feet

[carla45]

:( I have so many questions but i will start with this one today. while still in the service i had foot surgery that started out simple enough. I had bunions on both feet and the doctors on base decided to operate on the left one first. some weeks after the surgery it started to feels as if my foot was make a clicking noise with every step and it was painful so i went back to them and after a few months they needed to do another surgery this time they(doc) fused my big toe and also told me i had develop degenerative arthritis in my left foot. after that surgery was done I still had allot of pain a xray was taken and it seemed that the tip of a needle had broken off in my foot. a year later another surgery was done to remove spurs from the same area and i was left with a limp, this was in 1989 and i suffer with feet swelling pain and a limp that has turned into hip and back pain. I need to know what they did wrong and what i can do to get the right help.

thank you

more questions later

[Dr. Joshua]

Thanks for your question, Carla. You described a complex medical history going back to 1989. Regardless of how your current problems with hip pain and back pain began, you need to find a general doctor and appropriate specialists to evaluate your current condition and help you to choose treatment options.

As to your question as to what “they did wrong”, I am in no position to answer that. What happened 17 years ago, is by now only one of many contributing factors to your current situation. While you should provide your current providers with past medical records, your treatment will depend mostly on your current examination.

From the history you gave, you may be eligible for treatment within the Veterans Affairs Medical system. I’m not suggesting that this is your only option, but it is one that may be available to you.