A few months ago I purchased a Go Pro 2. You can mount it just about anywhere. Earlier this evening I mounted it to my feet to compare the two ankles in motion.
First here's my good ankle. Sorry about the sound. I slowed down the videos to better capture the motion.
Now here's the bad ankle. It barely moves! My dorsiflexion is about 90 degrees, so there's not much movement while I walk. Most of my pain is on the lateral side of the joint (left side in this video), though I've developed some acute pain on the other side now which affects me while biking or driving.
This weekend we attended the DC Beer Fest with some friends at Nationals Park. I was up on my feet for a little over 4 hours straight. It was a lot of fun, but I could barely walk the next day.
No news to report on finding a vascular surgeon or prosthetist. I've been talking to a number of amputees about their experiences to help gain an understanding of what I need to look for. The goal is still to amputate sometime this summer.
I'll let you know when the foot signing party is scheduled!
For your ankle:have you heard of this procedure?
ReplyDeletehttp://www.iagh.com/
Best wishes, Georgina
Happy opening day! Hope ya'll are enjoying a sunny day at the ballpark! P.S. I'm going to see if Crystal can effectively forge my signature for the signing party. :)
ReplyDeleteHello Tony, my name is Meg. I wanted to thank you for posting this blog. It's really helped me calm down and understand things in the weeks leading up to my ankle distraction arthroplasty, hilariously and ironically at the same practice in baltimore. But my doc is dr. cerrato and i've also worked with the big guy, dr. meyerson himself. you see, 5 years ago in 2008, when i was 18, i fell 65 feet from my college dorm's hallway. yes. hallway. long story short its an open air hallway with a roof over it and the two walls are where the dorms are. and the railing broke. on the 5th story of a building with a basement that was 2/3 above ground where i fell. i broke...everything. hand full of toes, some metatarsals, totally crused both tibfibs, my right patella broke is half and skinned part of my shin seperating some of the skin from the muscle, both of my femurs snapped in half like toothpicks, the left one came out of my skin, a hand full of ribs, my jaw in three places, and i lost 9 teeth. i am on my 20-something-th surgery at this point. but the distraction is the biggest i've hand in years. i had to wait over a year to get it and i spent that year trying to get my body ready for it and prepare mentally but when the time came i was a mess. but hearing your story helped me remember why i fought so hard for it. seeing how much space you got in your ankle really gave me hope that i'll be so much better after this ordeal. my right ankle started to collapse in may 2011. dr meyerson was the one that diagnosed me and told me my only real option was to fuse it. i told him there was no way in hell i was going to do that and he told me that dr cerrato was the best distractor he knew, plus i'd worked with her before [this distraction marks my 5th surgery at mercy with their practice haha]. when she told me about the surgery i wanted to get it that day, but i had to wait for insurance and other crap. it was hell. but i finally got my exfix on march 26. they had to break up my achielles because it was too tight so the 2 hour surgery ended up taking 4 hours. and instead of just staying overnight, i was there for three days. i actually met dr. jeng the day after my surgery and told him that i saw his picture on your blog and he smiled really wide and laughed a little. then explained to the nurse that was with him who you were haha. he was glad that your blog could help me chill out before my surgery. he's a really awesome guy, all the docs there are amazing and have been really wonderful to me when others have been horrible. lots of people where i love [right outside of atlantic city] just dont know what to do with me. they look at me like i've got 7 heads and treat me like all of this is my fault. its insane. i've also never met anybody that can understand what i'm going through. how i can joke about whats happened to me [one of my favorite things to say when people ask me what i do is 'i dropped out of college' and wait for them to get it and then either laugh or look horrified] and how i can WANT a crazy surgery with every fiber of my being. i wanted this distraction like you want your amputation. its my best shot. and ever since i've found your blog i've been on it like every day looking up one thing or another. one time i looked up pictures of your distraction to see what kind of sock i'd be able to wear since my toes get REALLY cold. then i kept coming back. it just felt good to know there was somebody out there who could kind of understand my life and the things i feel. so just...thanks. it means a lot to me. i really hope you find your surgeon and get your amputation, i can realte with how much it means to you and i think its really the best option for you, like my distraction is for me. best of luck. best wishes. -Meg.
ReplyDeleteMeg,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for sharing your story! It's incredible that you're still here with us today. I'm really touched that you've been able to find some humor and comfort with the blog. That actually makes it easier for me to deal with my issues. Like you said, it's just comforting to know there are other people out there that can relate and understand.
That's hilarious that you were talking to Dr. Jeng and the nurse about my blog. We were both a little depressed at our last appointment when we realized we probably were done working together on the ankle. He's a great doctor and that entire office is awesome. I wish I would have found them much earlier.
When do you get your external fixator removed? How do you like walking around?
Don't even sweat the weird looks and behavior from people around you that don't understand. That's ridiculous. Just let it roll off your shoulders.
Humor and optimism are the best ways to handle these situations! I really like your "dropped out of college" comment.
Please stay in touch and let me know how you're doing!
I was just in good ol bmore today to be taught how to unlock it and get my plate. Sadly, she didnt have the right size. Im not entirely sure why or how that happens but she was super cool about it. They are gunna send me one with an allen wrench and a 10mm wrench so i can fix it when it gets loose. Which it already has. And luckily i had already read your blog post about when yours got loose so i knew just what to do and i didnt freak out. :)
DeleteLoosening it is pretty much the weirdest feeling ever. I have just the front loose right now so i can get used to the lack of tension. Its working. And i rigged up a ballerina flat slipper and an ace to keep my toes straight. She loved it, ordered me a toe sling, but still loved my inventive rigging.
Yeah, im lucky to be here. I got insanely lucky and fell where there was an amazing hospital that had killer orthopedics and people who knew what to do when i got sick with ARDS and nearly drowned in my own bodily fluid. Yeaaah. If youre gunna fall off a building, i highly suggest doing so in savannah georgia. Yes i know what i just said. But Memorial Hospital is the best. When Dr. Meyerson saw the work on my ankles he was extremely impressed. (i have the l-brackets and bone of skrews like you did,only mine didnt break and are still inside).
I get my exfix off in early july. A few of my friends are coming to stay with me in early june when im still fixed which i honestly think will be hilarious fun and simply ridiculous.
As for people looking at me and asking crazy questions, im quite used to that. After the accident i was rocking two Bledsoe boots and a wheelchair. And when i use my chair at all since the accident i get looks and questions and crap because i may be 23 but i look about 16 and i hide my scars so people want to know why a young seemingly healthy girl is in a chair. Because, ya know, thats any of their bussiness.
Thanks so much for replying. I will surely keep you up to date on this wild and crazy ride im on right now. Im sure it will be quite interesting but im so very glad there is at least one person out there who can relate.
-Megbot