'My Feet Are Killing Me': Josephine approaches Dr Brad with her foot that feels like a 'knife sticking through' it
Dr Brad Schaeffer is used to seeing patients coming in with complicated conditions, but the one he had never seen before a foot covered in a mass of skin. Josephine Schiavone got on a call with Dr Schaeffer with the hope that a solution to her long problem could be found.
Since coronavirus made it difficult for him to meet his patients in the hospital, Dr Schaeffer decided to have a video call. Josephine revealed she has been struggling with the condition for a long time. When she had first gone to a doctor, they had informed the mass was forming because there were two bones diffusing into each other. While they managed to remove the bone, the condition of her foot did not get better as the mass of skin started covering it up. She admitted there was a lot of pain that was felt while walking. Describing the pain as a "knife sticking through", Josephine admitted she wanted to live a normal life where she could walk freely.
Dr Schaeffer revealed that there was a probability the mass was pressing on the nerves in her feet that caused her pain. She further added that sometimes the pain seemed like something tight was wrapped around her feet. Josephine also stated there were times when she could not feel her toes as her foot would go numb.
Dr Schaeffer explained that numbness could be caused by the blood supply getting affected. Even though Josephine has had surgeries before to remove the mass, they often came back bigger. After looking at her condition, Dr Schaeffer was convinced Josephine had Proteus Syndrome, a genetic condition that results in overgrowth of bones, skin, and soft tissue. He further added that there were higher chances of her experiencing knee and hip pain as the pain from the foot might move there. Dr Schaeffer revealed that the best solution for it would be amputation. He explained that they could make a custom prosthetic leg that would allow her to walk freely.
However, the idea of getting her leg amputated did not fit well with Josephine. She looked nervous and wondered if it was necessary. Dr Schaeffer assured her that the decision to amputate would be taken together and it could be decided once they meet face-to-face.
'My Feet Are Killing Me' airs on Thursdays at 10.30 pm ET on TLC.