Help Overcome Ankle Surgery Setbacks

Update: Physical therapy is going really well. I'm now able to walk short distances with the walker. I have another procedure scheduled to remove scar tissue from surgery that has entrapped my nerves.

On February 28th, I went in for what I expected to be a fairly simple surgery on my left ankle. Unfortunately, the surgery was much more complex than we anticipated. The cartilage between my bones was nonexistent, so a coalition (drilling a hole/space) was performed between my calcaneus and talar bones, tendon and ligament tears had to be repaired, and DX FiberTak Anchors were placed. I had 5 weeks in a solid cast, then 2 weeks in an aircast, then moved into an ankle brace and started physical therapy.

I was still having difficulty walking in May, and the doctor wanted to do a double arthrodesis, which consists of plates and screws to permanently connect the bones for stabilization, which would then severely limit my ankle movement. I asked him to give me more time at physical therapy to see if it would just heal on its own.

On June 10th, I was getting ready to go to physical therapy when I stumbled and fell onto my left ankle, which created more problems. I had an MRI done on June 30th, and I've posted a couple of the pictures here to show how my bone is not healing properly due to osteoporosis and bone degeneration. On July 18th, I had a high-intensity ultrasound done, which showed excessive scar tissue wrapping around my nerves, and one nerve that has branched off and is hitting the surgical knot in my tendon. On July 31st, I had a procedure done to help remove some of the scar tissue and release those nerves. I may still have to undergo one more procedure, but we'll see. I saw my surgeon on August 2nd, and we've decided to give physical therapy another try. If, at the end of this physical therapy round, I am still unable to walk without pain, then I will have to go in for the double arthrodesis surgery.

I had expected to be off work for 8 to 12 weeks. It has now been 6 months. As of right now, I don't know when I will be returning to work, but I remain hopeful that I will be able to return within a few months. I didn't plan on being out of work this long, obviously, and I have gone through all of my reserve/emergency funds. I'm really struggling to pay my bills now, so I'm reaching out for help to get caught up on my bills, and to help out with bills for the next few months. If you're able to help out in any way, I would greatly appreciate it.