If by distraction, you mean an external fixator, then I would be happy to share my experience. I had a fixator put on Aug 16, 2012 and the first 4 weeks are agonizing. To give you an example of how high my pain tolerance is, before my first surgery I was walking around on an ankle where all the ligaments had been shredded and were rolled into a ball. The doctor said he had to "comb" them out in order to fix them. Anyway, back to the fixator. In addition to having the fixator put on, he also cleaned out the joint and put in new engineered cartiledge. The fixator came off October 11, 2012. Today is November 16 and I still can't walk without a cane, boot, or sometimes both. Two days ago my doctor said to discontinue therapy and let the ankle rest. He also prescribed Mobic (Meloxicam) which is similar to Celebrex. My ankle is so swollen, I can't even put on my Danskos. The constant achy pain is horrible. He is consulting with another doctor in his practice and said that we will probably have to go ahead and fuse it, but like you, the information I am finding is anything but positive. We have not discussed amputation because frankly, I don't know if I want to go there yet. Good luck with whatever you decide. It's a hard decision to make.
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If by distraction, you mean an external fixator, then I would be happy to share my experience. I had a fixator put on Aug 16, 2012 and the first 4 weeks are agonizing. To give you an example of how high my pain tolerance is, before my first surgery I was walking around on an ankle where all the ligaments had been shredded and were rolled into a ball. The doctor said he had to "comb" them out in order to fix them. Anyway, back to the fixator. In addition to having the fixator put on, he also cleaned out the joint and put in new engineered cartiledge. The fixator came off October 11, 2012. Today is November 16 and I still can't walk without a cane, boot, or sometimes both. Two days ago my doctor said to discontinue therapy and let the ankle rest. He also prescribed Mobic (Meloxicam) which is similar to Celebrex. My ankle is so swollen, I can't even put on my Danskos. The constant achy pain is horrible. He is consulting with another doctor in his practice and said that we will probably have to go ahead and fuse it, but like you, the information I am finding is anything but positive. We have not discussed amputation because frankly, I don't know if I want to go there yet. Good luck with whatever you decide. It's a hard decision to make.
November 16, 2012 - 8:17pmThis Comment
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