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[RedwoodsMama]

RWM - I've added a warning to the title for the more sensitive and faint-hearted amongst us.

Thought I would give it a cute title , sounds better than a fractured toe and it's journey into surgery...Oh well. My story begins with the latest injury which was on the night of Dec. 14th after feeding stray cats late at night. I fell down some steep steps and knew I had hurt my foot. The fact it is fused with a titanium metal plate and five screws means it has very little leeway. The surgeon said, "something had to give" and it was my toe. The Xrays the next day revealed a severely dislocated and severe fracture of the big toe. I was able to get the big toe and it's dislocation "reduced" or put back into postion, but the fracture never healed.

 So eight months later, after the complications of a fractured wrist and carpal tunnel surgery as well.( A month later I fell and fractured my wrist in two places quite severely, )my foot surgeon said come back and we will take care of your foot. So I went back a couple of weeks ago and yesterday, July 23'rd was my surgery for my foot. The dr. fixed my fractured big toe decideing to do  a interphalangeal fusion and bunionectomy as well as a bunionectomy of the fifth toe and hammertoe surgery on it as well.

              I would have thought the big toe would have hurt the most, but it was the little toe that caused me agony in the recovery room requiring multiple doses of methadone that did not take away the pain, ( after 5 2 mg doses of  morphine ,they called the anesthesiologist back in.) The anesthesiologist was an angel and gave me a ankle foot block and even though the needles hurt like hell that she injected the numbing medicine in with, it took the edge off of the pain so I was able to go home. The bandages hurt so much, felt so tight when I was going to bed, that I had to loosen them so I could sleep. This is when I took the photos as I had the chance to see my surgeon's handiwork.            I could only say my foot looks like it belongs to Frankenstein, but all surgery is going to look ugly. I counted ten stitches on the front of my big toe and four to five on the top where they inserted a screw. Then to my surprise I looked at my little toe to see there were another 14-15 stitches, all on a little toe! This is the digit that caused the most pain, but it makes sense because I am sure they cut more bone and being little it is going to hurt more. So here is a look at the photos starting from a couple in Dec. 2012 when I first fractured it, so you can see how swollen it is ,and it just never healed. Usually in 6-8 weeks a fracture heals. IN my case, it is 8 months later and it did not............................................................So no pleo pics and not my cats, but my foot. So now I have my pain pills and have to wear this stupid boot 24 hrs a day, even in bed, but that won't be forever I hope.

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 RWM  

[Crewella]

OUCH!  Hope it works and you feel better soon, RWM. 

[kat]

Looks very sore RWM.  I hope it feels better soon and heals properly for you this time.   

[RedwoodsMama]

 Very painful last night, three times I could not sleep, iced, iced, and elevated, but you can only take so much Percocet.( Pain meds) NOw My husband wonders why I am not sleeping in the bedroom and on the couch instead. He needs his sleep, and when someone is moaning and groaning, it is hard for the other person to sleep. Anyway, today is another day and hopefully better.

           I apologize for not putting, the warning, graphic images, I am so used to so many injuries and such that I did not think of squeamish images, so thank you to Kat or IMR for putting the warning up there, I do apologize. Documenting my surgeries and injuries helps the time go by and just like documenting when I buy a pleo on some place like ebay, it helps any issues that come up later.

                              I go back to the dr.s on Monday the 29th and will find out what happens next, I hate this boot, but I hate the tight bandages even more but I know they have a purpose. Take care everyone. 

                          RWM

[Talon]

Wow, Redwoods! I guess I can say I'm glad I can't see your foot but I'm really feeling for you having to go through all this. I hope you can finally start healing properly this time and that you'll be able to resume a normal life before long.
Talon

[InmemoryofRomeo]

It was Crewella and Kat, it's not that we don't want you to be able to talk about it RWM, it's just that we are a family friendly site and young people visit these forums too.

[RedwoodsMama]

 I understand and do apologize, I just was not thinking, I am so used to so much surgery and injuries lately, kind of desensitized me. Once again, sorry for the photos, should have put a warning.Anyway, now I have a very sick little kitten to deal with...         RWM

[Junkroxy]

Hope the best for you RWM 

[kat]

It's OK RWM, we all know how much it helps to share and talk about these things with our friends   Maybe the best way to share these photos for next time (Not that we want you to be injured again)  would be to post them on an external site like photo bucket and then link them in here just to your post.  That way a warning on the post title would probably be enough. 
I am hoping your foot is feeling better and not so painful for you as time goes by.  I really want to hear about how well it is healing and I am sending lots of loveing thoughts your way.  Sending some love for your little kitten too.  sounds like you all could do with a few hugs.     

[RedwoodsMama]

 Thanks guys no pictures this time till almost healed. STill swollen and very painful. first post op apt this afternoon and got the details of my operation. I found out the dr. did not take the plate and screws out or he would have had to make a longer incision, ( I already have ten in the front of the big toe and four to five on top of big toe, so that would have been another six probably.) My little toe side of fifth metatarsal hurts the most and kills me with this boot on, I found out because it was such a painful toe that he had to cut quite a bit of bone thus more pain.

          The big toe is doing better cause there is so much nerve damage that I can't feel as much pain which is good and bad, good less pain , bad more damage and bad for the foot. Also cause the dr. could basically not move my toe at all, I will have a big toe that no longer touches the ground., and makes it difficult to find or wear shoes, except certain ones. My little toe is really bad, but I go back in one more week and get the stitches out. When I first walked in the guy said the dr. was going to put my foot in a cast, but he changed his mind. He said in another couple of weeks it should not hurt so much and about four to five more weeks of wearing this boot.

                     That is all the news for now, Waiting for my operation report to see what it says.There are allways things that you do not know until you read them..................               RWM

[Crewella]

Good luck with the report. 

[RedwoodsMama]

 Just got my Xray fluoroscope images and medical report. This is why I allways get my own medical records. Besides the fact that my surgery started at 12:15 and was scheduled for an hour an a half, I was still in surgery according to xray images, ( has date stamp) at 2;00 p.m, . so this means my surgery was more like 2 hrs, slightly over. The big thing though and my dr. did not say a single word to me on the 29th when I saw him, was one that I was supposed to go into a cast but he changed his mind, but there is a PATHOLOGY REPORT The reason I really have such a long line of stitches on my little toe, (2  1/2 inches long) is not just because a lot of bone was cut away as well as tissue and tendons, but there was a MASS in my foot, little toe area. A 7 cm, ( almost 3 inches) "mass" of tissue was sent to pathology because it did not belong there. It contained different things including degenerative cysts, but is not malignant. My dr. never said a word about any tissue being sent to a lab. no wonder my foot is so sore and hurts so much, they cut something they did not plan on and tell me about. I am glad it is not malignant, but this is why I get my records. These are things dr. figure, if you do not know, no worry, If it had been malignant, then of course they would have had to tell me..


              Next week should be able to get my foot washed and sutures out, all 25 of them, My husband says, "I have zippers" on my toes. LOL.              RWM

[Talon]

That's kind of scary. I wouldn't be too happy if my doctor removed something and didn't have the consideration to tell me about it. I'd be wondering whether or not to keep using him.
Talon

[RedwoodsMama]

Hi Talon, nice to hear from you. I know dr.s do not allways tell you everything and with something as important as your health, you have to be PROACTIVE or hope you are lucky.I began more than 30 years ago and am glad I did. If it were not for my own records, there would have been some costly mistakes in my medical care.

  I have found many errors in my medical records, everything from the wrong dates of procedures, to my birthday being listed in March instead of May, to saying I had an ankle surgery when it was a fractured foot. Some records say I had back surgery when I never have! Then there are the things dr.s just do not tell you...perhaps they do not want to worry you or family members, but I think you are entitled to know about what goes on when it is your body and often your life at stake!

I have some pretty dramatic medical records over the years and one of the scariest was a few years ago when I went into the hospital for a "routine" hysterectomy that had really bad complications. I was at the hospital at 6:00 a.m ,dropped off by my hubby, who went back home as he hates hospitals. Shortly after7:00 a.m. I was given a prophylactic antibiotic injection, into the IV bag before I went into surgery which was set for 8:00 a.m. Well within 20 seconds or so of that injection...things changed...... :(I got an itching feeling in the palms of my hands, then it progresses to  :oburning pain and pain in my chest and palpatations where I could not breathe. I rang the bedside buzzer for the nurse.

            I had a reaction to the antibiotic and was in antaphylactic shock!They rushed me down to the E.R, (about 7:30 a'.m) and began working on me. I was a red all over with grey fingers and toes and around my lips. I was restrained at my wrists and ankles cause I was trying to get off the gurney.(pain of course and panic when you can not breathe) I was also in tachacardia (excellerated heart rhythem and other abnormalities) and just in critical condition . I do not remember everything which is a blessing, but I do remember I kept asking them to please call my husband! Did they? NO! Not a single person anywhere in a big hospital took the time to call my husband...not a word. My hubby is very good at knowing and sensing when things are not right.. He told me later he went back to bed and had a dream about me, and woke up with the impression he needed to see how I was. Can you imagine the shock when he went to where I nwas supposed to be, and them telling him I was down in the emergency room?

  The dr. took my husband out into the hallway to tell him what was going on and my condition..My husband told me (and the medical records say the same thing) he did not know if I would "survive" I was also in what they call POTS OR MULTIPLE ORGAN SHUTDOWN OR FAILURE. My kidneys had already shut down and even with the IV and all the fluids the were pushing into my body, I was producing no urine at all. I was also hypotensive and suffering from hypokalcemia which affects the heart as well. At my worst my blood pressure was so low it was 54/29 and the dr. was there at my bedside pumping things into my heart to try and regulate it.After they were able to somewhat stabilize me I went to ICU and things within the next 36 hrs stabilized and here I am...all because of a reaction to an antibiotic my body no longer recognized as one I had taken years ago..

         To sum it up, I have a 2 inch thick pile of medical records of this one event with everything documented that happened to me from the time of checking in for surgery, the er report, the medical consultation from two dr.s, all the numerous blood tests taken over and over again, ultrasound tests of my stomach, my heart, kidneys, a brain scan, numerous EKGs, etc, etc.If I had not asked for my medical records, there is very little of this I would know or remember. When you are that sick or close to dying, you are not aware of a lot that is going on, which can be a blessing!But those medical records also help in my future care and the EKGS for example .have given a cardiologist I saw as well as my family dr. good information.
  Sorry if this got longer than intended, but I am very passionate about being proactive with medical care. as for my foot history, I have had so much done to my feet, my right foot in particular, that it is about as good as it will ever get short of being bionic. It in never going to be normal and the best I can hope for is to keep it as pain free as possible. I live in a small town and have seen all the foot dr. available, short of leaving the area. The dr. who did this surgery has now treated me for fractures, dislocations, failed bunionectomies from another dr.,a joint salvage which failed, the removal of both sesmoids, a fusion of my big toe and then this current surgery.He is very polite, courteous, listens well, takes his time and has allways answered all my questions. I just think this was something unexpected and he either did not want to worry me or forgot about the fact he removed "a mass" from my foot. I would get another dr. if I felt I needed to but at this point the best I can do is make sure I have my own records so I know of my own care.

  I think it is more common than we would like to admit: dr.s not telling their pt.s everything involved in their care. My right wrist which was fractured this January is a good example. I never had the proper pain sedation you should have before a dr. sets or reduces a fracture. I screamed my head off in the emergency room it hurt so bad when my bones were being reset....Then the pain I felt for all those weeks in a cast told me something was not right. Of course I was right, the ulnar bone slipped or shifted while in the cast, and after removing the cast it is vewry easy to see I now have not just a deformity, a wrist that does not function the way it should, it is a lot weaker and is stll painful. On my last dr. visit, my dr, came out fir the first time and admitted that the bones had shifted and did not set right.. %)All he could advise was to give it another 4 months or so and if still in pain, then we could set up surgery, all this for a fracture now almost 7 months old!  I am going to get a second opinion another dr. to see what they say. Also the medical insurance or coverage has a lot to deal with how you are treated..

Thanks for letting me vent..now I feel better about how I feel. ( about healthcare)  RWM

[kat]

It seems you have had some bad luck with health care and some dodgy doctors in your time.  I'm so glad our health system over here is so good.  Just goes to show that if ever you are in doubt about anything it is always best to get a second opinion.  Hope everything is healing well for you and there are no further complications with your foot.   

[Angela]

Get well soon RWM. What a scary stories (and pics ).

I'm so glad our health system over here is so good.

I'm so glad our health system over here is so good as well.

Also the medical insurance or coverage has a lot to deal with how you are treated..

Outrageous 

[Lunamione7]

 
That was a scary story about the antibiotics, I am allergic to them as well and I have often tried to ask my doctor seriously what would happen if I had to have them and they all brush me off with "Well you will just HAVE to take them won't you". 

I had several types of antibiotics given to me when I was a baby and ended up on life support, it frightens me that my doctors do not seem to take this fact seriously... what if one day I'm not awake to stop them injecting me with an antibiotic and they leave the room and I die!

I had an MRI when I was in highschool and they found a cyst in my brain.... did not tell me. I only found out about it four years later when I had another MRI in a different state and the neurologist said that the cyst had grown a bit since last time, I said the WHAT grew since last time?! I now have it looked at every six months.

It really is amazing the stuff they don't bother to tell you

I think you are really brave RWM, all the horrible stuff that has happened to you yet you just keep on going. Very brave

[Will Smart]

Ouch - you must be tough... 

Hang in there.

[RedwoodsMama]

 Thanks everyone, I do appreciate your thoughts and comments, quick update, Wednesday, the 7th, I had two dr. appts. The first one was for my post op foot appt. It was the second apt and to get my 25 stitches out. I figured it should take about 10 minutes to take them out, not a big procedure, WAs I wrong! I was in there 45 minutes and the dr. assistant spent 30 minutes just on the little toe, could not get the top two out as the skin had grown over the stitch already. He then went to my big toe and spent another ten and got all but one out. So he went to get the dr. who then worked on them. The dr. came in and took a look and got his knife out and began shredding skin growing over the two top stitches till he could pick them out they bled a bit so he put some solution on them and a butterfly bandaid,

             Then he put his attention on the big toe and got the last stitch out with not much trouble, He said probably another four weeks in the boot and my foot should not give me too much more trouble but the pain was because of all the procedures and bone cut. What worries me is this; He said when I come back in two weeks "we may get a X ray of your foot" He has never done that with the last three procedures, I was going to be put into a cast originally until he changed his mind when in the operating room, I took a good look at my foot while in the bath for the first time this morning and it is a bit alarming,

          In 2007 when another dr. did a bunionectomy on this foot, he overcorrected, making the big toe point away from the other toes, so it actually pointed towards the other foot. This is called, Hallux Varus and is an uncommon complication but does occur when a dr. overcorrects. This is why I have the dr. I have now, cause the original dr. overcorrected and I got a second opinoion. The dr. I have now could not fix it with what is called a Joint salvage, so he had to do a second operation called a fusion of the big toe where I have a titanium plate and five screws, This was fine till I fell down stairs late at night right before Christmas and both severely fractured and dislocated the big toe. So the operation I had July 23rd was to fix this fractured toe that never healed and also my little toe which is both a tailor's bunon and a Hammertoe. Very painful.

           To shorten the matter of what I am saying I think my big toe when being fixed this time was stretched too far, ( the tendons and joints) The toe was stretched too much and normally the sesmoids help hold the big toe in proper postion but both my sesmoids were taken out in an operation because of degeneration and pain, so now I have no sesmoids. Thus I am pretty sure I have Hallux VArus AGAIN which will mean more surgery, I don't know what else the dr. can do, I already have my whole big toe fused with a plate and pins , there is not much left you can do, but there is so much damage, I think this is why I should have been put in a cast so the foot would stay in postion.  I hope I am wrong, but there is not reason to have an xray otherwise, unless something does not look right. Also my toe is not straight, so something is going on. Guess I just have to wait another couple of weeks to find out what is next. 

                 I really wish there were bionic feet and joints cause my feet are worthless and just in constant pain, Anyway, I am posting a thank you and perhaps some good positive thoughts will help me keep my foot from more surgery..................otherswise I am headed for a cast and who knows what else............................RWM