Nerve damage?

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.
Since I have been healing from having the screws out and scar tissue removed, I have noticed that I have nerve damage over about 1/4 of the top of my foot. It runs from the tip of my big toe, over to my second toe and all the way down the inside of my foot to about mid scar. It's tingly and 'frozen' feeling. I don't guess it would cause any problems but if feels funny. My second toe is completely numb on top. I can feel the very tip of my big toe.
Flexibility is way better than before and so is the movement in the lisfranc joint.
I'm glad I had the surgery but this was a little unexpected.

A Surprise Ending

I started this blog only to document my progress. I didn't want to forget the milestones or the tears.
A very nice surprise has been the people who have told me that this blog has helped them.
Our injury is not a common one and there is very little information available about what to expect as far as progress.
It has made me very happy to hear that I was able to help you guys, even a little bit.
Marg, thank you, you helped me when I had questions. Barb, keep those feet moving, your progress will come. And Kala, it's really important to find a doc that knows what a Lisfranc injury is and how to treat it properly the first time. I was told often by medical professionals that they learn about Lisfranc dislocations in school but usually never deal with one. I was always a curious specimen to them. I wish you all well.
I will up-date this in a month or so but I really am excited that it seems possible my foot will be 80 - 90% perfect. That is so much more than I dared to dream a year ago.

I'm all done

I saw the doc on Tuesday. He was pleased with the surgery. He said he removed a lot of scar tissue that has loosened up my toes. He told me to keep a tensor bandage on. He told me to call him if I need to. He said that would probably be due to pain caused by arthritis. Otherwise I AM FINALLY FINISHED WITH DOCTORS!
One year and twenty six days!

The following pics are graphic...be warned

My right leg is quite a bit smaller than my left leg. I'm sure this will right itself eventually. I feel fantastic. I feel so much movement in my foot that I didn't before. I can walk down stairs properly now. I am pretty sure that I won't even have a limp once this is all healed. The only thing now is the swelling. My toes still aren't as nimble as before the accident but that isn't hindering my walking or anything really. I am very glad that I chose to have the screws out. It has made a huge difference already.

The swelling is still significant.

This was taken on November 15th. Just 2 weeks after the pic below. I'm a good little healer.

This was taken November 1st. Just 5 days after surgery. My foot was painted with a pink/red antiseptic during surgery. It stained my foot for quite a while.

Stitches in time

I called my family Doc to take my stitches out. I can't get in to see Dr. Petrisor until next Tuesday. A guy at work told me an old hockey trick was to put vaseline on the stitches a little bit ahead of time so when they came out it was easier. That made sense to me so that's what I did. It still pinched when she took them out but maybe it was easier.
My foot was incredibly swollen when I finally got into the doc's office. I really thought that it would burst at the seam when she took out the stitches but it didn't. Once again swelling is a big issue. I hope it subsides sooner than before.
Anyway great excuse to go home and put my foot up for the evening. Housework sure gets neglected. Ya, whatever.

Progress

Monday - Surgery
Tuesday - Home from hospital
Wednesday - Back to work, Nick drove me to work, taxi home
Thursday - Nick drove me to work, taxi home
Friday - I drove me to work vowing never to take stinky, smelly taxi ever again!
Saturday & Sunday - Usual routine
Monday - Wore shoes to work, 2 of them! No more slippers to work.

Not bad. I just wonder how many brain cells were slaughtered last Monday....

Day after surgery and I am just getting home!

Yup. Again complications.
Remember the original surgery was supposed to be day surgery that turned into 5 days!
This time I came out of surgery into the recovery room. The nurse decided to give me a dose (I don't know how much) of morphine and two percs! I was snowed. I was beyond snowed! She kept calling for me to wake up and I was mad because I couldn't wake up, I just wanted to sleep. Trouble was, everytime I dozed off I stopped breathing. My oxygen levels plummeted. I went into surgery just past noon. I was wheeled into recovery at 1:45. After dinner time they decided that my oxygen levels were too low to send me home. I had to stay overnight! I was pissed but I guess it was the right decision. Nick went and got me some chicken noodle soup for dinner. He left the hospital around 7:00. I still felt dozy till about 8:00. Once all that wore off my oxygen levels came way up to near 100. They let me go right away in the morning. My foot is wrapped up in a ball of gauze and tape. He re-cut the incision at the top of my foot to remove scar tissue and loosen up tendons. There is another cut at the side where, in his words, "I'm sorry I had to dig for the screws" I guess calcium, bone had grown over them. I really am not in much pain but it does hurt to walk on it. I am allowed to walk on it as I see fit. I have orders to see him again in 2 weeks. I am heading to work tomorrow. Nick is going to drive me. After that, I might have to take taxi for a few days. Yuk!

On the eve of surgery...

Tomorrow the doctor will spend 1 1/2 hrs. removing two screws and as much scar tissue as he can. It is my hope, and his, that I will have more flexibility in my toes and hopefully, the screws are impeding the proper mobility of the joint and once they are removed I won't have such a significant limp.
Here's hoping...

I am bein De-screwed!!

Well I got the phone call. I was sort of hoping it really would be a year or a year and a half. I'm not happy about my foot being hurt again.
They will be taken out on October 27th. That will be 1 year and 4 days since the accident.
Figures, just when my foot really is feeling better, here we go again.

Update

Well, its been a while since I updated.
My foot feels real good. Unless I over do it I seldom have any swelling. There is still a bit of tightness when I squeeze my toes down. But it's better than it was for sure.
I can easily wear 2" heels all day long. I tried to wear my 4" shoes (cause, God they are nice) but it just isn't worth the risk or discomfort.
I think this week is the first time that my foot hasn't been the centre of my attention. Most of the time there is very little discomfort when I walk.
I haven't heard when the screws might be coming out. They told me it could be a year to a year and a half wait. Imagine!
If nothing ever changes now, that's OK. Just a little limp once in a while (usually later in the day) and a bit of stiffness in the toes.

Oh, our wonderful health care system!

Into the hospital I went amid an out-break of C-Diff!!!! Off to talk to Dr. P about removing the screws.

First I had to have an xray. The tech asked me which bone I broke in my foot. When I told her I didn't, it was a complete Lisfranc dislocation, she was really impressed. She said they learn about this in school and you think you will see them a lot but rarely do. She told me she'd give me $100. if I could find someone else with the same injury. Hey, Marg, want to split it? It really is quite rare and I kind of wish it wasn't. It would be nice to know more people to compare my progress with.

Well Dr. P said my foot is still quite swollen but he can certainly take out the screws. I told him that I have difficulty walking down stairs straight and my toes don't bend as they should. He will remove as much scar tissue as he can while he is in there. Oh man, I really don't want to go through with this but it is the only way to know if there is any further progress to be had.
I asked his little entourage (a very funny group of people who follow him around, students) if they saw any evidence of arthritis. They did. It is very much expected that this will happen.
I asked Dr. P when I can expect to have the screws removed, he smirked and said probably not for a few months.

Anyway, I'm in absolutely NO hurry.

Oh ya, and I washed my hands very well upon leaving. I don't need to have C-Diff too!

Not Guilty!

Now the driver has pled "not guilty". I have been summoned to court. I don't know the ramifications of all of this and it frightens me a bit. I wonder if he knows what has happened? I bet his insurance is behind all of it. I've never been to court. Kind of intimidating, but I sure have been through worse.

Here we go again....

Screwed!

It is becoming increasingly obvious that these screws have to come out. My foot aches always. There are strange stabs of pain once in a while. Walking hurts all the time. I can compensate for my foot but that hurts my knee. The only way to know what is causing the pain is to rule out everything. That starts with the screws. I was hoping I wouldn't have to to do this. I don't want to hurt again.
I think I was so happy not to be in a wheel chair or need crutches that all was rosy in Feb/Mar. Now that nothing has changed since then it has become very frustrating.
When we went up to Southampton on the weekend I spent about an hour or so in a fleemarket and my foot was a swollen, achey mess. Very frustrating.

And I danced

I was at the wedding of Shaun & Kathleen last night. I looked fabulous if I do say so myself. I knew only a handful of people there. It is the brother of my daughter-in-law. Both kids were in the wedding party and both were beautiful. My foot was the topic of some conversation but it was not at the top of the list (for once!). I even had a wonderful dance with my baby boy. Nary a thought to my foot. That's what it's all about.

The Lawsuit

In our wonderful country of Canada our car insurance only pays for damages to the vehicle and any medical costs to the unfortunate victim. Any costs for pain, suffering and loss of enjoyment of life must be done through the courts. I really wrestled with this in the beginning. You hear so many people suing others for petty things. Even though I continued to struggle with it, I did contact a lawyer who was able to explain a lot to me.
I was not suing the driver personally. His insurance would pay whatever damages were awarded.
It seems that the threshold for 'pain and suffering' is very high in Canada. We have to prove that there is a significant loss to a vital part of our body. Do I qualify? If the award is $100,000. or less, the government takes 30% off the top. Anything over $100,000. the government doesn't take anything.
As time went by, and as my impediment grew obvious, the struggle was not such a struggle. Damn straight I deserve something for pain and suffering. It has been a long six months. I am sure I will be left with some pain for the rest of my life.
I had a meeting with my lawyer today to update him on the progress etc. He will gather reports from all concerned. He wants me to have an xray on my 1 year anniversary to see if arthritis is developing. The question remains (and is a little doubtful), do I qualify for having significant loss of a vital part of my body. I think I do.

6 MONTHS

Yesterday was 6 months since the accident. Boy have I come a long, long way. In hind sight it has been a very difficult 6 months. A lot of struggling, but constant progress. I have been pretty convinced that my healing is complete and the progress in the past month has been very minimal. Here is what I am left with;
Pain in the morning - 3
Pain through the day - 2
Pain in the evening - 3
Shoes are a large problem. Most don't fit, most of what is left hurts and the few left from that, well, are few.
Swelling is a large problem. By the end of the day my foot is always swollen but if I have to be on my feet too much after that they are horribly swollen.
I can't walk up stairs properly because I can't round my foot completely. I can't walk down stairs for the same reason. I sort of go sideways. At night time, going down stairs is agony on my knees and my feet. I look like a 90 yr. old woman
I can't run.
I can't go for long walks because of swelling, my hips hurt and my legs ache. Hopefully if I keep trying it is just a matter of getting in better shape.
Which reminds me that I have also gained about 10 pounds because of impeded activity.
But I can live to see another day and as you can see from the pictures from six months ago you understand that whatever challenges I have left from this accident are nothing compared to what it could have been.

Petrisor Grad

I saw Dr. Petrisor this morning. He took some xrays and is very happy with the results. He says the swelling could very well take a year to be under control. The flexibility in my toes is being hampered by the tendons being all tied up in scar tissue. It will get progressively better with exercise. I don't have to wear my orthotics anymore, my arch is strong enough. He also said that if I need to have the screws out I can call him but if they aren't bothering me they can stay in, HORRAY.
I've pretty much come as far as the medical field can take me, now we'll just have to wait and see how much better it gets. That's OK with me. It could have been so much worse. I was sitting in the waiting room with a young guy who walked backwards off a roof in September. He thought he had two more steps to go, and down he went feet first. He basically exploded his feet. They put him back together and today he was walking. My injury just didn't seem so bad after talking to him. He had a kick ass attitude just like me, that will take him far.
Today is a good day.

Update

Swelling is a big issue. Just when I thought it wasn't so bad it has been difficult all week. Unless I am wearing running shoes. If I stand to do dishes, or anything my foot swells, if I wear any shoes other than runners my foot swell instantly. If I push on my foot with my finger, it leaves a finger print for about 10 minutes. It's weird. Shoes are also a problem. My foot is a funny shape and won't fit into 90% of my shoes.
I have been able to walk down a flight of stairs without holding the railing though. It still hurts to round my foot properly when I walk but I have more confidence in my stability.
I will have a meeting with Dr. Petrisor on Monday morning so I will know more then. I can't wait. I have a feeling this is as good as it will get. It's been almost 6 months. The accident could have been so much worse, so if this is it I will accept it but it would be nice to be able to wear any shoes again.

This week...

Not much has changed this week. I think the swelling is less of an issue unless I wear anything but running shoes. My arch was almost cramping today. There is a pain at the bottom of my big toe. Physio warned me that there would be different aches and pains as everything moved around and settled. I hope that's all that it is. I still limp because it hurts to completely round my foot when I walk. I try and I can do it if I am thinking about it but without thinking I will limp instead. I need to concentrate on teaching myself to walk through it.

I am a physio graduate

I went to physio tonight and Michelle told me that she had done all she could do for me. My plan from the beginning was to move from physio to the gym. That has happened. Michelle told me to keep doing my balancing exercises and my treadmill. She was happy that I wore heals yesterday and suggested that I just wear them for four hours a day instead of trying to to the whole day. I guess thats why they're paid the big bucks, I never thought of that.

I was sad that Justin wasn't there for my last day, I'll have to go back just to thank him. They were a real fun bunch and they helped alot, physically and emotionally. I'll miss them, especially Michelle's foot rubs.

I have legs!!!!!

I wore a skirt to work today. First time since October. There is still a 1" difference in my calf but not really noticeble if you don't know. I wore my heals too. That is until about 2:00 p.m. Thank God I had a flat pair of shoes at work. My foot was horribly swollen and not at all happy about the heals, best to put that idea on the back burner for a while.
Justin, my physio guy, told me to massage my foot by rolling a tennis ball around. That would break up the scar tissue and stuff. Well I have been doing that this past week. I have a tennis ball under my desk. There is a fine line between pain and pleasure. The more I dug that ball in the better it felt but today the bottom of my foot is so very tender. I really must learn the value of 'gradual'. I seem to cause myself undue pain by going all out too soon. Maybe that's my lesson for today.

Physio progress - March 25, 2008

I have been going to physio three times a week up until last week. Now I am going twice a week. I started out with some balancing exercises. At first it was very scary to balance on just my right foot. I had to make sure there was something at hand that I could grab for balance. I could maybe count to 10 before losing my balance. Today at physio I can stand on a foam form and throw a ball against the wall 10 times.
I started going on the treadmill after a week or so of physio. At that time I could only do 1 mph for a few minutes. Today I had it up to 3 mph for the first time and went for 5 minutes.
Doing toe raises is still quite difficult and painful. I can do them 50/50 but trying to put all my weight on just my right foot to do them is very painful. I can do 5 if I work myself up to it. Justin thinks its better not to push it right now if it's too painful.
I also walk forward and backward in front of a mirror for balance and to make my foot do a complete 'roll' when I walk. This is also more difficult backwards but I can do it.
Since the swelling has gone down a bit this past week I seem to notice individual weaknesses in my foot. My arch is very tender and my ankle seems weak. Justin asures me that it's not weak but is sure it just feels looser since the swelling has subsided a bit.
Progress has been very slow but there has been some.

Return to the Gym

This week I have returned to the gym. Unfortunately I can't do more than 2.5 miles per hour on the treadmill for 5 minutes. That's my max. I have had to go to the bike. That I do for 20 minutes at the least resistance, but it's something. I am finding my ankle is pretty weak. The swelling is still an issue but not quite as much as before. Stiffness is still bad and I can't squeeze my toes properly. Progress since beginning physio has been painfully slow.

Shoes, glorious shoes

This continues to be my plague. My foot is either swollen, there is some calcium build up around the wound, or the horrible orthotics that take up a lot of shoe space that make it difficult to wear dress shoes. I have been wearing running shoes to work every day exept, so far, two days that I have been able to wear shoes. My foot is still very stiff. It is always 'sore' to walk although there is no real pain. Patience is something that runs very thin when you're trying on every single pair of shoes you own every single morning, praying that something will fit and feel right.

Total Physio - January 29th - March 27th, 2008

I called Total Physio because they are close to home. I spoke with Michelle who is the physiotherapist. She had never heard of a lisfranc injury so I asked her to do some research before my first appointment. She said that she knew she had heard of a lisfranc injury and remembered as something bad. When we met she said I have quite a bad injury. She proceeded to check my foot for flex and (whatever the opposite of flex is LOL). She looked at me like I was pulling her leg. Flex up is the same in both feet and flex down is close. There are some muscles in my foot that need to be strengthened but she was amazed at how much mobility I had. She said she fully expected me to come in with absolutely no movement in my foot. I explained to her that I was very stubborn and had been moving and exercising my foot often. She said I had probably done 90% of the physio I needed all by myself! She doubts I will need a month's worth of physio. I ROCK!!!! Plus, I am a very good healer. Go figure. She will do what she has to then give me direction when I can get back to the gym. As usual, I am thrilled with the progress. PS - had an appointment with Allison the Occupational Therapist and she is also blown away by my progress. She knows of another woman with lisfranc injury (last year) who has resumed running and is wearing heals and doing perfectly well. Allison said that she wasn't doing as well as me at my stage now. Ya baby!!

Dr. Petrisor - January 22, 2008

Dr. Petrisor is very happy with my progress. Xrays looked good. He said I could start physio and I could start wearing shoes in 2 weeks.

New Year 2008

I decided that one of my New Year's resolutions would be to walk again. I did. It was hell taking a taxi every morning and every evening. There were times when I was waiting outside in the frigid cold for 1/2 hr. I would put the dogs down in their pen then stand outside at the designated time. The taxi would be late. It was inconvenient having help in the morning and evening. I know that sounds odd but it was just more of my independance that was taken away. I bought my car on January 11th. I remember crying my eyes out that weekend because I couldn't take the seclusion of not being able to go out when I wanted to. I walked down to Shopper's Drug Mart (my boot was open toed and not made for winter walks) just to be able to get out. I sat in the drive way in my car wondering how I could start driving again. I moved it from one parking spce to another and realized that my boot did not interfre in the pedals. I could drive! I decided then an there that I was 'firing' all my help. I had had enough. I was going to drive myself and take care of myself and answer to no one. It felt good.

Chrismas 2007

It was really hard for many reasons. Lucky Cindy and I had each other.
I was in a wheel chair the whole season. Shopping for gifts was difficult and Christmas day was especially difficult.
We really didn't expect much different.

Dr. Petrisor - December 18, 2007

The pins are to be removed. These 'pins' look quite like an allen key except they aren't quite as thick. They are about 4" long. They go straight through the bone. There are 5 of them! No freezing medication. They just yank them out. I had both boys with me which was no comfort whatseoever. One was hustling the nurse taking out the pins and the other was cracking jokes about the procedure. It didn't really hurt getting them out but it was disgusting. It feels a lot like have a tooth yanked out if the tooth was 4" long. This had to be done 5 times! The last one did hurt. I was very relieved when it was over. She wrapped my foot in a guaze. No more cast. I hadn't been told to bring my boot. Carefully the boys took me home so I could put the boot on. I had to wear that thing for another 6 weeks. I could start weight bearing in 2 weeks. I was excited to be making progress.

Dr. Petrisor - November 27, 2007

Dr. Petrisor took the cast off and did an xray. He was pleased with the results. I have 2 screws and 5 external pins. These things are disgusting. They put a full hard cast on and I still have no weight bearing for another 5 weeks. I get around with crutches if I have to or I have a wheel chair at home and am having one delivered to work as well. We make arrangements to have a taxi pick me up every day and also have a helper here in the morning as well as the evening when I get home. Swelling remains a huge problem. Each chance I get I keep my foot elevated and at home in the evening I use ice. The pins continue to be the most uncomfortable. When my foot swells the pins get pinched.

Home at last - November 13, 2007

Cindy moved in with me. She needed a quiet place to be until she got her stuff figured out. It really was a blessing during this time that we had each other. I stayed off work until my appointment on November 27th. At first I only had crutches at home with the walker up stairs. It was so hard just to get food from the kitchen to the family room. I would have to put it through the pass through to the dining room. Hop around and move it to the dining room table. Hop over and put it on a TV tray 1/2 way to the couch. Hop over and take it to the couch. It was exhausting to say the least. Finally I had a wheel chair down delivered and still had the walker up stairs. At least I could be a little mobile during the day. I still was in the soft cast, the pins were very uncomforable. I could feel them when I wiggled my foot or when the swelling was too much. I got up and down stairs by bumming it. I can't handle being home emotionally. It has been very, very difficult to have nothing to do but think all day. I will be returning to work after my appointment as long as everything goes well.

General Hospital - Nov 9th - Nov 13/07

I was stuck in Hell for 5 days. I asked them to take me off morphine the first night. That stuff just makes me loopy. They started giving me perks which also makes me sick. The next morning I tried to take 1/2 dose of perks. Within a few hours the pain returned with a vengence. The nurse wouldn't allow me any more meds because my chart called for 2 perks every 4 hours. I cried in agony until the male nurse gave me some. The next morning I had to wait for pain meds because they didn't have any on the floor. Along with my 3 room mates, we were confined to our beds and unable to use the bathroom. We were at the mercy of the nurses. There were many times that I was in tears because I had buzzed for a bedpan numerous times and they didn't come. This was a horrible place to be. Every day they promised that I may go home the following day. Every day there was a reason I couldn't go. Finally on Tuesday, Nov 13th I told them I was leaving at noon whether they like it or not. I left as I said. I hope never, never to return again. I'm finally heading home.

Surgery

Finally, I went in for what was supposed to be day surgery. During my recovery I sprang a leak. I guess a blood vessel in my foot popped and I bled profusely before anyone noticed. I only remember a nurse saying I'm holding it. I guess I was wheeled back into the operating room so they could correct the leak. Apparently I lost enough blood that they considered a transfusion but then decided against it. My blood pressure (normally on the high side) crashed for days. I came out of surgery with a soft cast, 2 screws and 5 external pins. I ended up being admitted.

Mom's house - Oct 30 - Nov 9, 2007

Mom took me straight down to the fracture clinic of the General Hospital to see Dr. Petrisor. He seemed very knowledgable and knew what he was dealing with. He said he would do surgery and would try to get it booked for Friday. Well, things don't go exactly as planned I would soon learn. Surgery ended up being 2 1/2 weeks post accident. He took off the soft cast and I was able to use the boot. This way I could take a regular bath (something I did without in the hospital) . I spent this time of limbo at Mom's house because I was too afraid of the stairs at my house with my foot in such a fragile state. I basically lived in the recliner for the 1 1/2 weeks I waited for surgery. I only had my crutches, so even going to the kitchen was a planned trip. I ventured outside for lunch a day or two, but that was extremely difficult and exhausting. I could only walk on the crutches for a maximum of 5 minutes and my hip would ache.

Henderson Hospital - October 23 - October 30th/07

As soon as I got in the Emerg. they tried to get a pulse from my foot. They found one right away and it was strong. The pain was brutal. It took a long time to get any medication for the pain. They were very concerned that there was a possibility I may loose my foot. I was really shocked by that possibility. They finally gave me perks and the pain was tolerable. I was admitted that night and ended up staying there for a week. I had a soft cast on during my stay. Keeping the swelling under control was a full time job. I was not allowed out of my bed until the last day. I was not allowed to weight bear on my leg for a full 10 weeks. I learned in the Henderson that my injury was called a complete dislocation of my metatarsels, or Lisfranc injury. Basically my foot was amputated give or take some skin. They decided that they were not capable of doing this surgery at the Henderson and I would have to report to the fracture clinic at the General Hospital and see Dr. Petrisor. I was released from the Henderson on October 30th.

The Accident - Tuesday, October 23, 2007

I just returned home from Buenes Aires yesterday. I returned home feeling very unwell. Thinking I may have strep throat, I called and made a doctor's appointment for this afternoon. I was driving back to work, driving east bound on King St. to make a left hand turn onto Parkdale. As I was approaching behind another car, the light turned yellow. I followed the car in front of me turning left. As the car in front of me turned, I saw a van heading for me and I knew that it was going to be bad.
I assume I tried to slam on the brake just as he was hitting me, basically head on. The hit was hard. It spun me around and I ended up facing west bound in the far south lane. I knew instantly that my foot was messed up bad. I couldn't move it. The air bags had gone off and the acrid smell and taste was horrible but I couldn't get out of the car. I remember people opening the doors and me trying to lean out as far as possible. It was drizzling rain.
The ambulance was there very quickly. They helped me out onto a stretcher. My car was very badly smashed up.
The ambulance guys tried to put an IV in me to give me some pain med. I remember them asking me what number I gave the pain, considering the worst pain in my life was a 10. I told them it was an 8. They wanted to take me to either General or Henderson. I asked to go to Henderson. I called Mom on the way to the hospital.