Charcot Foot

[livingwith]

My husband has this foot deformity for years now. First he ignored it, then saw a podiatrist who did regular orthotics then another podiatrist who said it was too late for surgery because it was so bad that every bone in his foot would have to be broken…amputation would be better; he made him a brace for his shoe. My husband still has to work and walks a long way each day, with a very heavy limp. His opposing knee is now blown out and needs replacement but we are worried about it faili...Read the full article

[freddamico]

Hello Susan,
Hello my name is Fred, I am 64 years old white male and have had type 2 diabetes for 25 years at least, the last 8 or 9 years I have nerve damage to both my legs and feet from the knee to my toes.
14 weeks ago I had sever swelling in my left foot and leg. 3 years ago I had a kidney transplant so I was concerned that my Kidney was falling, I went to my post transplant doctor to show him my condition, he said it was not my Kidney but there might be a blood clot pressing on a nerve in turn he sent me for a sonogram which showed a limpnote in my groin. With this result was he recommend that I see the surgeon who done the Kidney surrey transplant and set up and appointment to remove the limpnote. The transplant surgeon said that this was not his field and hat I should see a Vascular surgeon but go for a CT scan first so he already has that report, I went then saw the Vascular surgeon he said that the limpnote was to far away from the nerve, so he sent me for an ultra sound test. which showed nothing, well I was becoming upset for 7 week in this condition neither of these doctors new nothing. I was back where I started.
Over that week end I decided to call my podiatrist on Monday morning he said come right in to his office, he x-rayed the foot but due to the swelling he could not get a good enough x-ray to read so he then use another apparatus to view the foot on a screen ,he immediately told me I had charcot foot and I would need intensive surrey, he recommend me to the Hospital for Special Surgery and to see Dr. Scott Ellis, Dr. Ellis confirmed what my podiatrist explained to me.
Dr. told me there are two ways to treat this first was to amputate the leg from the mid calf or go through a long and intense surgery
to reconstruct the foot with rods ,plates and screws, followed by another Dr. Austin Frageman to place an external fixator brace on my leg and foot for about four to six months once again Dr. Ellis strongly recommend to amputate, I explained I would take my chances first with the surgery and amputation would be the last thing after I exhausted all other chances.
I am now and have been a full contact hard cast for ten weeks,very 10 days or so I go back to the Dr. office in order to remove the cast and the Dr. exams the foot and the it gets recasted. I am awaiting for a date to schedule surgery which the Dr. said might be in about three or four weeks yet.
Does this sound normal to any one else out there who has Charcot foot.
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