bubba said:
Wow -- you got a doctor's proclamation that you don't have a screw loose!?!?
I know, can you believe it?!!! Obviously he didn't read my comment on the before and after shots:
I mean the befores seemed bad before but after seeing the afters the befores seem even worse than before and the afters look even better after the befores.
What the?
timmus said:
.....Now, I regret we didn't talked about this at the BBQ last August (instead of having tequila's)......
Don't EVER regret not talking about surgery over having tequila's!!!
timmus said:
.....my doctor never said I would be in a wheelchair
I guess I need to make an appointment with another doctor........I can't hike without feeling the pain anymore, so I planned to have the surgery next spring (I rather sacrify a summer than a winter season of hiking).
Julie, I too was not able to hike without pain and found myself getting out of the car at the trailhead thinking, "This is so stupid, your feet are killing you. What are you doing here?" But most of us here know the (mostly healthy) addiction to hiking
After around 400 miles worth in a LOT of pain last winter I finally said enough is enough and went to the FIRST doctor who said that he wouldn't operate till fall as the swelling was worse in the summer which raised complications as far as having a cast on was concerned. Since it is "elective" surgery he said he wouldn't argue. My original plan was to have it done in the spring, miss the summer, and be back on schedule for fall and winter. Then the FIRST doctor pushed me out to late December at which point in time I went to a second BETTER doctor who also happens to be an avid hiker, rock & ice climber, all around mountaineer. He told me that there would be no casts as things tend to heal better and they can "get at" the incision to inspect, clean, and take the stitches out. This meant no weight bearing at all though till the bones completely fuse back together, since I had both done I had no choice but to be in a wheelchair - as I mentioned before, AT LEAST 6 weeks. The good thing was he let me pick the date which I timed to be after the birth of my sisters child which still should allow me enough recovery time to participate in the entire winter hiking season. But, there is a procedure that entails simply "shaving" the bony protrusion off which has a much quicker recovery time but usually isn't as effective in the long run and surgery is almost inevitable, especially if you are really active. Are you really active?
Right, so that probably will not be an option for you. In my case I had some major displacement in the bones and simply shaving the protrusion off would have resulted in a short term fix at best. My advice: Seek another opionion. Also, feel free to PM me if you want more information or want to discuss further what I am going through.
Steve
