Double foot surgery allows woman to be mobile again

Susan Hatch, 69, of Edwall, Washington, enjoys gardening, shopping and spending time with her family. Unfortunately, years of debilitating foot pain severely limited her ability to engage in those activities.

“I had been a runner for years, which tore up my feet,” she says. “They were further agitated when I started working in customer service at Walmart and was standing on concrete floors all day.”

Because her toes were pointing in different directions, Hatch had to cut her shoes to accommodate them.

The chronic pain led her to rely heavily on aspirin.

“When I’d get home from work, my feet would swell up like I had allergies,” she explains. “I had to lie on my stomach and prop pillows under my calves to elevate my feet. I would cry most of the night from the pain.”

Despite seeing podiatrists in the past, Hatch was hesitant to undergo surgery because of a previous pulmonary embolism.

“I was scared to death of having another surgery,” she admits. “I thought it would be the end of me.”

A turning point

One day at work, she was standing on a mat when she felt her ankle shift.

“I couldn’t move; I was stuck,” Hatch recalls. “I was in complete agony and could no longer work that day. I eventually managed to get to my car and went home. I thought, ‘What am I going to do?’”

That’s when she called MultiCare Rockwood Clinic and scheduled an appointment with a podiatrist.

“When I saw the podiatrist, he did an MRI of my feet, but he then referred me to Dr. Croff,” Hatch recalls. “He told me I’d be in the best of care.”

She met with Douglas Croff, DPM, who explained how he was going to fix her feet.

“Susan had significant and painful flat foot deformities, bunions and hammertoes,” Dr. Croff explains. “But I assured her I could help.”

Hatch says Dr. Croff answered every question she and her husband could think of. They felt reassured, so she scheduled surgeries for her left foot and right foot four months later.

“Susan was concerned she couldn’t have surgery due to her history of blood clots, but we put her on blood thinners for her surgeries and carefully monitored her,” Dr. Croff says.

‘When the cast came off, so did my fear’

Hatch had a complete flat foot reconstruction of each foot, which involved fusing joints and correcting toes.

“I had no problems at all with the first surgery and made a full recovery,” she adds. “When the cast came off, so did my fear of getting the other foot done.”

After her second surgery, Hatch was able to walk without pain and gained confidence from being mobile again.

“I thought I would need a walker, but I don’t need anything — I can walk on my own,” she says.

For years, she feared she would eventually be an amputee.

“I didn’t want to lose my feet, but I couldn’t think of any way they could be fixed,” Hatch notes. “Doctors in the past would look at my feet and shake their heads. Dr. Croff saved them.”

“I can finally buy cute shoes and sandals. Before surgery, I never would have shown my feet off in sandals.”

Not only were her feet saved — she says they are beautiful.

X-rays show Hatch’s right foot after surgery (left) and before

“I look at my feet every day. Dr. Croff is truly an artist,” she adds. “I can finally buy cute shoes and sandals. Before surgery, I never would have shown my feet off in sandals.”

Hatch’s newfound mobility has transformed her life and allowed her to enjoy activities she once thought impossible.

She gets a monthly pedicure, can garden with ease, and even painted her house inside and out.

“Everything is an impossibility when your feet don’t work. It affects your whole life when you can’t move,” Hatch says. “I’m able to live my life now. It’s exhilarating!”