Almost 6 years post-op

Hello everyone!

Thanks for following along my sesamoid journey. I will be 6 years post-op in January 2019, and I still have no issues to report. I am very thankful to have gone through this experience with such a skilled doctor - he is retired now unfortunately!

I think most of you kept up with my collegiate and post collegiate activities, but for a brief reminder, I went through four years of collegiate lacrosse with no foot issues! It was great. I was able to partake in all of our lifting and running activities with no pain whatsoever. Unfortunately, my junior year season ended because I tore my labrum in my right hip. I had to get it repaired and it took about 6 months until I was fully recovered. The scars are small, but I also had a great surgeon at Ortho Virginia - Dr. Andrew Parker. He is very skilled and has great bedside manner. If you ever need anything done with your hips, shoulders, or knees, I highly recommend him and/or someone else at OrthoVA! Between me and my very active family, we have seen just about every doctor in their Reston office :).

Enough about the hip and back to the foot! I pretty much have no scar now. I have to really look for it. That's the great thing about getting surgery on the bottom of your foot - no one can see it and it will eventually rub off. I regularly go to Orange Theory Fitness (about 5-6 times per week) and I still play in some adult lacrosse leagues. I'm also coaching the JV basketball team at the high school I went to (it also happens to be the same team I was on when I broke my sesamoid!). I play with them often and it is so great to be around their happy, smiling faces enjoying the sport just as much as I did.

I am very curious to know how any of YOUR surgeries have gone. Feel free to shoot me an email at erin.callahan.13@cnu.edu or erincallahan7@gmail.com if you have questions or want to let me know how your experience compared to mine. I am sure the surgery is much more sophisticated now and a lot has changed. Thanks for taking the time to read about my unique experience!

Four years post surgery

Well, it's been four years and some change since my sesamoidectomy. I truly can't believe it's been that long since my senior year of high school, but I've come a long way! I am about to graduate from college in May 2017 and I have played four years of collegiate lacrosse.

I figured I would give an update on how things were going now after four years have passed.

I am doing great! No complications, complaints, or problems with my foot! Although I have only 205 out of the 206 bones the human adult has in the body, I have not noticed a difference at all. I can hardly even see my scar at the bottom of my foot anymore. I am still so thankful to have had such a successful surgery, and I hope that this gives those of you reading the blog a sense of hope and comfort that yours will go smoothly as well.

I have loved getting emails from those of you reading my blog and asking more questions! I am happy to answer anything that you may want to know that I did not touch on, so don't hesitate to reach out. My email is erincallahan7@gmail.com for anyone who does not have it and has additional questions.

Two Years Post Surgery!

Hi Everyone!

I have celebrated my two year mark on January 2 of 2015. I am still so grateful that I had the opportunity to do this surgery and that it was so successful. I am now a sophomore at Christopher Newport University in Virginia and am just starting my second season as a collegiate lacrosse player today!! Being an athlete on the varsity level has been a super exciting adventure and I definitely would not be where I am today without the sesamoidectomy. Although playing a sport in college is a lot of fun, there are new challenges that are faced everyday. It puts a lot of stress on your body which means you have to take good care of it with stretching, foam rolloing, icing, etc. It is also important to know the difference of when your body is telling you when to stop, or when it is telling you that you are tired, but you need to keep going. That being said, I have to listen to my foot when I am lifting too much for it to handle. This mostly only applies to lunges or other exercises that requires me to hold a lot of weight when I put most of the pressure on the ball of my foot (this is where the sesamoid bones are located). That pain is because of the scar tissue from cutting through my tendons in order to reach the bone. Aside from the athletics, if I wear heels for too long, my foot tends to get a little sore then as well.  So far since that surgery, I have been really lucky not getting any serious injuries! I still highly recommend this procedure if anyone is having any sesamoid issues, especially if you are in close proximity to Dr. Myerson at Mercy Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.

I am so happy that I was able to blog about this surgery because it was so new and there were a lot of unknowns about it. I still remember reading a lot of articles about sesamoidectomies two years ago and wishing that there were more about actual people who have gone through the entire procedure. So far it has over 10,000 views! I just wanted to say thank you to all of the people who have emailed me asking for advice, or just to tell me how much it helped them decide to get the procedure. Good luck to everyone who is thinking about the surgery!

Here is a picture of the scar today! Luckily it is on the bottom of my foot so no one ever sees it. It's very light and kind of hard to see.

Exactly Ten Months Post Surgery!

It's been a while since I have updated my blog and everything is going really well! My recovery process has been amazing. I now run about five miles a day and I generally feel no pain. I will get an occasional, quick pain, but it goes away pretty quickly. I am playing lacrosse in college and training doesn't bother my foot either. The only problems I have are with push-ups and lunges because it still makes me nervous and is a little bit painful to hold a lot of weight in those positions. The scar is almost nonexistent since it is on the bottom of my foot and the skin rubs off and regenerates often. I am still so happy and grateful I was able to have this procedure done. My surgeon, Mark Myserson, was so helpful and I still highly recommend him to anyone who is looking for a foot/ankle surgeon! Thank you everyone for keeping up with my blog! I hope it is useful and keeps everyone updated!

Just About 5 Months Post Surgery

It's been awhile since I have posted anything and a lot has changed! I run everyday with no pain at all. The bottom of my foot doesn't have much of a scar. I can wear heels for about four or five hours until it gets a little sore. I no longer have to have the metal plate in my shoe, but I have to really be aware of when my shoes get old and worn down. I stopped taping my toe two months ago and it looks normal! The sesamoid bone helps keep your big toe straight and once the bone is removed, it is natural for the toe to go outwards. That is why you have to tape your toe for three months! I have gotten a lot of my balance back which I lost pretty quickly. 

I am so grateful that this surgery worked and I highly recommend it to anyone who is having sesamoid problems. The sesamoid is a real pain and it is an amazing feeling once that pain is gone forever. 

10 Weeks Post Surgery

So it's been ten weeks since I've had surgery and everything is going well! I ran three miles yesterday at practice nonstop which was a big accomplishment. I have been running differently than I used to so the top of my foot has been irritated. I have been doing ankle excercises to strengthen everything. It has helped a lot with my balance and has made a lot of the pain go away! I am still wearing the metal plate in my shoe and still taping my toes. In two weeks, I won't have to do either of those things! I will wear the plate in my shoe for a little bit longer than the three months just to be safe. I haven't had any pain in the bottom of my foot at all which is amazing!!

7 Weeks Post Surgery

So it's been awhile since I have posted any updates. I am doing really well and my foot looks really good. The swelling has gone down a lot and all of my stitches have finally fallen out. I am cleared to start jogging on Saturday and I can't wait! Sitting out at lacrosse has been really hard for me. Fortunately, I only miss one week and can start really soon! The feeling in my toes has pretty much come back. I have started bending my them and it feels like my big toe has to crack, but I'm not allowed to crack it which kind of stinks. I go to the gym everyday and do the elliptical for an hour! Hopefully it is preparing my foot well to get back to running! Here's a picture of what my foot looks like now-a lot better than the first one!