Sylvia Guglielmo

I have had 4 foot surgeries since 2010 for bunions of both my pinky toes, all done by a podiatrist, of whom I thought I trusted. The last surgery I had was in 2016 when he went back into my left foot 5th metatarsal to remove the screws that he placed there 2 years prior for my bunion surgery. Since that surgery, I was always in discomfort, and my foot on that side always seemed swollen, even months after surgery, and I knew something didn't seem right this time around. I always informed my podiatrist of this, and he always stated that everything was fine and my radiographs were great, and blamed it on my type of work (I'm a veterinary technician) for being on my feet all the time. I would come home crying every day from work in excruciating pain. Icing it did no good, and I had to avoid most types of pain medication because of my severe colitis history, so I had limited options on pain control. Still, after more complaining to my doctor and repeated x-rays, I decided to get a second opinion with another podiatrist, and soon found out all WAS NOT fine.

I had irreversible arthritic damage to my metatarsal bone, cystic changes, and no joint space to the point of my bones rubbing together every time I took a step. Infuriated and upset, I sought out other diagnoses and surgical opinions from a handful of orthopedic foot & ankle surgeons to see how the damage could be fixed. I was either turned down for surgery because the doctors were hesitant to even touch my toe without causing more damage than it already was, and others always offered me the choice of complete amputation of my toe to just get it over with and be done with the pain. I was frustrated and upset with what had transpired. Finally, an orthopedist that I was seeing referred me to Dr. Drakos, stating that he would be the best option and most skilled to get the results I was searching for. After meeting with Dr. Drakos, I instantly felt more at ease; he explained in full detail the issues I had with my toe bone, and went through a list of options I had surgically that could potentially help ease the pain from the damage my podiatrist caused from the surgery he performed. My options were bone grafting (best case scenario), placement of a newer type of implant called Cartiva, and amputation of a good chunk of my dead metatarsal head (worst case scenario).

We decided to aim for the Cartiva implant, and he explained all the pros and cons to the implant and the procedure, and how since it was a pinky toe, it wasn't a common place to insert the implant into. But the confidence I saw and felt in his voice when said that was our best shot for me and that he would do the best he could to help me out, I decided on that course and placed my trust into a doctor I hoped would be able to figure out a way to place this implant into my pinky toe. After my surgery, which ended up being a successful implantation of the Cartiva joint implant, I felt an immediate difference in the pressure and pain in my foot. There was NONE! It felt totally different and I was so much more comfortable, that I even stopped taking my pain medication 3 days post-op. After going back for post-op rechecks, everything looked great (he even showed me my radiographs on each visit so I was kept aware of how the healing process and the joint implant was doing, all of which my podiatrist stopped doing at one point after my last surgery).

Once I was able to start walking again, I noticed I was able to put pressure on that side of my foot, which I was always avoiding doing for almost 2 years. Now, I am walking pain free! This implant changed my life; I am now able to go hiking with my friends again, stand for more than 2 hrs without being in excruciating pain, and walk and squat at work for 10+ hrs without even thinking if my foot will make it through the day or having to leave early because it was so bad. I am so thankful for Dr. Drakos for taking on this probably difficult task, and helping to get me back on my feet to do the job I love and look forward to doing more outdoor activities and travel. The nurses and rest of the surgery staff that took care of me that day at HSS were amazing and it was the best surgical experience I've had. THANK YOU!!