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Sayeth the Doctor
Can I put my foot down, Doc?
He put his eyebrows, shoulders, and hands up as if to say, Go ahead. What s the difference?
The bone spur that intruded my ankle is gone. He ground it down and shaved it off a week ago. That is no longer my problem.
When he went into my ankle last week he found that the articular surface of my talus was F.U.B.A.R. (Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition). Some of the cartilage on the talus (ankle bone) had pulled away. He cut that portion out.
Under the cartilage is bone. Well, there s supposed to be bone anyway. What I have is no longer bone. I guess it s some soft gooey stuff. Technically, it s a cyst. Technically, it s ex-bone.
So what do you do about that, Jim?
I dunno. The Doc suggests surgery ASAP. Take out the bad bone and replace it with bone and cartilage from my femur or from a dead guy.
Or I can wait and play Russian roulette (his words) do nothing and see what happens. There s a small chance that everything would go honky-dory with my ankle for the rest of my life.
What s worst case scenario, I asked.
In five years, the articular surface on the ankle breaks down and you come back to me and I have to fuse the ankle.
But I need that ankle.
Comments
Reid said:
Bone from a dead guy in your ankle.
Dead man walkin', so to speak.
Kewl for the purposes of entertaining the kids, but, as I'm sure you know, the preferred solution is to debone yourself.
My wife has a part of her hip bone connected to her neckbone. Got sentenced to 12 weeks in an Aspen collar (which is still much more civilized than what they gave me in 1983 when I broke my C-2).
Of course, she didn't have to keep her weight off her neck, as you will have to do with your ankle. But the alternatives (in her case, imminent paralysis) are not pretty.
For example, how will you slide into the plate with a fused ankle, eh? If you have surgery this week, you'll be rehabbed and ready in plenty of time for the season.
A man's got to have his priorities. Assuming, of course, the man's Significant Other will allow him to play such games again after tending his every non-mobile need for eight weeks.
Which brings this lengthy comment out of its dreamy reverie and gets us back to the real point: let us know when the Wife Beast tells you what you're going to do.
Posted on Feb 16, 2006 02:30 PM
Tanj said:
"how will you slide into the plate with a fused ankle, eh?"
My thoughts exactly.
I am just sad you are faced with the decision.
Posted on Feb 16, 2006 09:32 PM
Ray said:
Maybe they ought to take it out of your head.
Posted on Feb 17, 2006 12:44 AM
EvelynRedtree said:
Second opinion, third opinion time! Too important to get only one person's viewpoint on this! Your ease of mobility for the rest of your life is at stake. Even if you have to pay for the extra opinions yourself, it's necessary, I believe.
Look on the bright side. At least you're not dealing with M.S. or cancer.
Wishing you the best always,
Evelyn
Posted on Feb 18, 2006 09:23 AM
ruminator said:
I agree Ray, there's plenty of boney-stuff up at the top of Jim's body... ;)
Posted on Feb 26, 2006 11:12 AM
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