I Have A Date!!

Sorry to disappoint but I haven't got a date with a hottie ;) Well unless you count my surgeon although I don't think he is (Ssshhh)


Now if this guy was my surgeon I'd be jumping hoops!!



I can dream though I guess......

If you've been following my twitter, you'll remember my previous frustrations with pending foot surgery... My blog entry NHS Targets - The Loophole explained that due to an admin error, I had exceeded previous 18wk wait and had to start the clock all over again!


I saw another surgeon at Loughborough Hospital and was given more options surgery wise... My previous surgery was going to be total fusion of the PIP joint.. However because the MTP joint had been fused when I was 12, this meant further fusion would have left me with a big toe on Viagra.. 


There was the option of breaking the original fusion but with the recent diagnosis of osteoporosis this could have been risky.

Soooo... with much discussion and questions I opted for PIP Joint Arthroplasty.  This is where an incision is made over the bent part of the joint. Once the surgeon can see the joint, the end of the proximal phalanx is removed to shorten the toe and relax the tightness around the joint. The toe is then held with metal pins in the straight position until it heals (approx 6wks).  These pins will stick out so when the 6wks are up, they are quickly whipped out *yikes*

As the joint heals, scar tissue forms, connecting the two bones together and replacing the area where the joint once was. Surgeons sometimes refer to this as a false joint (or pseudo joint) because the scar tissue allows a bit of motion to occur between the two bones while keeping them from rubbing together and causing pain.


I'll be having this procedure done on 8th December.  It'll be by local anaesthetic as recovery time is quicker which means I should be able to go home the same day.  With general anaesthetic it can take me a couple of weeks to get over it.


Most people I have told have asked if I'm mad and yes I will admit I am a little scared at being awake for the procedure but I have asked the surgeon to numb the whole foot as I have nerve damage from previous ops.  The last thing I would want to do is get a reaction in the wrong place and kick him in the face (some of you may remember the throwing of the frozen meal in Asda)


I'm sure I'll also have some kind of sedation or gas 'n' air and if not then I'll definitely ask for some... Have you seen the effect gas 'n' air has on people... I want some!!!

I'm also going to be really cheeky and ask if I can take my phone in and tweet while I'm there ;)


So there you have it... I have my date and now I need to sort out how I am going to get around for the 6 weeks I'm not able to drive for... No driving until at least 19th January!! OMG!!!