Lexi Chambers is now trying to raise £10,000 to have her leg amputated – claiming that the op would give her her life back.
The former marathon runner had an op to correct four hammer toes on her left foot and despite undergoing a further four more operations – including two toe amputations – she's still in chronic pain.
Lexi, from Exeter, has now been forced to give up work as she can't walk unaided or stand for more than a minute.
She believes that her only option is to have her entire leg removed and a prosthesis fitted, which would allow her to get back to work and resume competing in sports.
“I don’t see this as a possibility of losing something, but as one of gaining something – my life back again," she said.
“I feel like my body is a prison and I am sentenced to a life of surgery and excruciating pain, I’m in pain all of the time.
“It’s a constant sharp shooting or throbbing pain – like I’m stubbing my toe over and over again.
“It would mean everything to me to have my leg off and to have a prosthetic."
The pain means that the 40-year-old is often reduced to tears. She only gets between one and four hours sleep a night
“I know I can’t carry on any longer like this. I’m not a suicidal person but I was thinking if I was an animal there would be two options – take my leg off or put me down.
“An animal would never be left to suffer like this.
“Having the leg off would give me my life back. Perhaps I’d be able to run again but even if it just halves the pain I’m in now, it will be worth doing.
“The worst-case scenario is I end up with phantom pain and I’ll be on painkillers and in a wheelchair which is the same outcome as I have if I don’t go ahead.
“I’ll have lost nothing but at least I will have tried.”
What is a hammer toe?
Hammer toes – also known as claw or mallet toes – are toes which are permanently bent or curled downwards.
Some people are born with them, but it's caused usually by having your feet squashed into too-small shoes and socks.
Other causes include a traumatic toe injury, arthritis, an unusually high foot arch, wearing shoes that don’t fit properly, tightened ligaments or tendons in the foot, pressure from a bunion, spinal cord or peripheral nerve damage may cause all of your toes to curl downward.
Symptoms can range from mild to severe, with severe hammer toes only being rectifiable with surgery.
Surgery can re-position the toe, remove deformed or injured bone, and realign your tendons and joints. Surgery is normally done on an outpatient basis, so you can return home on the day of surgery.
Source: Arthritis Research UK
A keen sportswoman, Lexi had competed in natural bodybuilding competitions and run marathons, and had been in training for a triathlon when the pain in her toes started to affect her running about six years ago.
While she'd lived with hammer toes since she was a child, the condition had never stopped her from doing anything.
“Then my toes started to hurt when I was running so I thought it would be a good idea to do something about it," she explained.
“I was working in an orthopaedic surgery and had seen a lot of these kinds of operations.
“Because it affected four of my toes I expected to be back at work within six weeks and back to running within three months if not sooner.”
In June 2013, Lexi had a three-hour operation at Tiverton Day Surgery Hospital. It was four months before she could walk again – let alone run.
Lexi said: “I was on crutches for a very long time and was taking Tramadol for the pain.
“It would get worse the longer I stood, it was like a sharp pain and the whole foot throbbed constantly. It would keep me awake at night.
“When I signed the consent form for the operation it said that a small percentage of people end up with long-term pain.
“I didn’t think it was going to happen to me but I seemed to be one of the unlucky ones.
“At first the toes looked normal but then they started going off in different directions.
“I could cope with that, but not the pain.”
She eventually returend to work six months later but ended up having to take time off and have her hours reduced.
After a year of extruciating pain which saw her giving up the active lifestyle she enjoyed with her wife, Shannon Chambers, 36, Lexi had the joint in her second toe removed, and eventually, amputated.
The pain seemed to get better and she returned to work thinking that she was making progress, but things started to get worse again and her third toe started to migrate to the right.
“The pain that came with that happening was ridiculous. It was an ever-increasing level of pain.
“I went to see the surgeon again and told them I just wanted to get rid of it.
“It hurt to touch, there was this throbbing and it was like there was a dull ache constantly which never went away.
“I was on these horrible painkillers that were giving me terrible mood swings and I felt like I was becoming dependent on them. I’ve now spent almost five years on tramadol and morphine.”
She had her middle toe removed in April this year and hasn't been able to work since.
“In April I was really positive about the operation. I’d even begun to apply to do triathlons and entered the London marathon. I had high hopes and wanted something to aim for.
“Almost immediately after the surgery, I was in pain. If I stood on my foot when it was very painful it changed colour and went black.”
Doctors now believe that she may be suffering from something called complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS) – a poorly understood condition characterised by severe pain and usually caused by previous injury.
“It had a severe impact on me, it’s hard to describe.
“My marriage was suffering. We were a strong couple that did everything together, but it got to the point where we couldn’t do anything.
“Shannon would go out for cycle rides but feel very guilty and I would break down in tears when hearing about them because I couldn’t do anything.
“Three years ago we went on a holiday to Kathmandu in Nepal and I was hobbling round on crutches or in a wheelchair.
“Being there was wonderful but it was a constant reminder of what I couldn’t do. We haven't been away since.
“The whole experience has been a nightmare, I tried to look on the bright side but it was difficult.”
She now has an appointment with a surgen next month and will find out whether the NHS will pay for a below-the-knee amputation or whether she'll need to raise £10,000 to have it done privately.
“I actually made an off-the-cuff remark before the last toe surgery, something like ‘I hope it works. If not I’ll get rid of my leg’.
“It was a bit of a joke but then I started researching and it became a reality.
“I’m trying not to think about how I’ll feel if I’m able to go running again because I don’t want to get my hopes up but it would be the best thing ever. It would feel like I’d won the lottery.
“I’d bought a new pair of trainers after the first surgery for when I could run again. I sold them and I felt like I was giving up.
“Little things like going to buy running trainers and putting them on would be amazing.
“It would be everything – it would lift so many worries from my shoulders.
“I’ve helped perform amputations and looked after people who’ve had this surgery many times. I’m going into it with my eyes wide open, I know there are risks.
“Losing a limb was always my biggest fear as a child but as I started thinking about it I thought how it would give me my life back.
“I’ve been talking to people online about what can be done with a prosthetic. One woman I spoke to competed in the Paralympics two years after her surgery.
“Even if it was possible the pain could be halved and I could walk occasionally that would be enough.
“I am desperate to get back to work, to earn a full-time wage and actually be able to progress in my career.
“For the first time, I can see I have a future. I feel happy and that I’ve got a chance if this appendage could be gone.”
A spokesman for the Royal Devon and Exeter NHS Foundation Trust, which now runs Tiverton Day Surgery Hospital and Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, said: “We cannot comment on individual cases but as a provider of high-quality compassionate care, we are naturally keen for all patients to achieve the best possible clinical outcomes and quality of life.”
Source: Read Full Article