Midfoot Fusion Surgery - How long in Hospital??

sailrib
sailrib Member Posts: 327
edited 10. Jul 2015, 09:39 in Living with Arthritis archive
Can anyone tell me, I am due to go in to hospital in September for midfoot fusion surgery and I still have not got an answer to how long I will be in hospital for?

Does it depend?
Google says home on the same day but other pages say 3 days in bed then physio gets you out of bed.

Any experiences really will help me.

Im really nervous to find out how long. Im 24 years old and have not got the support of my family so I have this feeling no one will visit me in hospital.

Ruth.
:sad:

Comments

  • dachshund
    dachshund Member Posts: 9,138
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ruth.
    i had a tripple fusion on june 6 i came home on the 10'th
    my fusion is between my toes and my ankle i have my foot in plaster till the end of july i have to hop everywhere you have to
    have the foot up for all the time.
    when i go up in july i will have a boot to wear then if its fused
    you can put your toe or heal down they will tell you it will still
    be in plaster.
    dont worry if i can help i will.
    joan xx
    take care
    joan xx
  • sailrib
    sailrib Member Posts: 327
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks for the information 8)

    Ive been told I will be in a cast for 3 months :cry: and 6 months on cructhers and then 8 months till I am back to myself.

    Hope you recovery is going well.

    Hope mine goes well. :wink:

    I am buying some things to help me when I get home. I have got a leg riser pillow to keep my feet up, a hand graber thing as I am unable to get down to the floor now, let alone after the operation. I have a wet room luckily, that was installed at the end of last year due to my arthritis. Anything else recommended??

    I kind of worried about how I will cope on cructhers and in a cast. Never been in a cast before (touch wood, never broken any bones).

    Do they just discharge you? Im worried about getting up the stairs and balancing on one foot. I also have severe balance problems due to been profoundly deaf, I cant even balance on 2 legs legs alone 1 leg!!

    Hope to hear more from people.
    Thank you :grin:
    Ruth.
  • dachshund
    dachshund Member Posts: 9,138
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ruth.
    i have balance problems i have cerebral p the hospital gave me a gutter frame you lean on it to hop i also have a wheelchair to use as the arther starts to ache in my other foot i have thr and tkr.
    i use a peg to hold my skirt up when i go to the little room.
    i live in a bunglow. joan xx
    take care
    joan xx
  • sailrib
    sailrib Member Posts: 327
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I bought a wheelchair as well. It a ETEC Elite Wheelchair which has small sides and big wheels so I can pull myself along. Managed to get it cheap for £100, its RRP is about £3000!

    Feel slightly happier now. Hopefully I will manage. :grin:

    I go in on the wednesday, my operation is on the thursday and have this feeling I will be coming out on the monday??!!

    Hope to hear more. 8)
    Ruth x
  • cloud9
    cloud9 Member Posts: 385
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I was in for 2 nights when I had my triple fusion. I had 2 nerve blocks, (femoral and sciatic) and they were loathe to let me out till they'd both worn off. It was a good 2 days before I got any feeling back in my knee. I also had to have a drain as they had had problems with a space under the incision filling with blood. When they removed it, the plaster cast filled with blood instead!!! I had to have a plaster change which I found very scary and had a panic attack. I'm 9 months post op now and despite some complications I'm happy I had it done. I get no arthritis pain from my foot/ankle. Total recovery time is said to be between 12 - 18 months. Now I just have to wait to have my other ankle fused, but that won't be for a long time because I have to have my already operated on foot operated on again. I am waiting to have the big toe fused and the small toe k-wired!! Ho-hum......I'm in for the long haul!
    Sue (Cloud9)
  • prefabkid47
    prefabkid47 Member Posts: 1,316
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ruth
    Sorry you feel you haven't the support of you family,but feel us on the forum as your extended family.We will give you as much support as we can.
    I think others have answered a lot of your questions.You are fortunate to have a wet room,if you haven't already got one recommend a cast protector when in the shower (a plastic cover to keep the leg dry,I have one supplied by 'Limbo' and find it excellent).
    Hope all goes well for you.Please keep us posted.
    Ron xx
    ''Beer is proof that God loves us and wants us to be happy''. Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790)
  • sailrib
    sailrib Member Posts: 327
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Thanks for all the help.

    I shall be on here a lot the closer the operation is.

    Im having to have my other foot done afterwards, then I can start living life again!!

    :grin:
  • chile168
    chile168 Member Posts: 384
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Sal, don't think we have met.

    I had great toe and second toe fused about 2.5 years ago. I was in hospital for about 2 days. A year later had the screw removed because it was troublesome but Im not sure if they put a screw with every fusion.

    However, the good thing it that although I still feel some pain, it is no where near the pain I had before :smile: I would certainly opt to have the right foot done if they offer it because that is going the same way.

    Good luck with your OP hun xxxxx

    Eve
  • barbara12
    barbara12 Member Posts: 21,281
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ruth
    And if you are new a very warm welcome to this lovely forum, I see you have been talking to our lovely Joan, I am so glad she has been some help to you.
    And dont forget we are always here to talk to,
    You take care
    Love
    Barbara xx
    Love
    Barbara
  • dachshund
    dachshund Member Posts: 9,138
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Barbara.
    Hi Ruth
    how are you today.dont worry we can all help if you have any problems.
    joan xx
    take care
    joan xx
  • sailrib
    sailrib Member Posts: 327
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Im okay today, in a lot of pain but baring up!

    Rang the hospital yesterday to ask if I could have some steroid + local anersectic injections in both feet and got told I am not allowed them. I only had 1 set before in both feet and it took away my pain for about 2 hours. Waiting until september will be really hard.

    Have an doctors appointment on monday to change medication for arthritis.

    Ive been told I will have screws in me.

    They told me its a major operation. :sad:

    Hope to hear more from people.
  • dachshund
    dachshund Member Posts: 9,138
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ruth.
    i have 2 screws i was told most people have 1 but i needed 2.
    i hope you get on alright on monday.
    joan xx
    take care
    joan xx
  • sailrib
    sailrib Member Posts: 327
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I am having 3 joints done on my left and 4 joints done on my right.

    Been told one screw in each but two in my subtalar joint as it is a bigger joint.

    Ive heard that a lot of people with there subtalar joints fused, need their screws taken out as they can feel the screws when they walk.
    Hope that does not happen to me.

    :P
  • anniek
    anniek Member Posts: 39
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    I had forefoot surgery I went in on the Thursday afternoon had the surgery Friday morning and was out Sunday first thing ,before being discharged physio come to make sure you can walk ,go to the toilet and get up and down stairs with your cruches ,good luck hope all goes well Ruth keep us posted ,Anne
  • Katiekay
    Katiekay Member Posts: 1
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi, I've just joined this forum following foot fusion surgery.

    I had my surgery on 5th June. I went into my local hospital at 12.30, had my operation at 2.00 and was back on the ward about 5.30. My husband and daughters came to collect me at 7.30. I briefly saw a physio to help with crutches, but I still haven't mastered them due to arthritis in my neck, shoulders and right wrist, not good when combined with a poor sense of balance! Once home I went to bed which was set up in my living room, I decided that while I was non weight bearing I would stay downstairs. The pain was bearable, although for the first two days I was very pleased when pill time came round.

    It is a bit scary going home the same day, but if you can I think it's worth it.

    After the first two weeks I began to use a knee scooter to get round the ground floor of my home and I use a wheelchair when I go out. I did try crutches, but a fall one week after surgery made me think it was God's way of telling me to give them up.

    I'm 66 and had the op because the pain was so bad most days I felt like chopping my foot off. I don't know how successful it has been, but as the man said when he fell off the Empire State Building - so far so good!

    Good luck with your op.
  • [Deleted User]
    [Deleted User] Posts: 3,635
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Katiekay, welcome to Arthritis Care Forums.

    As mods we are here to help with any problems you may have using the forums.

    There are many lovely people who use the forums with a wide range of experiences in regards to having and living with arthritis. Have a good look through the different forums and pick the ones you feel are best for you.

    Best wishes,

    ModEm
  • stickywicket
    stickywicket Member Posts: 27,764
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hello katiekay and welcome from me too. I do hope your op is successful and I love your final comment :lol:

    I think the reason patients are returned home from hospital asap these days is partly because we recover better at home and mainly because of the danger of so-called hospital infections.

    I can empathise with the crutch problems. I've never been able to use them due to the arthritis elsewhere. I usually get sent home with a zimmer and then discard it the first time I make myself a cuppa as I lack a third hand :lol: I think I'd better avoid foot surgery.

    If you look lower down the page 'ImGazHughes' has a thread on his own recent 'subtalar fusion' and others have had foot surgery too though I'm not familiar with the different ops. This thread of 'sailrib's' is actually an old one from 2011. I'm fairly sure I remember it being a successful op but 'sailrib' hasn't been around here for a while.

    Please keep us informed of your progress (I hope it's smooth and upwards) and do join in on other threads :D
    If at first you don't succeed, then skydiving definitely isn't for you.
    Steven Wright
  • trepolpen
    trepolpen Member Posts: 504
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    hi Ruth ,

    good luck with the surgery , I have had the same thing done with 4 joints fused in my right foot/heel in 2001 & 3 joints done in my left foot/heel in 2009, the opperation is called triple arthrodesis so you can look it up

    the last time I was in hospital 5 days , partly bacuse I had problems with leg ulcers which open up the wound & had to be redone in new plaster cast

    six weeks in cast & non weight bearing & then into a airboot for 6 months , realy well worth having this done , all my screws are still in & dont cause any problems , I know at some point I got to go back & have the main ankle done but in no rush

    realy well worth having it done so wish you gl
  • jamart
    jamart Member Posts: 27
    edited 30. Nov -1, 00:00
    Hi Ruth
    I had a subtalor fusion on the 5th January, I went in hospital at 7.30 in the morning and was home at 8 o'clock at night, had no pain at all after the op. Now six months later I am so pleased that I had the op, no pain when I walk at all and it's heaven! :D I have a 2 dimensional screw in mine ( whatever that is) and so far no problems. I wish you luck with your op and if there's anything you would like to ask I would be happy to help.