LIFE WITH A CHARCOT FOOT 

Charcot Foot Discovery A Woman's Story 

I discovered the trials of Charcot in 1995 when I was sent to a podiatrist by my Diabetes Dr. due to foot swelling.  I was diagnossed within 3 months (it takes a while for a true diagnosis due to having to track the joint deterioration) but that did not make things any better.  I went through the same feelings of getting a shoe on....ANY shoe.  I also had a brace for the left foot which I dubbed the "Frankenstein foot".  I must tell you they are really attractive with short skirts - ha!

One day I was wearing my brace and took a hard step off of a high curb.  Two and 1/2 weeks later I also walked into the hospital for some x-rays on the right foot, which was swelling, and was told I had shattered myheel bone.  I'd not realized that it was broken and actually split the bone in half and broke it off.  I wore a cast on THAT foot for approx. 4 months.  That is not the half of it though.  Due to the force exerted on the left (Charcot) foot, my ankle eventually collapsed.  Almost all of 1998 was spent trying to reconstruct the bone and draining abcesses - I've been off of work since February.

The worst part was in August when I thought I was getting better - I went to visit my grandparents.  Little did I know that the osteomyelitis that had invaded my left foot was turning toxic.  To make a long story short, the ended up taking my left foot in an emergency below the knee amputation.  Well, that's one way to get rid of Charcot.  Now I'm left with a mangled right foot - due to the break - that also has Charcot and some osteo. in it.  Last week they amputated 1/2 of my big toe.

This is a horrid disease and it is SO sneaky.  I can't urge you enough to get to a good specialist (I would not recommend an orthopedic surgeon though) and monitor any ulcers that show up.  Life has certainly changed - I never thought that I would be an amputee, that Charcot disease could lead to this.  I feel that a lot has been taken away from me at a fairly early age due to this, but also that I can not lets this stop me.  I have a prothesis for the left foot (I think my days of soccer are now over but there are other things) and am waiting on the healing of the right foot.