Looks like there is a chance that I’ll have the surgery tomorrow morning. Doctor’s assistant called and said that they might be able to squeeze me in tomorrow for the surgery. He’s a foot and ankle surgical specialist so I am hoping that I am in good hands. No food/drink past midnight, and I’ll get a call early tomorrow morning. Talked to a friend in the medical profession. He told me to make sure that the surgeon is board certified. I looked up the surgeon’s credentials through Google. Yep, looks like he is board certified, and he is a clinical assistant professor.
It all seems like such a crap shoot. I wonder if there is a better way to select a surgeon. I am able to do more extensive research on buying a television set than selecting a surgeon who will operate on me. I’ve visited a few physician review sites, and either they are pay sites or they are free sites with nothing more than the doctors’ office addresses.
Reading other’s reviews about physician review sites, it looks like http://www.mdnationwide.org might be worth trying. It costs $19.95, and they’ll compile a report for you within the hour. The website is rather cluttered, but it had some basic useful tips on finding a quality surgeon.
Disturbingly, this error popped up after I submitted my credit card information:
Luckily, I still received via e-mail the username/password to login to view the report. Nope, no report yet. I’ll check back in an hour and see if there is a report available. Otherwise, I am going to have to call my credit card company and make sure that my CC wasn’t charged. If it turns out to be a bust, I’ll try http://www.healthgrades.com. They charge $30, but has a better looking website. However, someone’s review from last year claims that MDNationwide compiles a better report. Yep, more research required to find the best Doctor review site, pay or no pay.
Getting around in the crutch is quite uncomfortable. I am thinking of buying the Hope Crutch. It costs $118 for my height.
I also found this:
Maybe I am nuts for considering the iWALKFree, but I think this might be a better alternative than the traditional crutches.. I’ve read some customer reviews, and overall, it looks like a good alternative to crutches. I’ve watched the company’s videos, and people can move around pretty well with it. It does look a bit goofy with the foot sticking straight out back, but it might be better than not being able to use your hands with traditional crutches.
I am not sure about going out in public with it, but it looks like it’ll work well for moving about around the house. For about $330, it might be worth it. I like the idea of the hands-free crutch, but I don’t like their implementation. I think it can be improved, even if it might cost a little more.
If there are any other alternatives, please let me know.
13 responses so far ↓
1 john // Feb 11, 2008 at 4:43 pm
Just don’t try to play tackle football with that thing!!!
john
2 Julie Maurer // Jul 8, 2010 at 7:02 pm
I would sell one of my children for one of these right about now! My hands and wrists hurt more than my ankle…almost
3 GerryR // Jul 8, 2010 at 7:16 pm
Julie,
I am assuming you are using crutches, but did anyone teach you how to use them correctly? I was on crutches from August 3 through about mid-November and the only real problem I had was because I have some arthritis in my left thumb, but a cortizone injection fixed that. There is really only one right way to use crutches, but too often people who are given them are not given any instruction.
If you’re having pain in your wrists and hands, your hands are at an extreme angle. Try to make your hands at straight as possible and this make require adjusting the height of the grip from the floor, probably down a notch.
4 normofthenorth // Jul 9, 2010 at 4:10 am
+1 to most of what Gerry said. Getting your crutches properly adjusted is crucial, as is good technique. In both cases “it’s a game of inches”!
But I used wooden crutches, and the vertical parts had square corners that scraped my hands. And the small round dowel that my hands gripped dug into my hands, too. I don’t think either problem was due to bad adjustment or bad technique, just a hand-unfriendly design.
I wrapped some ensolite foam (cheap “camping pad” or “kneepad” foam) around the dowel handgrips, and I shaved and sanded those mean edges down — then I wrapped foam around them, too. When I was through (a) my hands were well protected and (b) it was around 4 weeks in, and I was getting toward FWB and putting down the crutches!
(There are worse problems to have!!)
5 Julie Maurer // Jul 9, 2010 at 11:00 am
Thanks Gerry and Norm!
I am on crutches going on 7 weeks now. I did get a little tutorial when I was given the crutches. I’m sure you’re right Gerry about my hand placement and I think I start the day with good form, but get lazy as the day goes on. I’m not so hot at sitting still as I am sure everyone on this sight has issues with given how we all came to be here
I am equally hopeful from reading this sight as I am frustrated. I see so many people dropping the crutches at this stage of the game (or sooner) and my doc doesn’t want me off the crutches until 10 -12 weeks post op
I am PWB but my boot is still not angled to a position where I can successfully “walk.” I go Wed. for my next boot dial and hope that will give me better ability to add more weight to the foot and less to the crutches!
I know it sounds ULTRA conservative, but my understanding is that I more or less exploded the muscle tendon connection and they had to pull down the muscle and to do and overlapping technique which makes the time to stretch back to normal a bit longer…I guess.
That’s right Norm - We could have it worse!
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