Titanium Connecting Rods, Oh My! (Update 21/1/14)

[Dutchy]

Sorry to read this.....

All I can do is get drunk on your behalf...... :biggrin:

[RustyA]

Welp, went to the bone Doc today and it's official.

Latest X-rays reveal that I have raging arthritis in my ankle and most certainly require fusion. :pissed:

Quote: "Your X-rays look like hell, but I totally expected that."

Every step is absolute agony unless I'm totally overmedicated on Toradol which makes things almost slightly bearable. :angry:

BUT, you're only supposed to take that stuff for one week MAX. I've been on it 4 months. :excl:

F%@& S#@! D@&$ :dry:

I did get a cortisone shot to help out short-term, but that's just a total band-aid. :pissed:

I feel your pain about arthritis. :angry: Because of it. I've had one hip replaced. Now I working to keep from having a knee replaced. Also it's in my upper back now too. I know what you're going through. Try to get your doctor to give you a shot of Syn-Visc joint fluid. I got one in my knee, and it was pure relieve. :fing02:

[V4 Rosso]

It is over a year now and still on pain killers? That sucks.

[enzed_viffer]

Bad luck, Rob - I'm really sorry to hear your bad news. I've had arthritis for ooh.. (aah!! AAargh!!) about 11 years, but it's mainly been minor, and advanced pretty slowly, so I can't complain. Only one of my assorted pains results from a bike crash, and that was from when I wrecked my VFR750 when a dozy driver u-turned into me about 8 years ago. I think I broke a bone in my heel, and since then I've had many uncomfortable nights where it's kept me awake. However, yours sounds much gnarstier, Sir. :blink:

I sincerely hope that somehow things work out for you.

On a more cheery note, I rode my VFR for only the third time today since I had open-heart surgery! :491: I've kinda lost my mojo, but I think it will come back. (Somehow they origamied my arm/shoulder while I was unconscious, and it's lost mobility and given me lotsa grief, so I haven't been able to ride).

Oops.. didn't mean to hijack this. :blush:

All the best Rob - don't give up yet.

[Baileyrock]

Welp, went to the bone Doc today and it's official.

Latest X-rays reveal that I have raging arthritis in my ankle and most certainly require fusion. :pissed:

Quote: "Your X-rays look like hell, but I totally expected that."

Every step is absolute agony unless I'm totally overmedicated on Toradol which makes things almost slightly bearable. :angry:

BUT, you're only supposed to take that stuff for one week MAX. I've been on it 4 months. :excl:

F%@& S#@! D@&$ :dry:

I did get a cortisone shot to help out short-term, but that's just a total band-aid. :pissed:

So sorry to hear that Rob! :ohmy:

I was told similar early on that fusion was the most likely outcome and that only the amount of Pain would determine how long before the need. Amazingly enough at the moment my destroied ankle is doing much better than my good one! :blush:

Before going the fusing route has anyone mentioned or tried a synthetic lube that's shot right into the joint? I can't for the life remember the name but it's called Syn...... something and I spoke to at least one guy here in the states that said it provided enough lubericant to almost stop the pain from the bone to bone contact. He said it last several months or more.

Have you heard or looked into this possibility?

BR

[RustyA]

Welp, went to the bone Doc today and it's official.

Latest X-rays reveal that I have raging arthritis in my ankle and most certainly require fusion. :pissed:

Quote: "Your X-rays look like hell, but I totally expected that."

Every step is absolute agony unless I'm totally overmedicated on Toradol which makes things almost slightly bearable. :angry:

BUT, you're only supposed to take that stuff for one week MAX. I've been on it 4 months. :excl:

F%@& S#@! D@&$ :dry:

I did get a cortisone shot to help out short-term, but that's just a total band-aid. :pissed:

So sorry to hear that Rob! :ohmy:

I was told similar early on that fusion was the most likely outcome and that only the amount of Pain would determine how long before the need. Amazingly enough at the moment my destroied ankle is doing much better than my good one! :blush:

Before going the fusing route has anyone mentioned or tried a synthetic lube that's shot right into the joint? I can't for the life remember the name but it's called Syn...... something and I spoke to at least one guy here in the states that said it provided enough lubericant to almost stop the pain from the bone to bone contact. He said it last several months or more.

Have you heard or looked into this possibility?

BR

Name of the stuff is Syn-Visc. It's syn joint fliud. I had a shot in my knee over a month ago. Great stuff. :fing02: The way they are doing it with me is, get a shot of it, then 3 months later, I get a shot of coritsone. 3 months later, I get another shot of Syn-Visc. That's how my bone doc told me the way he was going about treatment. I'll keep doing it that way, as long I don't have to have a knee replaced. :mad: The doc said, you know when to get it done, because of how much pain you can't stand. Sucks gettin' old. :mad:

[Veefer800Canuck]

I can ask him about the syn-visc, I was aware that Brett Favre was getting those injections, but really, it's a stopgap measure at best. I'll ask anyhow.

Oh yummy, it's made from Chicken Combs :laughing6-hehe:

Synvisc-One® (hylan G-F 20) is an elastoviscous high molecular

weight fluid containing hylan A and hylan B polymers

produced from chicken combs.

Oh, and it's only currently approved for use in the knee, which, as a joint, is much more forgiving than the ankle due to it's construction. I'll still ask though.

[Baileyrock]

Name of the stuff is Syn-Visc. It's syn joint fliud. I had a shot in my knee over a month ago. Great stuff. :fing02: The way they are doing it with me is, get a shot of it, then 3 months later, I get a shot of coritsone. 3 months later, I get another shot of Syn-Visc.

That's the stuff, thanks for the input Rusty! :fing02:

Hey Rob, if it stops the pain and you don't need to be fused yet it's all good! :bliss:

BR

[vfrcapn]

I can ask him about the syn-visc, I was aware that Brett Favre was getting those injections, but really, it's a stopgap measure at best. I'll ask anyhow.

Oh yummy, it's made from Chicken Combs :laughing6-hehe:

Synvisc-One® (hylan G-F 20) is an elastoviscous high molecular

weight fluid containing hylan A and hylan B polymers

produced from chicken combs.

Oh, and it's only currently approved for use in the knee, which, as a joint, is much more forgiving than the ankle due to it's construction. I'll still ask though.

Sorry about all the problems, I hope some of these injections might help if you get to try them. I guess be grateful you aren't a vegetarian. :biggrin:

[Veefer800Canuck]

Have an appointment on the 18th for a 2nd opinion from a different OrthoDoc.

We'll see what he says. :comp13:

[SEBSPEED]

Best of luck Rob, it's been an ordeal for sure. Is it feeling any better at all lately?

[Veefer800Canuck]

Best of luck Rob, it's been an ordeal for sure. Is it feeling any better at all lately?

Well, I had a cortisone shot deep into the middle of the joint a couple weeks ago, and it's feeling slightly better because of that.

Still getting new/different/same pains, some greater in severity, some less. :beatdeadhorse:

If I take Toradol over the recommended amount (4/day instead of 3/day) then I can function "sort of" normally, but you're not supposed to take that stuff for more than a week as it's hard on the liver and stomach. :ohmy:

There are moments when I am walking around (in shoes of course) and feel like "Hey, this isn't too bad, if things never got any worse than this, I think I could almost deal with it this way for good!" (usually early in the day after the foot has been resting all night)

Then, after about 3-4 hours of "near-normal" activity, and a short rest, then when I get moving again, it's back to "killing bunny rabbits" in my head to get past the pain and I'm reminded of my Doctor's advice which is total fusion. (sigh) :mellow:

Towards the end of the day, it's hurting something awful, and the pain is basically consistent with activity level. If I sit on my arse all day, it doesn't hardly hurt at all.

So the "good" times are enough of a teaser to keep me teetering on the brink of indecision, and the "bad" times are almost enough to drive me to surgery. Or drink.

And all of the above is with shoes on. The curved bottoms of my Merrills are almost enough to mask some of the symptoms, but as soon as I try to walk barefoot, there is tons of pressure on the outside edge of the foot, along the 5th metatarsal due to the ankle joint repair being slightly off-kilter to the inside. I used to have pronation in both my feet and now the left one has quite a degree of supination.

So walking barefoot is really ugly with a fairly pronounced limp and pressure on the outer edge of the foot. When the pain gets bad, I wind up rotating the foot out about 30-40 degrees to the port side so that the ankle doesn't have to articulate as much.

Looks goofy, it's slow and painful. :mad:

And running? Not really possible at all. I can hurry for short distances, but that's it. Not running in any way shape or form.

And if I "catch" the foot on a rock, a lip or threshold, or step into a small dip or depression, look out. :pissed:

Walking on uneven surfaces in the dark makes me totally fearful as if the hole or dip is deep enough, I'm going right down like a sack of hammers.

Basically, I've gotta stare at the ground and avoid everything that isn't flat and level.

And uphill, downhill, or sidehill are all equally bad. :blink:

So yeah, lots of suckitude to go around fer sure. But at least it's still attached. It could have been left as a hood ornament on the Accord.

Oh yeah, and lately, it's clicking and popping a lot during dorsiflexion. Ow <crunch-pop> Ow <crunch-pop> Ow.........etc

Fun quotes off the interweb:

-Fracture of the neck and the body of the talus is one of the most devastating injuries around the ankle. Fractures are very often complicated with dislocation of talo-navicular or subtalar or talo-tibial joint.

-Fracture of the neck of the talus with dislocation of talo-tibial joint and subtalar joint might be one of the worst injuries that can happen around the ankle joint. Almost all cases are complicated with avascular necrosis of the body of the talus and takes years to be revascularized even after prolonged non weight bearing.

-Displaced talus fractures are uncommon but devastating injuries. Because they are seen infrequently, most surgeons have limited experience managing these fractures and their sequelae. Two thirds of the talus is covered in articular cartilage, and all fractures are articular injuries affecting one or more of the adjacent joints. Operative treatment is usually necessary to restore hind foot anatomy and mechanics, as well as joint congruity in the majority of these fractures. Disruption of articular congruity and/or loss of talar length, alignment, and rotation are general indications for operative treatment. Even small residual-fracture displacement can result in a significant compromise of subtalar, ankle, or talonavicular joint function.

-Joint stiffness and posttraumatic arthritis are the most frequent consequences of talar body and neck fractures. This often occurs with some degree of focal osteonecrosis. It can be the result of chondral damage at the time of injury or from abnormal joint kinematics caused by malunion. Stable internal fixation that allows early motion may minimize peritalar joint stiffness. When conservative measures are ineffective, arthrodesis of the affected joint(s) is often necessary for pain relief. Proper imaging studies prior to arthrodesis are often necessary to detect areas of osteonecrosis, which may help the surgeon determine the method of fusion or the need for bone grafting.

[SEBSPEED]

Just seeing what you've typed there, makes me think you should get the surgery. Yes, it will affect your quality of life, but by how much? Compared to where you are now? Being a family man + being on pain pills 24/7 is not a good combination. For your health or your family's. They don't want to see you in pain as much as you don't want to experience pain. I don't want to say too much, because it's not my place. I will end saying that I too have had a leg injury that gave me pain in levels like yours - fine in the morning, but increasing in discomfort with use. Mine was much easier to take care and not much of an issue anymore. I didn't like being fuzzy and disconnected from my family most of the day from the pills.

Weigh out your pro's and con's with a goal of long term quality of life, putting your family first and not so much your personal wants(like the bike). I'm pretty sure that's what I would do.

[V4 Rosso]

and I'm reminded of my Doctor's advice which is total fusion. (sigh) :mellow:

I am not familiar with this kind of stuff, but does total fusion mean the joint will have very limited motion, or worse, you won't be able to move it at all after fusion?

[Baileyrock]

Hang in there Rob, I know the constant pain is a huge interference to the enjoyment of life and many times even the ability to try and maintain or have even the slightest positive perspective! :ohmy:

Advancements come with time so if you can manage pain to an acceptable level then hang on, otherwise I would suggest just going the fused route as that should stop 90% of the pain from what I understand.

Many people has fused joints and do everything we do now, in fact I got all depressed over the thought of fusing my left ankle as I thought it would end my riding and track days! But my main riding/track day buddy at the time came over the next day when I was all depressed and said" What are you worried about, both of my ankles are basically fused and I do everything you do" :blink:

That just let me stop worrying about it and relax. :fing02:

It may slow somethings down, but were only limited by our imagination and motovation especially if Pain is no longer a factor!

BR

[Earthshake]

Have an appointment on the 18th for a 2nd opinion from a different OrthoDoc.

We'll see what he says. :comp13:

That's probably the best move at this point. If he corroborates with the first doctor, at least you can feel confident in going forward. Good luck Rob!

[Veefer800Canuck]

and I'm reminded of my Doctor's advice which is total fusion. (sigh) :mellow:

I am not familiar with this kind of stuff, but does total fusion mean the joint will have very limited motion, or worse, you won't be able to move it at all after fusion?

yes to the bolded part.

it will look like this inside:

[Veefer800Canuck]

Off to the Vet tomorrow to get my left leg hacked up. See pic above. :angry:

Can barely walk today without folding onto the floor or swearing loudly. :pissed:

Will be away from the forum for awhile. :mellow:

If anyone wants to buy me something for my birthday, a Pingel Electric Shifter would be nice! :fing02:

Ride safe everyone, and have lots of winter project pics for me to look at when I get back. :bliss:

[jaimev34]

Good luck, dude!

[Vee-Ef-Ar]

Hang in there mate and all the best for tomorrow :fing02:

[V4 Rosso]

I'd expected a little more progress after 16 months :mellow: I hope the doc does a good hack job.

[CornerCarver]

All the best tomorrow Rob...

[Earthshake]

All the best tomorrow Rob...

:fing02:

[Muff]

Prayers are with you. Keep is updated on your progress

[oyama]

Good luck Rob!!!