Osteoarthritis of foot

Trathi13

Has anyone ever had surgery for severe arthritis in their foot. I also have a hole unde4 my ankle which I need a bone graft to fill, I need the bones 8n my feet pining and my toes straightening along with a bunion sorting. I am ok with this as it inhibits me walking fa4 with my dogs, but I also have ovarian cancer and I am on a PARP inhibitor now, which I know I would need to stop on admission to hospital. I am 63 and active. I just wondered if anyone had faced a similar situation and how the bones recovered. I broke my TiB and Fib a couple of years ago which needed big chunks of steel in and it took a year for the bone to heal. Any advice would be great. Many thanks.

Poppyjane

Hello @Trathi13 welcome to the online community

It is good to hear from you, at a time when you certainly have a lot going on in your life. We are a friendly group who aim to support each other whilst living with the daily challenges of arthritis in its many forms.

To be dealing with severe arthritis in your foot as well as ovarian cancer is a double challenge and I am sure requires immense patience and a firm vision of that great day in the future when you can walk freely with your dogs. We hope to be there to offer support to you along the way.

Meanwhile I attach some links which I hope you will find useful

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/foot-and-ankle-surgery/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/exercising-with-arthritis/exercises-for-healthy-joints/exercises-for-the-toes-feet-and-ankles/

There are lots of discussions and activities to join in with on the forum so do browse round and make contact with us in the community. There may be some sport or hobby that will use up some of your latent energy certainly the Lets Move and stretching exercises videos could offer you some diversion.

You don't say if you have a date for an orthopaedic consultation to discuss the way forward with your foot.

Do let us know how you get on.

Best wishes

Poppyjane

helpline_team

Hello @Trathi13

Thank you for posting on the Online Community. I hope you found Poppyjane's post with links of some help. I am sorry to hear you have severe arthritis in your foot and you need foot surgery, including a bone graft , as well as having treatment for ovarian cancer. It sounds as if you have been going through a rough time. Pain and difficulty walking limits daily activities, including walking the dogs which you enjoy. This can drag you down and feel very debilitating. Being in touch with others who have had foot surgery and are facing similar challenges may help.

If you would like to have more replies to your post, you are welcome to repost on our Living with Arthritis forum which is a supportive space where you can ask questions and share experiences with others. You are also welcome to call our Free Helpline on 0800 5200 520 weekdays 9am - 6pm if you would like to talk things through informally and in confidence.

It may help to talk things through further with your GP as well as your surgeon. We are not medically trained.

I hope you will find the information given below will be of some help.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/osteoarthritis-oa-of-the-foot-and-ankle/

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/conditions/foot-and-ankle-pain/

Please keep posting and let us know how you are getting on.

Best wishes,

Fiona

Trathi13

Thank you both for responding. Yes I have seen a surgeon who is prepared to do it but wants to discuss at MDT meeting I guess my worry is they will say no. He has put a case forward for me and I am just waiting to hear. I will look at the exercises thank you but I always try to keep active my husband says I never sit still. Some of the exercises I cannot do like trying to rotate my foot and my toes are particularly pain, I can no longer stand on my tip toes. I blame 40 years working in the nhs 😂

The waiting time for surgery is about a year but if I accept a cancellation it may be sooner. My only concerns really are will they agree to do it and I recover normally with no infection. I can appreciate you are not medically trained, I was just wondering if anyone else has had foot surgery when their immune system is compromised. I will post it onto the on line group thank you.
Yes, I will keep you informed.,

helpline_team

Hi @Trathi13,

Thanks for letting us know. I hope that you receive both good news about the surgery after the MDT meeting, and helpful responses from our online community members.

It’s great that you’re doing what you can to stay active, as keeping the muscles and joints as strong as possible before surgery, will help to aid the recovery after.

It’s normal to feel concerned about any operation, especially when there are other conditions and medications involved. A doctor will check your general health and go through any questions you might have, prior to the surgery. The link to foot and ankle surgery that Poppyjane posted, explains what will happen pre-surgery and post-surgery, and provides information that may help with some of your concerns. As well as the pre-surgery appointment you will also be monitored after the operation. It may be helpful to ask at your pre-surgery appointment about how this, and your post-op care once you are home, will work. Hope it helps.

https://www.versusarthritis.org/about-arthritis/treatments/surgery/foot-and-ankle-surgery/

Thanks, Natalie, Helpline Advisor.