Saturday, May 17, 2014

8 months post surgery

There is still a bit of morning stiffness, but I find if I do 10 ankle circles in each direction before getting out of bed, the stiffness disappears. My right foot hurts a bit, especially after a long walk, but not with the blinding intensity it used to and not in the same place. It hurts more around the arch of my foot, which, come to think of it, makes sense, because those muscles are not used to being in that position.


My left side, the side I had done in September, aches at the ankle, knee and hip, most likely because of my new alignment. A couple of ibuprofen takes care of it. I figure once the muscles have adapted, the pain will eventually disappear.


If the shoes I wear are too tight, my feet hurt a bit more - and I get the numb feeling I used to get. But I think that this is a separate though related problem of nerve compression that developed over the many decades that I walked, ran (I used to be a regular jogger) and did high impact aerobics (I was an instructor) on talotarsal dislocated ankles. Ouch. The numbness is nothing like I had before, but if there was permanent damage, the stent is not going to fix that. In any case, it is very minor and not at all painful. Just strange to have your foot fall asleep while you are walking on it!


I was told that total healing takes one year so I am looking forward to the anniversary of both surgeries. But, to be honest, even if this is the best I ever get, it is so enormously better than it was at this time last year, when I had to take time off work because I could not face walking from my car to the office, that I will still be extremely grateful to have the stents implanted. The surgeries changed my life.


I encourage those of you who have a had this surgery to post here and those of you who are considering the procedure to post your questions. I have absolutely no affiliation with any doctors or with the Hyprocure people. My views are entirely my own.


I will try to check in more often and answer questions in a more timely manner.  Until then - keep well!

31 comments:

  1. I had both Plantar and Hyprocure done on my left foot back in October 2014. I am 8 months out and quite frankly I feel worse that I did before the surgery. My foot is still swollen, not as much as immediate post op, but still. I have numbness on top and side of foot and near the implant. My neuropathy is minor now but leg pain and foot pain persist. My surgeon suggested I visit a neurologist and said he felt my problem was possibly related to anesthesia received. The doctor elected to give me a lower leg block injection. Well I finally was sent by my primary physician to get EMG test two weeks ago. The results indicated problems with two nerves with one not recordable. My primary doctor wants me to see another Podiatrist. needless to say I am at a loss.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hiw are you doing now? I'm 8 days post op & am also having issues.

      Delete
    2. Ulysses, any progress? I had surgery on my left foot 4 months ago and also feel worse than before. I see no improvement in the pronation and my knee is in constant pain...has not adjusted well.

      Delete
    3. I'm sorry to hear that. I'm waiting a few more months & will start the process of getting them taken out. I'm worse than I was before all this began & I had them redone a second time with smaller stents. Total waste of my money.

      Delete
  2. When you say you had "plantar" done on your left foot, what do you mean? What an awful experience you had. Had your doctor done many Hyprocure procedures before yours? I had a bit of local anesthetic, that's all that was required. The incision site on the most recent side is a bit tingly when I press on it, but overall, my improvement has been nothing short of brilliant. I am so sorry that you have had such a negative experience.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Did you have any post op pain when you tried to put pressure on your foot? I get a sharp stabbing pain on the outside of my foot whenever it try to put pressure on it.

      Delete
    2. Barb, at 8 days post- op I was still in my aircast "boot" and I felt only minor discomfort as I walked around. If I walked more than 30 minutes, then the discomfort turned into pain. I had no sharp stabbing pain. I think you should tell your doctor about it.

      Delete
  3. Hi Joanne, how is it going? If you could let me know how your recovery has been that would be great. My email is erinsibley31@gmail.com.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hello,

    I wanted your opinion on this surgery for my 6 year old. My son has a severe case of over pronation in both feet. HyproCure was suggested as a possible solution. He cannot walk for long and cannot run at all. He also complains about his knees hurting. I was told this surgery would improve his quality of life and allow him to have proper gait and no longer have the everyday pain from walking. I am concerned about the level of pain he will be in and whether or not this surgery will actually work. I do not want to put my baby through surgery unnecessarily. I worry if the pain from the surgery is too much for a 6 year old to bear. My main concern is his health. I know from experience the lifelong pain flat feet can cause. I have chronic back pain and I cannot imagine my son dealing with it. Sure kids heal quicker and they say it's better to correct things at a younger age, but I am just a bit scared. Any advice?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Bivilyn,
      My Podiatrist did a young child 2 weeks before me & he was walking within 2 weeks. Young kids heal so much quicker. I had mine done in August & am still healing but I'm walking & don't regret it for a second. It's so freeing not having orthotics after 20 years of wearing them. I'm having my second foot done in December.

      Delete
  5. In my experience, there was no pain during the surgery at all and very little afterwards. I would think that a six year old could handle it.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I am 30 years old, and got the Hyprocure on my left foot 2 and a half months ago. It has been a nightmare so far. Even with pain medication (ibuprofen and others), I am pain any time that I am not sitting. I cannot walk without the use of a cane. I got it to alleviate my lower back pain, and I have been cursing myself ever since. I will never get another elective surgery as long as I live.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, can you send me an email because I'd like to talk with you about your Hyprocure surgery. I've had both feet done. My email address is barb_haines@yahoo.ca
      I replyed. to this message last night but I don't think you got out. Thanks.
      Barb

      Delete
  7. I want to get this treatement for my left leg..what should I do??
    I live in India and it is not available in India
    Can some one give me details of good doctors??
    I trie on official site to find the doctors but nothing helped me out

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. Hi, you can join this group on the FB and ask the question. There is one person from India and did procedure in Dubai. You can ask him for advice.
      https://www.facebook.com/groups/189178244315/

      I have done procedure exactly 3 month ago and I am doing fine, except for the pain in the morning before activity and if I walk on uneven ground. I hope that in few month pain will stop.

      Delete
  8. Hi, you mentioned that you used to run. Are you able to run post-surgery?

    ReplyDelete
  9. No - too hard on my other joints. But I can sure walk a lot more than i did before!

    ReplyDelete
  10. Any updates, JoAnne? I would like to know how it is going for you and it is a year now since your last post...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This month marks the second anniversary of my surgery and I could not be happier. While not completely pain-free, the knee and hip pain is gone and I no longer have crippling plantar fascitis. My feet ache a bit first thing in the morning - but I think that this is due to me wearing really worn-out shoes and being overweight rather than lingering post-op symptoms.

      I no longer "go over" on my ankle on pieces of gravel or slightly uneven ground. I haven't twisted an ankle since the surgery - two years - a real record!

      Delete
  11. This is an update on my hyprocure journey. I had both feet done twice as the first time the stents were to big so we downsized to smaller ones. It's been 5 months on right foot & 3 months on left & I'm in worst pain then I was before I began this journey. I'm scheduled next Thursday to have both of them removed so sadly, this has not worked out for me & I'm $10,000 in the hole. I know people have had success with it but I fell in the 5 % unsuccessful rate. Good luck with your hyprocure journey.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Hi. My name is Barbara Wood. I'm 57 years old. Tomorrow will be one week since my right foot hyprocure surgery was done. Even with the boot, I can't put all my weight on it (I'm 165 lbs). I'm using crutches and a walker to help me walk around the house. These stories are really scary. My podiatrist told me that I'd be able to go back to work after one week. JoAnne, were you able to walk unassisted with the boot on after just one week?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I really don't know why they told you that. The vast majority of people take 2 weeks off with non weightbearing. I was 2 months before I could walk without a limp. I had both feet done twice as the first time didn't work out so thought maybe the stents were too big. They didn't work out the second time either so had them removed for good. It was a long difficult year for me & 20 lbs later due to lack of walking, I'm no further ahead. I'm 55 years old & my doctor said they are finding out that they work better on younger people because they heal quicker. I wish you the very best & hope everything works out for you. I was so disappointed my didn't but life goes on.

      Delete
  13. Barbara,

    I was able to walk out of the surgery unassisted with the boot and I never once used crutches or any other kind of assistance. I am 57 years old too and 250 lbs! I would have been able to go to work after a week with my foot in the boot, but I was able to get a few weeks off, which was really great.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Thank you guys so much for your responses. I have my followup in two days. I'll let you know how I make out.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Barbara wood, I was wondering if you could tell me how things are going with your procedure? I think we have the same doctor based on one of your later posts. I am 2 months out and I still have some pain in my ankle. I am wondering if it will get better.

      Delete
  15. Hello. Got to see my foot for first time yesterday. A little swollen and bruised, but otherwise looked good. Doctor O'Hanlon said it looked great and he was really happy with it. However, when he had me try to step on the xray machine barefoot and with no support, the pain was excruciating! He advised me to keep trying to walk on it. I left with my sneakers on and one crutch, but the pain was virtually unbearable. So today I'm RICE-ing it and keeping up on the ibuprofen. Walking around the house a little barefoot, but with both crutches, putting as much weight as I can stand on my foot. I have to keep telling myself that it's a lot better than it was ten days ago and trusting the Lord that it will continue to improve one day at a time.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. This comment has been removed by the author.

      Delete
    2. I had both stents removed as the pain never improved & was so difficult living like that for many months. One I had left in for 11 months & the other 6 months but pain never subsided. I even had them redone to smaller stents but that never worked out either. I highly suggest you wait before you have the other one done. Give it a good 8 months if you can. You will save yourself a lot of pain & disappoint if this one doesn't work. I'm not dealing with constant pain in my ankles & it's been 6 months since they've been removed. I would not recommend this procedure.

      Delete