1/4/12 - How This Story Began

After a few months of dealing with a lot of pain in my left ankle, especially after a band packed weekend (I am a Color Guard Instructor for PHS Marching Band), I finally decided to go to an Orthopedic Doctor to have it evaluated. The last thing from my mind was that I would walk out of the Doctor's Office having found out that I need surgery....

My Orthopedic Doc diagnosed me with Chronic Ankle Instability:

"A condition characterized by a recurring “giving way” of the outer (lateral) side of the ankle. This condition often develops after repeated ankle sprains. Usually the “giving way” occurs while walking or doing other activities, but it can also happen when you’re just standing."

People with chronic ankle instability often complain of:
•A repeated turning of the ankle, especially on uneven surfaces or when participating in sports
•Persistent (chronic) discomfort and swelling
•Pain or tenderness
•The ankle feeling wobbly or unstable

In some cases, the foot and ankle surgeon will recommend surgery based on the degree of instability or lack of response to non-surgical approaches. Surgery usually involves repair or reconstruction of the damaged ligament(s). The surgeon will select the surgical procedure best suited for your case based on the severity of the instability and your activity level. The length of the recovery period will vary, depending on the procedure or procedures performed.

Check, Check, Check, and Check.....So, he said go see my Buddy the Orthopedic Surgeon (OS)...the first thing the OS said after inverting my ankle was "HOLY MOLEY!" ....apparently my ankle turns further than it naturally should...actually, much further.

The second thing the OS tells me - you need surgery...great! He says I have so many things wrong with my ankle, we might as well switch to a bionic leg (it was just a joke, the bionic leg part) I have chronic ankle instability caused by genetics and repeated ankle sprains, synovitis (basically scar tissue), peroneal tendon sublaxation, shown below, (where the peroneal tendon pops up and over the malleolus, the knob on the outside of your ankle) which is causing tendonitis, and plantar fasciitis which is just damage to the tissue under your foot......


So he scheduled me for a diagnostic surgery on December 22nd, 2011 called arthroscopic surgery for my left ankle so that he could go in, clean out as much synovitis as possible, and try to figure out exactly what is going on in my ankle and how he can fix it.

After 2 hours in the OR and then 1 hour in recovery, he tells me that I have done so much damage to the ligaments in my ankle that they basically don't even exist anymore - which means we have to go in a replace those ligaments so I don't further damage my ankle and the bones - and by the way, we have to do it soon!

(Oh, and did I mention that on December 15, 2011 - my husband Joe was rushed to the emergency room with a collapsed lung - they call it Spontaneous Pnuemothorax - he had to get surgery on the 20th to get it fixed, 2 days before mine, and while I was on the table, my mom in the waiting room, he was in the ICU with a chest tube....awesome Christmas right? No....)

Apparently there is a Plan A and a Plan B with this next one - Plan A is called the Watson Jones Procedure, shown right, involves 2 incisions (according to my OS) and if there is enough of the ligament left, they will graft an engineered ligament over the destroyed one and then drill a tunnel through the Fibula, the small leg bone at the malleolus and thread a piece from my achilles tendon through the hole and then connect it to my foot and to my heel bone. He says that this is the easiest procedure and a lot less invasive - but apparently, my OS is a betting man and believes we are going to have to go with Plan B...


Plan B, pictured right, will happen if there is not enough of my ligament left to work with - it is called the Chrisman-Snook Procedure which requires a much larger incision where they will graft a piece of my peroneal tendon through a tunnel they will drill in the fibula and through the ankle/heel (Calcaneus) bone in order to tie everything down - apparently this is a much more labor intensive surgery but it kills 2 birds with one stone (according to him - I don't know if I quite understand yet????).

So the next surgery is sceduled for January 12, 2012 - we will spin the wheel and put our finger out to land on the procedure we will perform that day (J/K!) and when I wake up I will be in a cast from below my knee down to my toes - it has to stay on for 6 weeks and then I will be in a brace and going to physical therapy to try to regain strength in my ankle and get the movement back in my ankle.

So, since I will be out of commision with this for a little while - I thought I would keep a journal going about it and share my experiences - pics and all.

The journey has already begun...

P.S. My husband Joe was released from the hospital on Dec. 28th but he still has the chest tube - should find out today if he gets to get that out today - fingers crossed!