OK, it's now December 2009 and a lot of things have happened. First and foremost, I had re-constructive surgery on my left foot. I am so grateful to be able to walk around on a flat foot again, because after walking on my toes for over 30 years, it feels really good and yet kind of amazing to be able to put one foot flat on the ground again.
This is what my foot looked like before the first surgery on August 4th. It probably took about 30 years for the bones to change so much. In order to prevent the hammer toes from curling up inside and digging into my shoe, a soft piece of sponge was put in between the big toe and pinky. I also had to wear custom-made shoes; the first pair I had for 10 years and the second pair I got in January 2007. When I finally realized that my feet were not going to hold up much longer, because I kept getting ulcerated calluses, I knew it was time to look into the foot surgery.
The first surgery which was done August 4, 2008, consisted of having four things done to it: the protruding bones on the bottom were cut and flattened, pins were put in the four hammer toes to straighten them, a bunion was removed next to my big toe and the big toe was fused. Of all the things that were done, having the big toe fixed in a permanent position so it would not move was definitely something I was not ready to deal with, because the walking boot and later custom made shoe I had to wear both had to have an indentation made so the big toe did not bear my weight.
The pins in my toes ranged in length from 6.5 inches to 4 inches. It was funny when Dr. Lee removed the pins, he first clipped off the little white pearls (for lack of a better word) at the ends of each one and then told me he was going to pull them out. I started getting nervous thinking it was going to really hurt so I laid my head back, closed my eyes, braced myself and then kept saying, Oh, no, oh no." several times. About ten seconds later, I looked up and told Dr. Lee I was ready for him to do the next one, but by that time he was finished pulling all of them out. I was really relieved that it didn't hurt near as much as I thought it would.On October 24, 2008, I had the second surgery, which was probably not as extensive as the first surgery, but it was definitely more painful and took longer to recover from it. Like I mentioned before, I spent many years walking on my toes, which in medical terms is called plantar fixed. My foot was pointing downward at -42° and it should have been flat to the ground at 90°. In order to fix the problem, an external fixator, also known as a halo, was put on my foot, with six wires going through the bones - two near my toes, two through my heel and two above the ankle. There was also two heavier bolts that went in my heel and in my shin to give the smaller wires more stability.
The day after the halo was put on, my surgeon came into my room and said that his biggest fear was that as the struts were turned to gradually bring the foot back to a 90° angle, the two wires that went through the heel would rip through it, because the bone was so porous after not walking on it for such a long time. That was not exactly something I wanted to hear right at that moment, but at least I was pretty doped up so my anxiety level was not as intense as what it could have been.
During the 73 days that I wore the halo, I was non-weight bearing so I had to be confined to my bed or use a wheelchair. I also took Spirit Medical Transport, a private ambulance service, to doctors appointments, because getting in and out of a car was not going to happen.
On January 5, 2009, the halo was removed and I was so happy to be rid of the contraption. On one hand, it completely changed my life for the better, but it was difficult. The hardest part was the two weeks that the struts had to be turned. The movements were done in millimeter increments, but I could definitely feel the strain that it was putting on my heel. Even my brothers and a friend/aide who helped turn them, said they could feel the torque that it took to turn the two back on the heel.
The best part about wearing the halo is that I'm no longer a ballerina on my left foot, but I can walk flat-footed!!! I never realized how incredible it feels to be able to actually feel my heel with every step that I take. Before having the surgery, I had to deal with a lot of foot pain; everything from a bunion which had a callus on it, ulcerated calluses on the bottom of my foot that had to be removed every few weeks and trying to walk on an ankle that was turned inward, made me very cautious that it would not hold up much longer.
It has been almost a year ago since I had the halo removed and I can say without a doubt that I'm so glad I did it. My surgeons, Dr. Thomas Lee and Dr. William DeCarbo, both in Columbus, Ohio at Orthopedic Foot and Ankle were the absolute best. I was so incredibly lucky to have such caring, professional and talented surgeons to help me get through a very difficult time in my life. I have to admit that I was concerned and worried after having the halo removed, because I was still in a lot of pain, but I have to give Dr. DeCarbo a lot of credit for being so patient and understanding with me, because he knew it would just take time. Sure enough he was right and I'm doing 110% better than I ever imagined.
My next step, (yes that was a pun) is to have the right foot done just like I had the left one. I'm hoping to get things rolling by early April 2010, so I'll be flat-footed on both sides by the end of the year.
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