Second Surgery

What Went Wrong?

New X-ray prior to surgery.  Taken on 13 September 2018.

Well, nothing actually went wrong.  Looks like the screw and my body didn't get along and was part of the 5% of the population that this procedure and device that had a mal-union.  Don't know why, but such is life.  By the time surgery came around, the surgeon could manipulate the whole joint, which is not supposed to happen.  The screw in the proximal phalanx (end closes to the mid foot) was moving around with each step, along with a corresponding painful reminder that something was wrong.

There should be solid white (bone) all around the screw.  It doesn't take a radiologist to figure out that there is a lot of gray and black (lucency) around the distal end of the screw.  For those carpenters in the audience, the screw stripped the wood and was not holding the two pieces together anymore.  Have to take out the old screw and find another method to hold the two pieces together.

What is Next?

This is the X-Ray right after surgery on 20 September, 2018.

Well, the solution was to use compression staples around the joint.  And this is what the joint looks like now.  Three staples, surrounding the joint.  Dr. C said I would have more pain all around the joint compared to the one screw down the middle.  She removed the screw and resurfaced the joint.  The staples are 'compression' and I think that these are the kind that are temperature-reactive.  Once they are removed from their storage temperature and achieve the designed body temperature range, the 'legs' contract providing constant compression along the joint surface.  

There is a big difference between the last post-op surgery X-Ray and this post-op X-Ray.  There is no lucency at all along the joint space.

However, the strange part of this is that she used donor-bone solution to bridge the joint gap and to fill in where the screw was located.  I was given a 'donor card' and the opportunity to write a letter of appreciation (anonymously) to the donor family.

Glad I kept these Gloves!

I am glad I kept these gloves, as I will need them again for the next three months.  These gloves are lifesavers as I get up and around.  I will say that this surgery was more painful than the last one.  But as my wife says, anesthesia wipes away a lot of the pain we remember, and that is true.  Anesthetic and the interactions with the Mind and Body is amazing.  

➢I remember waking up after surgery, but don't remember the X-Ray the took shortly thereafter.

➢I remember putting on my clothes and driving home, but not how I got from my bed to the car!

➢I remember talking to the nurses in the surgery suite, but not the trip from the pre-op to the surgery suite.

➢I don't remember talking at all in post-op, although my wife said I was carrying on a 'somewhat normal' conversation.  

I Love My Wife!

I cannot say this enough!  She has taken care of me now for the second time.  Of course, one could argue that our wives take care of us husbands since our wedding!  But she has waited on me  and helped me during both recovery times!  She is a true gift from God, and a true Proverbs 31 wife!