This is my first ever blog so please forgive me I am just learning how to use this. I have been searching on the Internet for endless hours, days, and months for any info on Giant Cell Tumor and keep finding the same old info, I really wanted someone whom I can share my experience with, maybe someone who has been down the same road as I have. I never found anyone so I figured I'd start this blog and hopefully find someone either I can share some information with or someone who has some info for me. My name is Theresa I am 30 years old and living in NYC. I was diagnosed with a Giant Cell Tumor of the first metatarsal. Finally getting diagnosed took many months. I was experiencing pain on the top of my left foot, but associated it with my new shoes or long hours on my feet during my nursing clinicals. I let the pain go for 2 months and finally when I finished my semester of school I saw my general Dr. He was feeling my foot and said it did feel like tendinitis but he sent me for an xray just in case. He had given me anti-inflammatory and said take them for 3 weeks but if I were going to try to become pregnant then not to take them. When I went home and discussed this with my husband we decided we would wait and if I didn't become pregnant within 2 months then I would start to take them. I did go for my Xray which came back fine(so they say). So I just ignored the pain thinking maybe I was exaggerating exactly how bad it was. My Xray and Dr visit all took place in Jan of 2007. By the end of March my foot was excruciating. My Dr wrote me a new RX for the anti-inflammatory but when I went to pick up the meds I also picked up a pregnancy test. I got home and found out we were expecting a second child. I was so full of joy but panicked because this pain was just horrendous. I called my Dr who said to take Tylenol, that is all I could do. Finally the end of May I could no longer take the pain and also my foot started to swell up and felt warm to the touch. I called Dr who referred me to a podiatrist. I went to the podiatrist who said it looked like a lisfranc fracture and he sent me for an Xray. I hated to have the Xray being pregnant but my OBGYN assured me everything would be ok. I had the Xray done on Friday and Saturday I received the dreaded call from my podiatrist that I need to be in his office with my films and husband ASAP, he said there is something suspicious on the xray and he needs to see me. In his office he said that I have a bone tumor, whether it is benign or malignant we do not know. He did say that it destroyed most of my first metatarsal. I was hysterical. How can this be happening to me? I have a wonderful husband a 2 1/2 year old daughter and I am 10 weeks pregnant. I saw an orthopedic surgeon who had to recommend me to an orthopedic oncologist. The big problem now was that I was pregnant. The bone oncologist did tell me that he was 99% sure that it looked like a giant cell tumor, but most of my bone has been destroyed and that if I waited to give birth I would have needed my foot amputated by then. This was all too much for me to take in, if it were not for my husband and daughter I would have been in deep depression. My husband and I had to make the hardest decision of our lives. We opted to medically terminate my pregnancy, there was just to much to risk. It was one of the worst decisions I ever had to make and I second guess my choice every day!! I had a bone biopsy and bone scan. It was indeed a giant cell tumor. My surgery was scheduled for about 2 weeks after. The day of my surgery I was a disaster. I hate going under and the thought of this surgery was gruesome. I awoke in recovery and was totally out of it. I had a huge piece of bone taken out of my hip and put in my foot where the Dr removed the tumor along with much of the metatarsal. I have a metal plate and 8 screws in my foot. My surgery was done August 10 2007, today is January 30 2008 and I am still not healed. I was in a hard cast for 8 weeks and then put in a walking boot, all the time putting no pressure on my foot, I am using crutches. November 2008 I go back to surgeon and have xray to find out that my bone graft is not taking. He gave me a bone stimulator which I use every night for 40 minutes. I went back to him in December and had an Xray and once again it shows that I am not healing. He is giving me 6 more weeks to heal I will then have a Ct Scan and if I am not healed by then I will need this dreaded surgery again!! I have been missing out on so many things in my life. I desperately want to finish nursing school, I want to be there to take my daughter to school, I miss doing things for myself! I hate being so damn dependant. So that is my story. From what I know Giant Cell Tumors are very rare and even more so in the first metatarsal. They have a very high rate of recurrence especially if the tumor was as big as mine. The tumor can metastasize to the lungs (so of course every cough I get I think I have a lung tumor) I will need a chest and foot xray every 3 months for the next 2 years and then every 6 months for years 2-5 and then every year for life. I was told by my surgeon not to get pregnant within 2 years of having surgery. Which totally frustrates me because when I ask why I do not get a straight answer. I know that they say pregnancy hormones make the tumor grow rapidly. I will do anything to not have this tumor ever come back but I also want to have a baby, I guess for now I will enjoy the babies all around me. This whole process has been so much worse then I have ever expected. I am very thankful that it was a benign tumor rather then malignant but it is still a lot for me to handle at this point in my life. So please keep me and my family in your prayers my next appt is in 2 weeks!! Thanks
This is my foot about 8 weeks after surgery this is the day they removed the cast. My big toe is much shorter then my second toe, he tried his best not to make it too short lol I think it is so funny looking! But hey atleast I have a foot!!
This is my foot about 10 weeks after surgery. It is still very swollen.
And here is the incision where they took the bone from my hip. This hurt more then my foot actually.
