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PLEASE help with this/Fractured sesamoid with AVN

(2 discussions)

Hi,
back in February I began experiencing pain in the ball of my Right foot, after a week I went to Doctor as the pain had not subsided. The Doctor took x-rays and they were negative for fracture. I wasn’t quite convinced, so I went to another doctor, who also took x-rays, and he concurred with the first doctor and they both called it “sesamoiditis”. At that point I assumed the pain was “normal” for inflammation of a bone, so I dealt with it and continued to see the podiatrist. He immediately put in for an MRI to “see whats going on in there” and to my detriment, the Insurance company denied it. As time went on the pain stayed the same and I was wearing one of those black walking boot things with padding that had a cutout to offset the weight from my sesamoid.
The boot helped in terms of walking better but did relieve the pain. Finally after 2 months I was approved for an MRI and sure enough, it confirmed a non-displaced fracture of the tibial sesamoid!!! I was so upset that I had been walking on a broken bone for all of that time. ANd to add insult to injury, the doctor had given me cortisone injections on 3 occasions and that may have actually reversed my healing, I was later told by 2 other doctors. What happened is unfortunate and depressing, as I am now going on 8 months with this condition and it is the same. I was also told that the bone is in the process of Avascular Necrosis (bone death) and may not heal. I have been wearing a bone stimulator 12 hours a day since July. It is intended to speed up the process of healing and reverse the Avascular Necrosis, GOD willing. Honestly, some days are better in others, but when you live with pain for so long you kind of get used to it, and it’s hard to tell it is better. This has all been very upsetting and I really want to avoid surgery because of complications that may arise post-op, (deformity, bunions, etc). I was never put in a cast and I wonder if that would have made a difference, I also wonder if my Insurance company had approved my MRI, perhaps I would have been casted and/or treated accordingly. I would love and appreciate any feedback. I am so confused about what to do and the doctor I am seeing now, who, by the way is Doctor #5, has put an insole in a good pair of New Balance sneakers and it’s good to be out of that boot. The sad thing is, I am not even an athlete, so I can’t really say how this happened. My guess is I have a habit of walking fast and I feel that there was trauma and over time, with repetitive walking, it broke. I have also been told that this is the worst bone to hurt in your foot. So, if anyone would like to share their story, treatment options, anything, I would really appreciate it!!!! Thank you


2 comments

    Vivian Abrams DPM

    9 10

    I understand your concern, but I am not in any position to speculate. After having seen 5 doctors over some period of time, I would hope someone has sat down with you and discussed this situation in depth with you. If not, then I suggest you write down your questions and hand them to your doctor and then get the answers you need. Good luck.

    Avatar

    9 10

    Well, some have suggested “waiting it out” and some suggested surgery, which I am completely against because of the complications that could arise down the road. There;s just way too much risk to just plunge into surgery, it’s not exactly like removing a Wisdom tooth!! It’s my foot and God put that there for a reason. The pain is bearable, however, I have nit walked “normal” since february. Granted, you don’t have x-ray films and such to see, so I understand you cannot fully comment. But do I think I should give it more time? It has been about 8 months and I understand this takes awhile to heal, and some people go for years with this. Thank you again!

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