A Past Foot Surgery

You may have guessed that it is always the feet.  If you have trouble under the ball of the foot and with the toes that's the forefoot and it is very common in RA.  When I had the first foot operated on it stopped my limp which is great because limping can affect the alignment of the hips and hurt the knees.

It's been 10 years since the second foot was "reconstructed"  That's what they call it.

It is not an elegant solution but was very effective.  Function matters more to me than looks and not many people actually look at your bare feet unless you live in a warm beachy area where sandals and flip flops are the norm.  My RA has lasted a long time though and with all of the better treatments we have now, fewer people have the joint damage you often saw 20 years ago.  Plus the technique has improved so your toes end up straight. It is said to be more "cosmetically acceptable" to patients.

The last operation was not really successful so it was redone.  Who would think that you could have 3 forefoot reconstructions?  It's day surgery but 6 weeks no weight bearing.  I actually bought my own crutches.  They're called platform crutches and good if your hands are weak.  Your forearms takes the weight.  Here's the link to a sample picture - they are hard to visualize

http://www.walkeasy.com/shop/product_details.asp?ProductCode=410

I ordered them from a home healthcare store. These are so much easier to use when your hands are weak  and your joints are damaged.