Where it all started.....

So I think it may be good to explain how I got to the point toe fusion. For the sake of brevity, it all started over a decade ago.  I had a bunionectomy that was very successful in 2007, but several years later, a different doctor (I moved) determined that I had a bipartite (separated) sesamoid that was causing me pain in the same foot. The critical decision was made to remove the sesamoid.  All seemed well!

Fast forward a few years, and I began to have trouble with the big toe joint in that same foot.  Popping, locking, aching. I was in the mid stages of osteoarthritis (Stage III) For several years, I was able to keep the pain at bay by getting cortisone injections into the joint 3-4 times a year. 

When I got to the point that I was no longer getting the relief I needed, we reassessed surgery as an option.  Unfortunately, the removal of the tibial sesamoid under my foot left my foot extremely unstable and there were very few procedures that would preserve stability for years to come other than the MPJ fusion. 

As an active person in my 30's I was devastated--but also gotten to the point where I had to admit that the current pain was also significantly affecting my quality of life--no running, exercising or heels without pain. So I made the difficult choice to go ahead and have the surgery.  I chose to come back to my original DPM, and I'm so lucky that he was committed to exploring all options and subsequent opinions and didn't bully me into having the surgery.

So yes, folks, here's how we got here!!