my continued pain when walking, especially when I try to walk fast.  I also told him I was unable to run, jog or jump and he said that was normal at this stage, and realistically it would take another 6 months to fully and completely recover. 

He also said that if I was an athlete it was time to have the discussion about hardware removal, and I laughed and told him my goal has always been to walk down our steep driveway and get the mail, and I can do that now!   He smiled, and continued to say that a lot of women want the hardware removed in order to be able to wear cute shoes again.  Of course that got my attention, especially after wearing neon green and pink sneakers for the last couple of months! 

I showed him the top of my foot and traced the area with my finger where I thought the hardware was and he affirmed that it was indeed the plates I was feeling under my skin.  I also asked if hardware removal would help with the itching in that same area and he said it definitely would stop the irritation.  Removing the plates and screws may even help with the cramping I have been getting in the arch of my foot.  (Although the cramping most likely is related to my muscles re-building.)

Removing the plates and screws is a simple procedure, and the incision would be along the same line as my lisfranc incision.  I would be full weight bearing right after the surgery with stitches removed at 2 weeks and full recovery at 3 weeks.  So, I decided to have my plates and screws removed and scheduled surgery for Jan 8th 2014.  (Hardware removal should be done within 1 year of original surgery.)

I am not at all discouraged, though, since I know my bones are healed, my muscles are continuing to develop properly  and my lisfranc recovery journey is on the right path.

My lisfranc surgery day

My husband and I arrived early as we had heard my surgeon is typically way ahead of schedule.  The dear friend who helped us get an appointment with my surgeon had left a gift bag for me with my nurse.  So I already felt spoiled and loved.

I was taken back to a room and changed into a heated gown and was told to lie on the bed which had heated blankets. I felt like I was at a spa!  My nurse was fabulous.  She came in and told me she would be my best friend.  I told her I was concerned about how painful the surgery was going to be and she told me not to worry since she came packing.  She asked me what my favorite cocktail was and I told her a Belvedere martini straight up, a twist a couple of olives and extra dirty.  And she said ‘coming right up!”  And not only could I have 1 martinis she would give me 2.  I said I can only drink one and she said in this room, I could have 2.

The anesthesiologist  came in the room to discuss what he was going to do.  He had me write on the foot that was going to be operated on and I drew a smiley face.  I told him my surgeon said I could watch the surgery and he laughed and said, it wasn’t like having a baby where they have mirrors on the ceilings and that if I were to watch all I would be able to see was my surgeons head. He then told me I couldn’t watch anyway since I was going to be put under general anesthesia. Suddenly my wonderful nurse who was putting  a needle in my hand for my IV ran round to the right side of the bed and asked me to hold her hand and squeeze.  As I did and I felt the worst pain (level 9) since this whole thing started.

 My anesthesiologist was finding the nerves in my foot so that he could do a nerve block.  I didn’t cry out, but I did tell him he was mean (must of been the 2 martinis talking) and he said that I would be very happy with him after the surgery was over.  Nerve blocks can last up to 24 hours and really help with immediate pain following this type of surgery.  (I am so glad I had one!!!)

After Dr. Jekel was done with me, my surgeon came in the room and drew on my foot and assured me that all was well. Since my surgeon had already done 2 operations before me (and it was only 7:00am!) I offered to buy him a cup of coffee to make sure he was alert.  (again the martinis were talking) and he laughed.  I hate to think what else I might have said that I don’t remember!!!

Next I was wheeled down to the frigid operating room.  I reluctantly left my heated bed as I was asked to transfer myself to the skinny cold operating table.  I remember looking up at the white light fixture that looked like a giant spider with 8 legs.  As my arms were being strapped down I said to no one in general, that I was claustrophobic.  I told my nurse that I felt like I had been abducted by aliens and that they were going to do experiments on me.

When I woke up from surgery I was shown this picture of the operation:

lisfranc diagnosis

I often wish my lisfranc story was more exciting.  Wouldn’t it be more fun to tell people I sustained my lisfranc injury while skydiving in Brazil or snowboarding in Aspen?  But my story is much less dramatic. I was celebrating the grand opening of a new restaurant with friends and we were on our way out when we saw some of my son’s friends sitting in the bar.  I went over to collect my hugs and turned to leave, and missed the step down, falling off my 3 inch heels.  I was mortified and tried to stand up right away, but my right foot was so unstable that I fell again. (I was hoping none of my sons friends were taking a video and that I would end up on youtube the next day. )I took off my shoes, thinking the heels were the stability problem and my husband helped me hobble painfully to the car.  I remember thinking how weird my right foot felt when I tried to walk on it.  My foot felt wobbly and I didn’t trust it to hold my weight.

I was in a lot of pain that night and in the morning my husband took me to urgent care.  The doctor took an x-ray (non weight bearing) and said I had not broken  anything and that it was a bad sprain.  I asked how to take care of it and he said Advil and elevation and rest.  I asked for some crutches since I couldn’t walk on that foot and it was too painful to put any weight on it at all.  I wish I had taken pictures, but I had the classic bruising of a lisfranc injury where even the bottom of my foot was severely bruised.

The Urgent care discharge instructions said that if I wasn’t better in 10 days, to seek help.  I waited the 10 days, and not only did my foot not get better, the pain and bruising got even worse.  So I sought out my Podiatrist who had helped me in the past with Plantar fasciitis.   I brought a copy of my x-ray from urgent care and he agreed that it was not broken.  He put me in a walking cast, the kind that goes up to your knee and said to use that and crutches and informed me that bad sprains take time to heal.

I waited another 10 days and still, my foot was not better.  The bruising was still there and my pain was hovering at about a level 4.  I decided to seek a 3rd opinion from one of the top orthopedic clinics in Mpls.  The doctor who had time to see me was a surgical podiatrist.  He looked at my x-ray and said he wanted to take one of his own as he suspected a lisfranc injury.  This was the first time I heard the word lisfranc.  I was brought into his x-ray room, where the technician had me stand on my injured foot for the x-ray.  My new doctor than gave me the tragic news.  We viewed the new x-ray together which showed a large separation between my first two metatarsals.  He asked how the x-ray was taken at urgent care and I told him laying down.  Lisfranc injuries are often missed because a weight bearing x-ray is the only way to see a lisfranc injury. 

 My new doctor then told me I was a few days outside of the optimum surgery window for a favorable outcome and that he would still be willing to do the surgery but it had to be done immediately on an emergency basis.  If I didn’t have the surgery, I may never walk again and would have pain the rest of my life.  I felt tears leaking from my eyes as he delivered this news.  He went on to say that he would come in on Good Friday (2 days away) and do the surgery for me.  That is how strongly he felt I needed immediate attention. He went on to tell me he would be putting plates and screws in my foot and would make up to 3 incisions and as he was talking, his voice started to fade in my mind.  I was having a hard time accepting what he was saying. Next he explained that I would have to be non weight bearing and in a cast for 3 months, I felt my life completely collapse.  I told him my husband and I were going to Israel with our church group and he said I had to cancel the trip.  The trip we had looked forward to, planned for was gone!  

The next few hours were a blur.  I was seen by another physician in his group for my pre-op physical, I was given instructions for surgery prep.  I was scheduled for my surgery plus 3 more post surgery follow up doctor appointments.  I was given a packet on what to expect after surgery.  A knee scooter was put on order for me and then an appointment was set up for me for a CT scan. 

I walked to the parking lot and sat in my car and cried.  I couldn’t believe this was happening to me!  I wondered how I would ever tell my husband, not only about the surgery and the after care that it would involve, but that we had to cancel our trip to Israel.  After I calmed myself down, I decided to drive to my husband’s office and tell him in person.  He met me in the parking lot and I broke the news to him while sitting in my car.  He was astonished, disappointed but was glad I had something that was fixable.  It really bothered him, though, that this all was on such short notice.  We both knew that for a major surgery we really should be seeking a 2nd opinion, but I was told I didn’t have time.  Not if I wanted to walk again.

My husband decided he was going to find a 2nd opinion and find it fast.  We both knew that would be a long shot since all the top surgeons are booked weeks in advanced.  Well, he called his primary care physician and asked who the top foot specialist in the Twin Cities was and was told the name of a doctor who works out of Twin Cities Orthopedics and that this surgeon was a “doctor’s doctor.”  AND he took care of the Minnesota Vikings players feet.  Well my husband left 3 messages with the surgeon’s assistant that he wanted the surgeon just to take a look at my x-ray and tell us if it really was a lisfranc midfoot fracture and if emergency surgery was indicated.  We didn’t hear back from her, so my husband decided to hand deliver the x-ray to this surgeon.  Meanwhile, a dear friend of ours, who co-owns the building Twin Cities Orthopedics offices in, called in a huge favor and had one of the owners of Twin Cities Orthopedics call the surgeon and asked him to take a look at my x-ray.

The next thing I knew, the surgeon called me on my cell.  He said that after looking at the x-ray, he didn’t think lisfranc surgery was indicated.  I was stunned!  I told him what the first doctor had said and that I was scheduled for surgery in the morning and he said that it was not true that this was an emergency and that I would not walk properly again if I didn’t have surgery right away.  I asked him if he would like to see my CT scan and he said yes and could I bring it to him right away.  

When I arrived at Twin Cities Orthopedics, I felt like a celebrity.  There were sticky notes with my name on them saying not to let me leave before seeing the surgeon.  I was ushered into a room and waited.  Shortly afterward the surgeon walked in smiling and commented that I had friends in high places.  I liked him immediately and felt calm settle over me.  His aura was one of quiet confidence.  He pulled up my CT scan and showed me various pictures of my foot.  He said with this new information he would have to reverse his opinion and that I did indeed have a lisfranc mid foot fracture with ligature rupture and joint displacement.  Surgery, however, was not an emergency, but rather a choice.  

I explained to him about our trip to Israel and how disappointed I was to have to cancel but that walking properly again was more important to me. I asked him if he was taking new patients.  He said “apparently I am.” and smiled. He asked me to cancel my surgery with the other surgeon and told me to go ahead and go to Israel.  I was stunned!  He said his surgery schedule was 6 weeks out anyway, so he would put me in a walking boot and if I wanted to go, I could. I had to promise him that I would “listen to my foot” and not push myself if it hurt.   He promised me that he would be able to fix my foot and that I would be able to walk again. I felt tears of happiness slipping down my cheeks as he delivered this news. He also said that after surgery I would be in a splint/cast for 2 weeks and then a walking boot for 4 more. (for protection.)  I would be non weight bearing for 6 weeks followed by re-hab.  I was thrilled that he had a much more aggressive healing plan! 

So my husband loaded up with Advil, instant ice and my walking boot and and I headed to Israel for a life changing marriage changing experience.

When I returned I had an appointment with my new surgeon who took another x-ray and confirmed that I still needed to have the surgery.  This time, I knew I had the right surgeon operating on me.