Osteoarthritis in both my feet!!

Floydiee01

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed at the very young age of 19 with Osteoarthritis in both my ankles and front foot. I have uncontrollable bone spurs that have made my life completely change! I am now waiting for surgery number 6 to have them removed. Unfortunately, after this surgery my consultant has informed me that there is nothing they can do (should have said this is my right foot which is my more dominant foot that has been the biggest hindrance of the 2) apart from ankle fusion! Which as he said will reduce my mobility massively. Nothing has been done to my left foot apart from injections and now this is becoming more of a problem. I'm assuming as i get older its just going to drastically deteriorate. I am not able to work now because of this and I am suffering massively with my mental health (I am getting support for this) and financially especially as i have always worked my butt off until i couldn't no more.

Is their anyone else out there with the same as me or has had their ankle fused? if so how has it been for you? I'm petrified of having it done at such a young age (now 27) but this pain is uncontrollable and my left foot hasn't even been touched yet!

Thank you for reading a little about my journey. Look forward to some replies :)

Margit

Hi,

sorry to hear re your situation I was offered ankle fusion at 27 due to a trauma, which I refused for obvious reasons.. I had a lot of chronic pain in my 20’s and had to give up my job as I was crying with pain:-( I met a good consultant after and I had private operations, which cost me a fortune all on loans from bank. Then another one cartilage transplant which helped to buy some time. And now back to arthritis again. Having 6 ops is a lot. Must be terrible…. I’m also a physio student and did a lot of reading. For younger patients fusion is a standard treatment because ankle replacements don’t last that long. I think I won’t escape it either. In the clinical trials it had a lot of positives mainly no pain!! But range of motion is gone:-( Ankle treatments are not as good as hip or knee replacements:-( the issue with fusion is the potential development of further arthritis in the surrounding joints. But personally having no pain? Not be able go cycling I think I would know my choice although it’s not the most amazing one:-( If your mental health is affected by it perhaps worth considering it? Surely your consultant will advise accordingly… I’m already dreading what’s gonna come because I have been there. Perhaps my situation wasn’t as bad as yours but I had a fare share of pain

Margit

And lastly obviously your OA had gone so severe in less than a decade? That’s very worrying? Are you classed as end stage OA in the right foot? D

Floydiee01

https://community.versusarthritis.org/discussion/comment/697498#Comment_697498

Hi Margit. Thanks for getting back to me.

I was having pro blems with my foot ankle and knee joints from the tender age of 15 had numerous x-rays MRI scans etc and was all put down to me loosing weight. At that age i was at school and played in ALL of the sports teams. I didn't understand what else and more i could do to loose weight i have always been a larger girl but since it getting so severe i have gained a lot more weight. So i applied for PIP (never was awarded) and when i did this i got all of my medical records regarding my arthritis from consultant to gp's etc come back so i could send off. Now this is where it gets interesting. So from what i could make out i had arthritis all along but didn't want to give me the diagnosis so young. New year of 2019 i had a bad fall and had identical fractures of bot heel bones. Had my feet casted and when i went back two weeks later to have them off the consultant said i was "riddled" with arthritis, plantar fascitits and something else i can't remember. I spoke to my consultant and said surely that's not from 1 injury to which he agreed and said to me have i always suffered. Too which i had from a young age. So yes from this and the fact that I am now looking at possible fusion surgery i would guess that i have last stage OA. The worst part is my left foot hasn't even been touched yet and the thought of having both done frightens the hell out of me but i dont want this pain anymore! My consultant also said it would reduce my mobility to around 40%. It's a little more complicated my case (as he stated) as the osteophytes are literally everywhere! Probably need to ask more in depth about this post op after this cheilectomy.

stickywicket

My ankles and wrists fused themselves years ago after about 35 years of RA and a bit less of OA. I was lucky that they fused perfectly ("I couldn't have done a better job myself" my ortho surgeon modestly commented.) As far as I'm concerned there are no downsides. The pain is completely gone there. I was never into sports,alas, as I got RA at 15 so it just made my walking much better. I do tend to gather speed going down steep slopes😃 to the great amusement of my family but, that apart, all good.

Wilmur

I am much older than you but I had an ankle fusion about 5 years ago. It was completely successful and ,altough much stiffer than my other ankle, I can still cycle and go for reasonably enjoyable walks. The pain from the operated joint went away immediately. I still have arthritis in my other foot joints now, which is another story, but have never regretted the ankle fusiion procedure as before it I was limping very badly and in constant pain. Hope this helps