November 19th, 2025

This afternoon, I had my appointment with my surgeon to meet the full team that will be involved in my upcoming foot operation. It felt almost like a medical summit: the neurosurgeon, the vascular surgeon, a renowned professor from Basel specialized in foot surgery, the head of orthopaedics at the hospital where I’ll be operated, my main surgeon, and an assistant surgeon from Milan currently doing a fellowship. When a team like this collectively gives you the green light for an eighth operation, you know you’re in good hands… even if it’s quite a lot of white coats in one room. It does make you wonder whether they’ll all even fit into the operating theatre!

After the introductions, we reviewed the current condition of my foot. The specialists discussed the details of the procedure among themselves, exchanging technical terminology at a pace I simply couldn’t follow. I didn’t understand everything, but the essential part is crystal clear: they know exactly what they’re doing and that’s all that matters.

We then talked about the schedule. The operation was originally planned for December 1st, but due to the availability of the different specialists, it has been moved to December 15th. I can’t say I’m thrilled about the change; I had mentally prepared myself for the 1st, and my patience is running thin. But that’s how it is. Another downside: I’ll be discharged just before Christmas, and if there are any complications, which absolutely no one hopes for, I might end up spending Christmas in the hospital. Not exactly the cosy atmosphere with a roaring fire and Christmas tree that I had imagined.

On the day of the operation, I’ll be admitted in the morning, followed by blood tests and the meeting with the anaesthesiologist. The surgery will begin at 1:00 p.m. and will last several hours. The plan is to implant a retrograde tibio-talocalcaneal (TTC) nail. In practical terms, this means inserting a titan rod from the heel bone up into the tibia, passing through the ankle to ensure stability. The affected joints, the upper ankle joint and lower ankle joint, will be permanently fused. I will no longer be able to move the ankle, but since I haven’t been able to use it properly for over a year anyway, the difference won’t be as dramatic as it sounds.

The foot will be repositioned, and the space where the ankle joint used to be, now gone due to the staphylococcal infections, will be filled with bone material. This will either come from my own pelvis or, if necessary, from a bone bank. Using my own bone has the advantage of avoiding any “biological disagreement” later on.

It’s certainly a complex operation, but the team is highly experienced and specialized. Afterwards, I’ll be in a cast for at least twelve weeks before switching to the orthopaedic shoe I already received after a previous surgery. Then rehabilitation begins. If everything goes according to plan, I should be able to enjoy spring in a much more mobile state.

Before I went home, I signed the consent form confirming that I’ve been informed about all risks, including, at the very serious end of the spectrum, the possibility of an amputation. The next step will be the hospital’s preoperative questionnaires: one general and one specific for anaesthesia. So there’s still a bit of waiting to do before the big day arrives.

And finally, a few words about Deniz, the Kurdish colleague who came to us as a refugee. He has just taken his first exams and passed them brilliantly: on average, five points above the class mean. A remarkable achievement, especially when one remember that he is the only one in his group entering this training directly, while all the other students are already qualified nurses.

Yesterday, he also had to perform his very first intravenous blood sampling. The task was stressful enough on its own, but he had to do it on a doctor who is a teacher. Despite the pressure, he stayed focused, took a deep breath… and went for it. First try! The blood flowed exactly as it should, and he was able to fill two vials without the slightest complication. Meanwhile, some of the other students managed to turn their attempts into something closer to a battlefield!