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Anyone ever had any bones "fused"?

fishkiller41fishkiller41 Member Posts: 50,608
edited May 2006 in General Discussion
I'm going tomorro at 2 pm to have the large (second) knuckle in my right big toe cut out,and the ends of the bone fused together.I guess their gonna screw a plate to it to help hold it aligned until the bone heals.
Doc says 90 days before i can work on my feet again.I broke it by stuffin it into the ground a bunch of times motocrossin when i was a kid.Dr. says it's "severly arthritic".I shoouldda been nicer to my body when i was young.I'm 44 now and wonder what kind of problems i have to look foreward to in the future with a "fused" toe-bone.
Jeff
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  • fishkiller41fishkiller41 Member Posts: 50,608
    edited November -1
    I'm going tomorro at 2 pm to have the large (second) knuckle in my right big toe cut out,and the ends of the bone fused together.I guess their gonna screw a plate to it to help hold it aligned until the bone heals.
    Doc says 90 days before i can work on my feet again.I broke it by stuffin it into the ground a bunch of times motocrossin when i was a kid.Dr. says it's "severly arthritic".I shoouldda been nicer to my body when i was young.I'm 44 now and wonder what kind of problems i have to look foreward to in the future with a "fused" toe-bone.
    Jeff
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    I don't know about the toe, but I have about 5lbs of metal in me after being hit by a drunk driver. This happend about 2 1/2 years ago. And I won't try and kid you, I hurt alot of the time. I have lost about 20% of the movement in my right elbow (my arm will not straighten all the way), when I sit I lean to the left to keep the pressure off my right butt cheek ( my right hip was shattered and repaired with rods, pins, and screws), Left ankle has lost about 60% of the movement ( will be more eventually the bone is deteriorating and they are going to have to fully fuse it to were my foot will be solid in place). Cold days are the worst. That metal gets cold and causes you to ache.

    Also after you have it done (you may not have a big problem with the small amount of metal they will use for a toe) if you go to fly somewhere carry medical records with you. I do set metal detectors off. I found that having a copy of my records helps when they go to investigate why the metal detector went off.

    For you it sounds like your biggest problem is going to be with the cold.

    Good luck!
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  • nmyersnmyers Member Posts: 16,892 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    You will probably need to see a foot specialist to have special shoes or shoe inserts made. Your foot will no longer flex normally, & attempts to "force" it will have long term consequences. This is a chronic condition which will require serious care for the rest of your life.

    What's the worse that could happen? Changes in your gait could stress your knee joints (especially the one on your "good" side) to the point that you may eventually need knee replacement surgery. Be sure to get professional care for any discomfort related to this procedure.

    Neal
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  • fishkiller41fishkiller41 Member Posts: 50,608
    edited November -1
    Kevin:
    Thanks for the info and advice buddy.I don't suppose i'll have to worry too much about the cold(I live in Palm Beach)until Dec. comes and i go on my yearly Deer hunting trip to Indiana.Muzzle loader.Don't ya love Black powder"

    Neal:Thank you also for the good advice Doc says it'll be about 2-3 mo. Before it's completely healed... I'll keep y'all posted over in the "GENERAL TOPIC" area.
    Jeff
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  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427 ✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by fishkiller41
    Kevin:
    Thanks for the info and advice buddy.I don't suppose i'll have to worry too much about the cold(I live in Palm Beach)until Dec. comes and i go on my yearly Deer hunting trip to Indiana.Muzzle loader.Don't ya love Black powder"

    Neal:Thank you also for the good advice Doc says it'll be about 2-3 mo. Before it's completely healed... I'll keep y'all posted over in the "GENERAL TOPIC" area.
    Jeff


    I just got into muzzle loading and am still learning. I bought 2 rifles ( a T/C Hawken 50cal and a real nice Winchester 45 cal with a very nice scope) and have only had them out a couple times. They are alot of fun. I plan on getting a BP pistol too, but can't deside on which one. I am hopeing to get my first BP buck this year.
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  • dcso3009dcso3009 Member Posts: 2,350 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    My wife just had her 3rd fusion done yesterday. She has had problems with bulging disks in her spine. In the latest surgery, they removed a plate and its screws that were put in fall 2000. The bone was solid, and there was no need for it. She has had no problems with weather or metal detectors at airports that were mentioned above.

    Closer related to your procedure, my brother has a fused joint in his trigger finger after he cut it off. Got him a medical discharge from the Marine Corps. He had it bent 25 deg and then fused. Said it helped him have a better grip. He does have more sensitivity to cold now.
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  • BlckhrnBlckhrn Member Posts: 5,136
    edited November -1
    No experience with the fusion but my advice is to be the first in the OR if you can and do a lot of research on the MD who will be doing the procedure.

    I've seen too many ORIF's like this turn up as bone infections down the road, translation into removal of the hardware, recovery and killing the infection (a long process when the infected tissue is bone) and replacement of the hardware.
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