This was yet another problem that had not been seen before. My husband likened it to biting your cheek. Once you bite it, you will continue to bite it because it swells up and it is hard to avoid. Basically that was what I was doing to my subtalar joint. The posterior part was gone - destroyed - by the joint 'biting' the tissues and destroying them with each and every step I took. This was found via an arthrogram that was done 2 days after my mother's funeral when I went to my doctor for assistance with the pain. After medicating me (I have an allergy to the dye they needed to use), the doctor injected the dye into the medial (inside) of the subtalar joint and then under live xrays (called a fluoroscope), he and my husband watched as the dye went through the medial side of the joint and right out the back of the joint. Not one drop entered the lateral (outside) of the joint. This meant that there was nothing staying in the joint at all. I was scheduled for surgery for last Thursday (a mere 6 days from my visit to the doctor).
During surgery, my doctor and my husband checked the upper ankle joint to find it totally stable and therefore the Artelon that they had used to repair that joint was holding and healing as it should and I wasn't rejecting it. They then injected the subtalar joint with a dye called methylene blue. This dye showed them the exact place where the problem was, and how much tissue was involved. They also put my ankle through a stressed range of motion which showed I had a talar tilt of +15 degrees (normal is less than 5 which is why I still felt like my ankle was unstable). My doctor and my husband carefully cut out all the dead tissue then rebuilt the posterior part of the subtalar joint with sutures and Artelon. The rep from Artelon was there taking pictures so I guess I will be written up as this type of injury usually heals on its own. It is rare for it to need surgical repair. (Told you I was unique!)
But I am back non-weight bearing and confined to bed. I don't know when I will be back to posting again. I am trying still to cope with my mother's death along with very intense physical pain, and now with an emotionally devastating pain that I just can't handle being here right now. I am also coping with the knowledge that is ONLY my friends that have even bothered to find out how I am after I had surgery.
I will end this post with these thoughts:
By jumping to a conclusion that was logical but untrue, one can come dangerously close to unnecessary conflict. The Israelites did the same thing. They were ready to go to war because they wrongly assumed that the altar built by their brothers was a sign of rebellion against God (Josh. 22:9-34). To avoid making wrong judgments, we must be careful to get the facts right.
When you’re forming your opinions,
Do it carefully—go slow;
Hasty judgments oft are followed
By regretting—that I know.
—Anon.
