May 2024
It was day 2 of the National Volleyball Tournament in Dallas, Texas when I rolled my ankle pretty bad. It was such a bummer at the time, but I worked at resting and recovering. It took me a few months to recover from the sprain and start playing volleyball again, with still a small amount of pain and swelling each time.
August 2024
On day 2 of the Seaside Volleyball Tournament, on the very last bracket play game after almost two whole days of matches in both the women and coed divisions, I heard a “pop” and felt my ankle give out on the sand. Not again! I taped up, ice, and rested. Somehow, the swelling went down and the pain subsided enough for me to play a full day of coed 4’s where we ended up winning the whole tournament. My ankle seemed to recover after that minor tweak.
November 2024
I was sitting at a bar height stool and watching my guys swing at a golf simulator. I let my legs dangle down, and suddenly I felt my ankle lock up. I tried putting weight on it, but couldn’t put any pressure or weight without feeling the sharp, shooting pain. It almost felt like something (tendon/cartilage/something else) got stuck in the wrong place. I tried doing ankle circles, moving around, and massaging it, but nothing helped. That night I knelt down on the ground to put my dog in her kennel and give her kisses and by surprise, something in my ankle shifted back and the pain was gone. As if it never even happened at all…
December 2024
Seated at my desk, I pushed off to turn around in my office chair, pointing my toe. Again, I felt something lock up, felt sharp pain, and couldn’t stand. This time, it didn’t get better. I decided to visit the Northwest Orthopedics Express clinic to have it looked at by a doctor. After doing an x-ray and physical exam, the doctor mentioned seeing a piece of bone or cartilage in between my ankle joints. He ordered an MRI for me and sent me off to a specialist. We left for a mini-vacation to Leavenworth , Washington the day after and I hobbled in pain the whole time. It was extremely painful, but I didn’t want to miss out on good memories and fun times!
January 2024
After the MRI, I met with Todd Ostile, PA to go over my results. Todd mentioned that my ligament was torn, but that is common in most people and doesn’t need operating on. He said that he saw the piece of cartilage or bone in my joints and joint effusion that was causing my pain. Turns out, back in May, I likely fractured my ankle, and a piece broke off and was floating around in my ankle. After going over the results with the doctor, Todd stated that I have a few options: take hydrocortisone shots to manage the pain, or only do what is tolerable. He thought surgery wasn’t a good option because of the nerves and artery in that area making it a more risky operation. He said if I really couldn’t live with it and wanted the procedure, we could talk to the doctor, but he wouldn’t advise surgery.
In his aftercare summary, Todd stated, “Ms. Svetlichny is in today to go over her CT scan of the left ankle. CT scan reveals fracture fragment/osteophyte in the lateral posterior gutter of the ankle joint. I reviewed findings with patient. We discussed difficulty in excising this surgically as well as associated risks with nerve injury, etc. At this point I would recommend a trial of corticosteroid injection. I reviewed risk, benefits position with corticosteroid injection with limitations. Patient would like to consider information will get back with us with her decision.”
I was emotional after this appointment, thinking that my only choices were to give up the sport I love and never run or jump without excruciating pain, or take steroid injections which are temporary and can be more damaging. I reached out to my Uncle Spencer, an orthopedic surgeon on Oahu, for advice and he recommended reaching out to get a second opinion.
In the meantime, I was referred to a physical therapist named Katie, who I worked with for a handful of weeks before I noticed I was not progressing, and the floating debris in my ankle was causing agitation no matter how much I stretched or strengthened.
March 2024
I reached out to an orthopedic surgeon at Providence, another medical system in the area, named Dr. Barrow. After looking at my MRI and CT scans, he stated, “I don’t know what that PA was talking about. There are no nerves or arteries that would be at risk. We can just make the incision here in the back and take that floating piece of debris out.” He went on to share that some of the risks of operating, and the recovery time being 3-6 months after surgery. I felt hopeful that there would be a solution and remedy for the discomfort, and I would likely be able to run and jump again, so I signed to consent for surgery form. Dr. Barrow’s surgery scheduler reached out and we got the surgery scheduled for his next available date in July.
Scheduling was also a pain point at this time, as I had a few things planned for the year that required use of my legs to do, including: our vacation to Europe, being a bridesmaid in Alyssa’s wedding, and Spike & Dig. July would allow me to still go on vacation, but be in pain, and it would cut it close with the wedding and tournament. But alas, I had scheduled in July because there was nothing sooner available.
After choosing Dr. Barrow, I hesitated to meet with the third doctor I had scheduled a consult with, Dr. Jessica Kohring from Northwest Orthopedics, but Michael encouraged me to still meet with her to get a third opinion, especially because the first two surgeons had a wildly different take. So I ended up meeting with Dr. Kohring, who did a physical exam and looked at my imaging data.
Dr. Kohring is so knowledgeable. She took a look at my scans and shared her approach: minimally invasive arthroscopic surgery. This technique would require her to go in through the front with a scope, and yank the bone chip out the front. The backup plan was to make an incision on the back (like Dr. Barrow’s approach) if the minimally invasive technique doesn’t work. She told me that she had an opening for the following week, and would anticipate a very short recovery (like walking right away). Her confidence and care made me feel instantly that she would make the best decisions for me. Sign me up!!! Needless to say, I canceled my surgery with Dr. Barrow.
The next week, I headed in for surgery with Dr. Kohring. Within about 30 minutes, Dr. Kohring had yanked out that 2 cm sucker of debris and I was finished! I stood up and walked that day, my ankle feeling better than when I had gone in feeling. Dr. Kohring excitedly shared a picture of the debris, as she said it was the biggest floating piece she’s ever removed from someone before. I was relieved, grateful, and shocked!
After surgery I went back to physical therapy for a few weeks. By the following month I was walking like a champ, even jogging, and was able to enjoy my Europe vacation pain-free, start playing volleyball, and gear up for my next surgery (parotidectomy).
From the whole journey, I discovered just how different each surgeon’s approach is, and how important it is to get multiple opinions for serious issues. Each surgeon shared what they felt was the best approach yet they would all have extremely different outcomes. The decision making of each person varies widely, and I’m so glad I chose Dr. Kohring and trusted that she would do what she thought was best for me.
My hope is that those who read this story will feel empowered to be their own advocate when it comes to medical issues. You know your body more than anyone else does, and you have the right to explore your options before taking truth in a medical professional’s insights. Surgeons are human, trust is a big part of a successful operation, and getting a second (or third) opinion can be a game changer!