06/06/2022
Well it's been a while, so here's an update on how Troy is going. (& our family)
It has been 2 and a half years since the accident and a lot has happened in that time.
Troy has had 4 surgeries
We've had several trips to RMH
Troy has now got a new hinged orthotic worth $8k. to help hold up and support his foot.
Tamzyn has had heart surgery
Kylie's Dad passed away (92)
Troys mum passed away (65)
We went down to Melbourne last Wednesday and Troy saw the Plastic surgeon, (nerve Dr) & two Orthopaedic Drs, one for his pelvis and one for his foot.
The Plastic Surgeon said that he's happy with the range of movement Troy has in his ankle and to keep up with his physio. They didn't think he would be able to move his ankle again, so he was nicely surprised. The nerves, tendons, muscles etc. are still recovering in the pelvis and he will hopefully have ongoing improvements. He is happy to stretch the next appointment to 1 year.
The Pelvis Orthopaedic surgeon said his "Pelvis has healed great!" and doesn't need to see him again!!!!. It was awesome news. It was nice to hear that there's no deterioration or arthritis and its looking good. He still gets sore if he sits for too long, as there's no butt muscle there anymore!!
Unfortunately, Troys foot is giving him a rediculous amount of discomfort, he is in pain 24/7, the nerve Dr said some of it is the nerves still recovering and its "part of the process", Troy is well and truly over it. His foot constantly gives him feelings of being swollen or burning or freezing and he gets random sharp stabbing pain when walking. Troy is unable to walk with no shoes on as the bottom of his foot is extremely hypersensitive and the smallest thing (eg. Uneven tile!) feels like a knife. (makes it interesting in the pool some days!). His foot also has bad arthritis where the breaks were and the arch has dropped (now has a flat foot), this is also causing a lot of the pain. The nerve damage to his pelvis has caused altered feeling from the knee down and every day (hour!) is different. Walking, showering, putting shoes on, basically day to day living is exhausting, yet he never complains and tries so very hard to live a "normal " life.
The foot Orthopaedic surgeon said that he will need surgery in the future (fusion of bones), but the longer he can wait the better.
Troy goes to the pool every morning and walks for an hour to try and keep his ankle and foot mobile as they are at a high risk of becoming immobile.
As you can imagine being in pain 24/7 and unable to do a lot of what he use to do has affected Troys mental health dramatically and some days are too much. We call them "a moment", Troy has a day of rest and mental recovery and then he gets up the next day and soldiers on.
We are still on this stupid roller coaster with highs and lows, some lows are nearly unbearable..... but, we always manage to get through and be there for each other. Troys strength and determination is incredible and I (Kylie) am incredibly proud of him.
Lastly we would like to say a massive thank you to our friends and family for their love and support. We are forever grateful xo
I've attached a photo of Troys pelvis for you to appreciate the amazing work of the RMH Orthopaedic Surgeons.
