Regaining Independence
"I'm back to being independent. I can go and do what I want now."
Robin was lying in bed one night in October 2021 when her dog, frightened by a thunderstorm outside, jumped on the bed. The 95-pound black Lab mix landed directly on her heel.
Afterward, she dealt with pain but didn't think much of it. But when the pain didn't go away, she went for x-rays. The scans didn't reveal anything, but the pain continued to bother her. So, she visited John Dresser, DPM, a podiatrist at UPMC Cole.
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans revealed Robin had significant arthritic changes throughout her foot related to a longstanding flat foot deformity. Although she could manage the pain with a walking boot and cortisone shots, surgery was another option. She decided to move forward with the surgery.
"I didn't want to live in pain," she says. "I'm too busy. I had too many things I like to do. I'm involved with a lot of things, and I don't sit still very long. So, I really wanted to have something done."
Robin's surgery was initially scheduled for January 2022, but circumstances caused it to be delayed until August. The surgery required five incisions, multiple rods to fuse the damage, and more than two dozen stitches.
After surgery, Robin had a 10-week recovery in which she couldn't initially put any pressure on her foot.
"Thankfully, my bedroom, bathroom, and everything is on one floor in my house," she says. "And my husband and my kids, I couldn't have done it without them. My husband even took off two weeks of work to take care of me. I had to be lifted and everything else because I couldn't put any weight on that."
She says Dr. Dresser also was very helpful. He responded to all of her phone calls, answered her questions, and explained her situation in ways she understood.
"His bedside manner is awesome," she says. "He was so good. After my surgery, he explained everything to my husband, talked to him.
“I just appreciated him so much for the way he handled me."
Almost two years after her surgery, Robin is pain-free. She says she gets stiff sometimes if she sits for too long, and she has balance problems if she walks barefoot. But she is feeling much better now, and she's back to driving, walking, shopping, and other activities.
"I'm back to being independent," she says. "I can go and do what I want now."
During her recovery, Robin took up painting, stenciling, sewing, and other types of art. It was therapeutic, and she continues to do it today. She is newly retired and enjoys spending time with her family, which includes her husband, three daughters, and two grandsons.
She's thankful to Dr. Dresser and UPMC for helping heal her pain and regain her independence.
“Just to be able to get up and not have the pain, it's just a big relief," she says. "Because you get to the point that you're in pain all the time, you can't really concentrate on things."
Robin didn't choose to need foot surgery, but she did choose UPMC.
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