Visited East Coast Podiatry

I had 4 surgeries on my right foot late last year. 3 of them were soft tissue excision to cut off pus-filled lumps, 1 was a skin graft using skin from my right thigh. For about 3 months, I couldn't walk flat on my right foot. I tip toed most of the time and the pain at the back of my right heel deepened gradually. 

 Finally, I decided to visit East Coast Podiatry (Kembangan) for the first time. I walked in on Saturday morning. Luckily, the friendly receptionist said there was an immediate available slot. I was told that the first consultation fee cost $150, assessment tests cost $300, on top of the actual treatment. 

The receptionist brought me to Dr G's room in another outlet, which was very spacious and clean. She greeted me with a wide smile and friendly disposition. I told her about my medical history, to which she showed a lot of empathy. She examined my right foot for a while before concluding that my bunion contributed to my achilles tendonitis. 

In light of my surgeries, she opted for a more conservative treatment plan instead of rushing shockwave therapy. She recommended wearing specific medical shoes brands like Oofos, customising foot orthotics, and light exercises every night. It was more about correcting my foot posture, then the achilles will most likely go away on its own. I was initially skeptical because my mind was fixated on the shockwave therapy that I read in reviews, but Dr G said she wasn't keen to try it because it delivers heat deep into the tissue, which may not be good after recent surgery. 

 She also pointed out that I had fungal infection on all my toes?!?! I was shocked. 1 toe therapy cost $95, so all 5 toes cost $495. I told her forget it, my priority was curing the achilles tendon first. 

 Then we did a very thorough foot assessment. Starting off with a foot ultrasound scan, I had to lie on my stomach on the bed for her to scan the back of my foot. Then she explained the sonogram images. There was a spur (a permanent bony protrusion) and black empty space all around it, signifying fluid and inflammation. We also did some mobility tests. She asked me to push my feet against her hands, to which she said I had a lot of strength lol. Then balance and tip toe on one foot, which I couldn't do so with my right foot. Clearly, I had some mobility limitation. We took a few more photos and documentation of my foot for the foot orthotics in another room. 

I like how she answered all my questions very professionally and in great detail. Apparently it takes 6 months to fully recover. In just a short 30-minute consultation, I learnt so much like it was a crash-course on my foot. It was a lot more expensive than I had anticipated. It amounted to 1.7k, because the foot orthotics cost $900 per pair. My foot really costs so much to maintain. But I trust in Dr G's expertise. Let's just hope that by my birthday 26 June, my pain will go away completely.