Rebecca Vacek

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In December 2019, I tripped and injured my left foot and ankle.  I went to the emergency room and I was diagnosed with a sprain and told to follow-up as an outpatient for my surgery.  Due to the coronavirus, I delayed seeking medical attention for several months.  I continued to limp around and had a lot of swelling and I could not get my foot into a shoe.  I was always very uncomfortable, and I could not walk my dog.  My ankle was extremely unstable, and I was very worried that I was going to fall again.  The only shoes I could wear were slip-on shoes due to the chronic swelling in my foot and ankle. 

My husband has been a long-time patient of Dr. Stewart’s and he recommended that I call him and have him look at my foot and ankle injury.  I first saw Dr. Stewart on June 1, 2020, 6 months after my injury.  Dr. Stewart quickly diagnosed me with a significant injury across the middle of my foot known as a Lisfranc fracture/dislocation and he also diagnosed me with a severely sprained and unstable left ankle.  He gave me compression socks and put me in a walking boot and sent me for an MRI of my foot and ankle.  My pain was improved when I was wearing the boot, but as soon as I took it off my pain greatly increased in the middle of my foot and my ankle was very unstable.  I could not function through my daily activities without wearing a boot and this was no way to live.  Since my pain was not significantly getting better and my foot and ankle was unstable and the MRI confirmed my injuries, I decided to proceed with surgery as it was the best option to get me better.

On July 10, 2020, Dr. Stewart took me to the operating room and fixed my Lisfranc fracture/dislocation and repaired my torn ankle ligaments.   Prior to my surgery, my husband and I had a dedicated visit with Dr. Stewart to review the surgery, and the recovery and what to expect.  He was very thorough with me before surgery and I was well prepared for what was to come during the recovery.  I really appreciated this as I had to be in a cast after surgery.  Getting around in a cast is extremely challenging, especially having to go up and down stairs and navigating my everyday activities.  Dr. Stewart warned me that noncompliance could lead to serious consequences and as a result I followed all his instructions with the support of my family.

I am now 5 months out of surgery, I am happy to say that I did very well and all the pain across the middle of my foot is gone, my swelling is gone, and my ankle is stable.  I continue to do physical therapy at home to build back up my strength.  Most importantly, I can finally wear shoes and get around WITHOUT PAIN!!!

I would highly recommend Dr. Stewart and his practice.  Visits were always on time, I never felt rushed and all my questions were always answered in detail, the staff was very pleasant, and I always knew what to expect when I left the office.

Thank you, Dr. Stewart for all your great help.

* Results may vary from person to person