Thank you for visiting my site. My site is intended to share my story in hopes that I may be able to help others through the same situation or situation that leaves someone feeling stranded. Through the 21 years of battling a serious medical problem, I remained strong & positive. My goal is to inspire someone, change the way of the medical world, and help other amputee's. I hope you enjoy and learn something of my story! - Joy M Bastow
Side note: Amputees need your help! Ask me more!
My Story:
In March of 1986, my left heel was degloved in an accident. My left foot was squeezed into a 3"x 3" space and the shank of the horse walker pinched my heel and it ripped the muscle and skin of my heel off. The tissue and skin was just hanging on by a small piece of skin that was still attached. I was taken to the hospital where two doctors were going to try their very best to salvage anything they could. I finally awoke and was comforted by my mother and my brother on the other side of my bed. I was quickly told that I was ok and that the doctors had stitched all the tissue and skin back to my heel. My heel started turning black and blue and was the size of two softballs. I was taken in for other emergency surgery. The doctor removed all the tissue and skin off of my heel and kept the bone moist until they could fly me to San Antonio base, Wolford Hall. Not long after I was flown to the hospital where I was to have the latissimus free flap surgery. I awoke from the surgery and found out that the doctors had changed their minds in the surgery room, once I was under anesthesia, about what procedure they were going to perform on my heel. What they had done instead of the original surgery, a latissimus free flap surgery, is cut my stomach as if I was having a c-section done and take layers of stomach muscle out and place that on my heel and put no padding tissue.
It was about four years later when I started having complications with my heel. A callous had started growing on the bottom of my heel. It got so big that I stopped walking on my heel and tiptoeing due to the pain. My mother finally took me to see a plastic surgeon, Dr. Ed Mustafa, out of Wichita Falls, Texas. About an hour after we were chatting with him about my heel, Dr. Mustafa had a plan. He decided that the latissimus free flap surgery with a skin graft would be the best solution. My mom asked to think about it because it would be a great risk. What if the muscle didn't take? What we would do then? What if the skin graft didn't attach to the muscle?
In August of 1994, I had the latissimus free flap surgery. It took about 8 hours to complete the surgery and I remember waking up in the room with my mom hovering over me telling me that I was doing well. When the doctor took the bandages off, I couldn't believe my eyes, the size of my heel was enormous and I didn't know what to expect. He said that the size would dramatically go down and not to worry. Well about 6-8 months later the size of my heel was still the same size, the size of a softball. During this time I caught a staph infection in my heel and my doctor said it was superficial. It was not superficial because since that point I have lived my life with nothing but misery. It was difficult finding shoes that I could wear comfortably because of the size of my heel. It was horrible. Everyone said things like "that’s gross", "oh my god look at her heel", "that’s sick", and so on. The mental abuse of this rare disability was so dramatizing and offered nothing but life long scars.
Two years go by and the size of my heel was still bothersome especially having the staph infection. I was 16 years old, a huge volleyball player for Snyder High School, when it all changed. I was also working part time at the local grocery store. The infection began to take its course on me and I waited till it was black and blue from decaying when I showed my mom. She took me to the Lubbock hospital the next morning and come to find out I was on a deathbed. The infection was so serious that they were rushing around me calling this doctor and calling that doctor. I was so weak from the infection that I couldn't speak and I didn't have enough energy to even pay attention to what was going on around me. I remember when this doctor came into my room and took a knife and slip open my heel to let it drain. I didn't receive any pain medicine; I couldn't feel anything since the infection was so bad. They scheduled me for surgery the following morning to clean out my heel and remove any worn muscle then I would be referred to a doctor out of Dallas, Texas. About 2 weeks of recovering, we drove to Dallas to meet Dr. Friedman. He knew right off the bat that some of the muscle would have to come out because it was not bearable and there was just too much down there. So we decided to set another surgery to have my heel debulked. The surgery took place and I healed quickly but soon after I began walking again the infection came back. Dr. Friedman did not know what to do about the infection so he asked me to find a qualified foot doctor.
About a year later I had yet another serious infection and called a local foot doctor out of Big Spring, Texas. His name is Dr. Dimidjian. He tried to open the heel up to find a puss pocket but it was unsuccessful. He set me up with an orthopedic surgeon out of Lubbock, Texas. Dr. Scioli had no concerns (as many doctors would not touch my heel due to the liability) of my heel and was very sure of his skills that he could fix what had been done and get rid of the infection. I have only had 3 infections that were not that serious and I am walking much better. I had to go back in due to a massive infection to have an emergency surgery and they removed another huge puss pocket. I recovered but now tip toeing once again.
Well three years later and I am officially back to where I started. The latissimus has died underneath and it has shifted. I have no muscle under the bone and I am tip toeing all the time. I have had a sore on the bottom of my heel for 8 months now. There is another puss pocket on the bottom passed the bottom of the heel bone. Also the tip toeing has finally affected the rest of my body. I see chiropractic one to two times a week to align my neck, back, and pelvis. There are still no procedures to be done and it is concluded finally that the latissimus free flap surgery is only temporary and does not last.
It has been around 9 years since I had the surgery and I am now falling apart and left with nothing. It has been a long 18 years and I have the rest of my life to deal with this situation. I would have to say that this accidental disability has made a very strong human being and has pushed me into wanting to help others. Right now statistics show that there are is about 3% of the population in the same situation as I. What scares me is the fact that I know for a fact doctors are not knowledgeable in the procedures and are pushing amputation on most of these people.
November of 2005, I consulted with Dr. Thomas Zgonis out of the University of Health Sciences in San Antonio, TX. Surgery dates are November 4th and 8th. Dr. Zgonis worked with the mechanics of my heel to help solve my problems. He removed a large portion of my heel bone and muscle. We found that I had the staph infection in both my bone and muscle. I am dealing with a lot of pain when it comes to walking but I am hopeful that this will disappear with time. The infection is back and in full force. I am consulting with doctors at Scott & White to ensure the pain goes away. It seems amputation is now the only option I have to finally get rid of all the pain and constant breakdown of the skin and muscle. I hope for others that we can push the medical society to begin researching and creating new ways of reconstructing the heel. They will only do it if we continue pushing them to do so!
On January 3, 2007 I had a surgery that removed the hardware in my foot and they also took bone/muscle cultures. The removal of the hardware was to allow me to get an MRI (metal distort MRI images) and also the chance that the hardware was the culprit of the reoccurring infections. The cultures will provide information as to if and where the infection is. On Tuesday January 16th, I found out no infection grew in the tests. This surgery has been very difficult and has been the most painful. On Tuesday at my follow up appt it started showing signs of infection. On Friday I was rushed back in and sure enough my heel side exploded with infection us pus/fluid. I had to go through a painful draining procedure because the infection got so severe.
I have chosen amputation (scheduled for FEB 9, 2007) finally because the pain from my foot is no longer tolerable. The pain was affecting my every day life. The pain is so severe that it affects my emotions, sleeping patterns, speech, memory, moods, and such. The pain from the bone this year has been the worst out of 21 years dealing with this. Since the medical society has not researched/studied cases like mine and offers no new procedures then it seems to get rid of the constant pain is amputation. I am a fighter and I have finally came to peace with amputation because I have no choice. I have spent 21 years dealing with pain and infection that I simply can't spend anymore time dealing with it. My body is no longer handling the pain like it has over the years.
July 2009: Two years amputated and I am moving right along. I love sharing my story still in hopes that one day it will make a difference and hopefully push people to find other solutions than amputation. I have learned being an amputee is very expensive. One foot can cost from $10,000 up to $70,000. Most insurance companies do NOT offer coverage for prosthetics and most politicians will not approve a bill to stop that.
2010: It has been 3 years since I had my foot amputated. I am doing very well and walking completely normal. There are still some kinks in being an amputee but I am not letting it affect me. I still remain extremely positive and continuing to live life as full as I possibly can. I recently found out that I will have to have my leg redone as they did not do my amputation correctly. It was news I was not expecting to hear and is quite difficult to imagine. Amputations can be done poorly and I suggest researching if it is a procedure you are facing.Though this will be another tough surgery to get through' I will get through it with the help and support of family and friends, my will to be a survivor, and keeping my mind positive.
It is amazing what aging does to you mentally and physically. People ask me all the time "how to you stay so positive?" and my answer is this "what other choice do I have other than living miserably by something that I can not control." Also I am a big believer that the energy you share with us is the energy you will receive from others. At times it is nice to curl up and cry on someone's shoulders however it shouldn't be an every day situation. You take the power of your life and you can change anything!
I grew up with a very challenging life; My life wasn't a picnic but I don't regret any challenges life threw at me; it has made me who I am today.
On a personal note: I am a single mother of an AWESOME girl named, Elizabeth. She is my world and another reason I . Also I have an amazing Mother who has been by side through the years. Thanks Mom! A big thank you to all of those who have supported me during my times in need. I will never forget you.
