The story of Claudia
Hello, I’m 18 years old and I’ve been dealing with this disease for 10 years. Ledderhose disease (or plantar fibtomatosis) causes the thickening in the plantar fascia, causing lumps to grow on the foot/feet. The cause is unknown and there is little research on the disease meaning that the treatment varies. From what I know, the treatment options are radiotherapy, different injections such as cortisone, shockwaves therapy and surgery. However, they are not guaranteed to work as it depends on the progression of the lumps as well as surgery has a high reoccurance rate of 50%. I was diagnosed at the age of 8 and my surgery was preformed a year later. The recovery period is 2 months, including 2 weeks bed bound. I was in immense pain before the surgery and after everything healed, I was pain free for around 8 years. The lump started to grow back after the 3rd year, but only the past year and a half have been very difficult as it progressed rapidly. Within 2 months, a new lump had formed which has started to really cause pain (especially in the morning). I had an MRI scan on my foot so that the doctors can figure out how to deal with it. I am in pain 24/7 and walking is not my favourite thing to do. However, I still walk a lot and wear high heels even when I’m not supposed to. I’m enjoying my life as I’m still young and have so much to experience and nothing should stop anyone no matter the age or the disease. We are all strong and need to be positive. I hope this story has helped someone or felt like they’re not alone in this. Much love