Wednesday, August 6, 2008

Foot update...


OK, the question is no longer "IF" I will have surgery, it is now "WHEN". When is the best time to go in for surgery? I'm thinking the best answer is to go back to school, get my students adjusted and into a routine, make it to Open House, then schedule my surgery. Until then, I'll be wearing an Aircast boot to keep the foot from fracturing (which would be a whole other story - that would mean restructuring the foot, pins, possible nerve damage, and off the foot a LOT longer).


They have always told me the pain was not from the tumor in the foot (the large WHITE area inside the calcaneal/heel bone), but from Plantar Fasciitis. This started 11 years ago, when I first started teaching. The pain is NOTHING like it was before. It's been so bad that I've gone to a Centra Care and 3 other doctors just to get other opinions. I have had 3 cortisone shots in the foot which have done nothing. This is terrible! I said before that I have a large tumor (lipoma) in the heel bone and after getting the MRI, we can see that the tumor is so big that there is not much bone around it to support the foot. In speaking with other doctors and doing my own research on the internet, I think this may be why I am in constant pain on my heel.

During surgery, they will have to open the foot, biopsy the tumor, and bone graft the foot. This means staying off the foot for minimum 8 weeks, then into a boot for another 8 weeks. At this point, I have no other options. All doctors have assured me that the surgery is no guarantee that I won't be in pain anymore, but I have to try.

So... I am going to start school next week and get my kids situated, hopefully I can make it 5 or 6 weeks til Open House, then I'm taking off for 3 or 4 months to recuperate. I have an appt with the possible surgeon (still haven't decided which doctor I like best) on Thursday to discuss details.

Just wanted to update on the foot situation....


1 comment:

Lori said...

hope everything goes smoothly!