Well 5 weeks ago I had surgery on both feet. A toe fusion on one foot & a an amputation of the toe end on the other foot.
It’s not been easy but I’m getting there. The fusion was going to be a tendon release but continuing to a fusion if the release didn’t work. That’s ok it’s what we agreed but it would have been nice to have it confirmed. . I woke up in recovery & thought ok it’s got pins so must be a fusion. No one has told me & the day unit who discharged me had no idea of aftercare etc which was pretty rubbish. They just said we are not orthopaedics. I’ve managed without instructions but my Rheumy nurse said to let them know if I was struggling & I could have a steroid injection. After about 5 weeks I called Rheumy & asked if I could have the injection as I was starting to struggle. I was told that I couldn’t have the steroid as it would prevent wounds from healing 🙁. I’ve been 7 weeks off my Abatacept now & really hurting everywhere now. Just wondering how others have coped. Im seeing the Consultant next week & hoping the pins can come out shortly. Does anyone know how they take them out? I’ve had them before but they are the ones that stay inside the joint this will be the first time I’ve had external pins. Getting nervous. X
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Otto11
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I had pins in my wrist/thumb which not quite toes but they slowly pull them out. It didn’t hurt or anything. I had 2 fingers totally amputated 4 weeks ago and at my 2 week post op wound check my orthopaedic consultant gave me a steroid injection in my wrist and told me to go back on my Rinvoq so thankfully I was only off them for 3 weeks. Good luck with your recovery. Xx
Oh! Bless you. That’s sounds awful. I hope you are on the road to recovery now & glad pins didn’t hurt too badly. Rheumy told me not to restart Abatacept until all wounds healed. Not sure when that will be but hoping for more instruction tomorrow. I’m hoping he may give me a steroid injection too. Take care x
Many many many years ago when I was a teen, I had surgery on my foot which included a pin that had to be taken out. Bearing in mind that young people heal faster than older people, and it was back in the day when they put you in a plaster case for 12 weeks, my experience will have been very different to yours in some ways, but also really funny.
I had to go to the A&E of a large children's hospital in Toronto where my surgeon who was also a family friend was to remove the pin. The surgeon was head of orthopaedics and he had a huge following of interns and residents with him. If it was today there probably would have been camera crews there too, it was that sort of situation. And because he knew the family he wanted to be the person to take the pin out.
So there I am, 15 years old, centre of a treatment room, filled with people with white coats. A hush as the surgeon walks in. He says this won't hurt, gets the mole grips out and gives it a pull. Nothing.
So he gets a couple of the others to hold my leg steady and pulls harder. Nothing.
It is deadly quiet. No one dare say anything to him, after all he is head and they are all underlings.
He pulls and pulls, and eventually the pin lets go all at once and he goes flying backwards into the onlookers! Most undignified! But it gave me, the teen, a huge grin on my face and a desire to go to med school.
Oh, the reason I am telling you? It really didn't hurt! I did feel a bit of tugging but that was all.
However, the next foot, the next year, with a new and younger surgeon, they decided to put a screw pin in on the basis that it might be easier to get out. This time there was no big show, but the surgeon did say it would hurt me more than him. The pin was across the joints and as the tip was withdrawn through the bone I didn't feel anything but when the tip was slowly unscrewed through the flesh in-between I did feel it, but it wasn't painful as such.
Thanks for letting me know your experience. 3 months in plaster sounds pretty tough going. All that tugging sounds awful. I’m definitely not looking forward to that!! It sounds like when I had my wisdom teeth out. Let’s not go there! I didn’t know he was going to do the surgery so didn’t ask the questions beforehand. He was convinced he would be doing a tendon release. I had toe surgery at 17 & remember wearing Jesus sandals afterwards. I’ve no idea when I can get a shoe back on. Oh well guess I will have to see what tomorrow brings x
I'm sure that it won't take so much tugging for you. And as I said it isn't actually hurt. Proceedures have changed a lot in the last 50 years and they don't leave people in plaster for such a long time. But as a high school student, it was great fun. I could go down stairs with my crutches much faster than everyone else and I had all the boys clamouring to open doors for me!
So when they do yours tomorrow, just think of that very distinguished surgeon going flying backwards into all his students and have a little giggle.
I had foot surgery last year, toes straightened, with pins, one toe amputated and other bits. I asked if I could have pain relief for the pins when removed and was told no, it didn't hurt, but don't look. I was desperate to go back on biological and methotrexate, so got in touch with Rheumatology and orth and was told once everything was healed I did.
oh gosh. Are yours OK now? I'm just home. It hurt a bit but only briefly & he said it was because of the cleanser he had just put on it mostly. I didnt realise it would still be unstable for another 3 months. So back in 6 weeks to recheck. He said I could restart Biologics in a few days. If I call rheumy then it takes 10 days for a call back & I hope to be back on them before then. they did say to wait until the wound is healed but as I still have stitches then i'm not sure if that counts 🤷♀️
Yes,fine now, thanks apart from an ache in my big toe, but thats bearable. Good excuse to keep my feet up and catch up with tele. I also had stitches, I was back on meds by the time they were taken out, as the area was dry and clean. Hope everything works out well for you.
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Long recovery after foot surgery
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