I mentioned an upcoming ankle fusion being a possibility for my husband a month or so ago.  Some of you have asked for updates, so I’m posting what I know so far.  We met with the doctor in Amarillo again today, and went over his bone scans.  The good news is that the arthritis is limited to the ankle joint only, leaving the rest of the joints in his foot unaffected.  That is a positive for the ankle fusion.  The fusion is really the only “fix” for his pain and discomfort, and will probably have better mobility after the fusion.  We are going to put it off til October, partly due to the fact that my husband’s work is typically busier in the summer, and he has a fishing tournament he really wants to go to in September.  We own a glass & tile business, and this will have him out of commission for quite awhile.  It’s going to be tough, no doubt about that, but I’m praying the long term benefits will outweigh all the hardship.  When he has the surgery, which is a day surgery, he will have to keep his ankle elevated, at head level or a little higher, for two full weeks, only allowed up to the bathroom.  No weight allowed on the ankle for at least 6 weeks after that, (or maybe including that two weeks-I’m not sure about that now) and then he will be allowed to start putting limited weight on it, depending on if the fusion “took” or not.  He said by the three month mark, he should feel better than he feels now, but it will take a full 9 to 12 months to heal completely.  In the meantime, he is taking Celebrex, and if he has a really bad spell, or some times he will be on his feet more, they said they can give him some cortisone injections.  He is to try wearing some lace up ankle boots to give it some more support, and ice it.  We sure aren’t looking forward to the process, but we are so hopeful about the end result.