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Backwards again....

Posted , 8 users are following.

anita51180
anita51180

well  the boot has gone, nothing on my foot now.....but.... The swelling has got bigger  and more painful,  six weeks on  and  I feel it's backwards again. I can't stand anything on the scar tissue, I'm still in my husbands slippers.  How grotty is that... It still feels like  someone is  trying to saw my big toe off.  But it's been x rayed  and looks fine the consultant said. I've got physio for six weeks,  tell me this is to be expected. 

1 like, 33 replies

33 Replies

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  • elizabeth_83569
    elizabeth_83569 anita51180

    Posted

    My scar is still very sore I started my physio yesterday and feel the benefits already hang in there it will get better 
  • scraig1954
    scraig1954 anita51180

    Posted

    I am 7 weeks post op Anita. Boot off last week and like you my swelling now worse. I think it's because I am walking more and not elevating as much. The scar is still very sensitive but I'm into wide fitting trainers. Not much pain now just odd stabbing pains. Walking with a limp but getting better day by day.
  • PaulDuffy89
    PaulDuffy89 anita51180

    Posted

    My first few days after the Crutches where agony too one day I was in a shop standing in a queue and felt close to tears with the pain.

    This was 2-3 weeks ago I started walking again without aid of a crutch and its agony just be patient with it and dont try to do too much.

    Also try getting a Medic Sandal Shoe Slipper I wear this on my foot when going out as pressure from wide fitting shoes still hurt.

  • misskh
    misskh anita51180

    Posted

    I'm 12 weeks and like you my feet still swell they're pretty much normal

    first thing but throughout the day they swell up, infact on Sunday I'd

    done so much that the swelling around the ankle area had gone full

    circle around the leg and the toe nails felt like they were being pulled

    from the toe . On Monday the only shoes I could wear were my

    surgical ones....yes I kept them rather glad I did as many a time I've had

    to revert back to wearing them.

    Do you run oil or cream into your scars as this breaks down the scar

    tissue and I have found it does help with the tenderness.

  • karen27130
    karen27130 anita51180

    Posted

    Pleased to hear that you still get swelling whch means that I am not that unusual. I am now 13 weeks post op and still wearing walking shoes most of the time. Toe Joints also pretty swollen today after some light exercise yesterday. Thought that swelling would pretty much have gone down by now! 
  • caroline38772
    caroline38772 anita51180

    Posted

    Anita, my splints and boots came off about 2 hours ago, total relief, but now have big pink swollen sausages, and the scars are tingling .... Thankfully have managed another few weeks of work, so fingers crossed. I've been told to soak them regularly, massage cream, bio oil what ever into them.  Seems from the frying pan into the fire. Thank you for posting this, makes me feel almost normal   Caroline
  • anita51180
    anita51180

    Posted

    Thank you everyone who has replied to me. It means so much to me to  see that others are having the same sort of problems.   I seem to reel from optimism to  dispair,   I have never seen such swelling  and various shades of colour, blue , black  a bit  of green ,  purple,  yellow. But  still the pain  grinds it's way across the base of my big toe.  The toe seems immobile  and as the day goes on the swelling gets larger, and I am keeping my feet up. Please let me know how you are all  progressing if that's the word. 
  • fiona34865
    fiona34865 anita51180

    Posted

    Hi I am in Australia and had my surgery end July 2014. Neuroma, hammer toe, leaning toe and major bunion surgery on left foot. Both bunions were supposedly done 30 years ago but apparently no actually breaking of bones. I still can't wear closed shoes  eg joggers as the scarring becomes unbearably painful after about an hour....like a burning sensation. I have been rubbing in silicone gel and special vitamin oil for several months. i am only wearing thongs and sandals so not sure what I can do when our cool weather starts and i need to look for work. It has improved my arthritic knee on other leg though and I am mostly off walking stick. Any suggestions please?
  • anita51180
    anita51180

    Posted

    Backwards  again and again..... I'm really  really fed up now. The scar tissue is on fire, over where the bunion was ,  the joint is really swollen and hurts when up on a stool. To walk around makes the joint feel like it's going to explode,  I tried putting arnica cream on then lavender oil, I really don't know what else to try. It seems that I'm at a standstill here and can't go forwards, the foot has been looked at as you know . So it must be me? It will be seven weeks on Monday since the op. I feel I should be doing better than this.  You start to think that something has gone wrong with the foot.  Oh dear.  Please give me up dates on how you are all going along.
  • caroline38772
    caroline38772 anita51180

    Posted

    Anita, I know how you feel. Salami for feet, sausages for toes,, scars throbbing - had bilateral lapidus + Atkins on 27/11. Spent ages looking for 'outdoor' shoes to fit, even though the surgeon has suggested soft canvas shoes, I can't get to a shop to buy them, so I have managed to find an old pair of walking sandals of mine,Velcro everywhere, ok if it's dry smile. I've managed to drunkenly stagger up and down the road and am tottering around the house in bed socks. Hurts, yes, but the more I do, the more I can seem to do the next day. Massaging ibuprofen gel into the scar area every now and again, along with any old extra rich face cream that i had into the feet. Also I'm knitting - seems that this has been proven to focus your mind on the work and is recommended for those on pain as the repetitive action helps you to relax - look up stitch links. Keep in there, you've done the major bit and you just need to find the switch for the light which is at the end of the tunnel. I'm still looking for mine, but I'm dammed if it's going to defeat me .. Caroline xxx
  • fiona34865
    fiona34865 anita51180

    Posted

    hi there...I have been through all that too but it does pass after some more weeks. As I said my scarring still burns in shoes but I do get relief from silicone gel for scars and a skin oil. Mine has coconut, avocado, calendula, olive, rosehip, evening primrose,, arnica, lavender, vit E. Both of those have taken the inflammation down and really, don't expect too much too soon. I also pour cool water over my foot  when it starts to feel hot and burning. Stay patient and keep off it
  • fiona34865
    fiona34865 anita51180

    Posted

    Wow Scraig...that is sooo fast into shoes...I can still only wear soft velcro sandals after 6 1/2 months . My doctors have told me feet can take up to 18 months to heal so don't depair anyone.
    • scraig1954
      scraig1954 fiona34865

      Posted

      I was feeling a bit sorry for myself earlier till I read these posts. I was shopping this morning walking around for a couple of hours, felt so frustrated as still limping and can't walk at any speed . I go back to work on Monday. Although I work in an office I am on my feet a lot as well. I'll just have to get on with it! Although my foot is swollen, it's my legs that are really sore . Think my muscles have seized up through lack of use😢
  • Mishe55
    Mishe55 anita51180

    Posted

    I had the surgery 4 and a half weeks ago (forefoot reconstruciton which is the Bunioin surgery plus breaking three bones in my forefoot,  shortening them and screwing them together) but I have had a lot of surgery on my other foot as I was born with a club foot.  I was advised by a orthopeadic surgeon to do two things:

    - use vit E oil on the scars (twice a day for three months as it takes three months for a scar to fully form)

    - use old tooth brush on the scars (gentle brushing) to help the nerves to loose sensitivity

    Both those strategies work wonders.  I Australia Pure VIt E oil can be purchased in pharmacies.

    Also from my previous experience and explanations I was given,  the shooting pains usually indicate the nerves regrowing and being over sensitive.  It does settle with time.

    I was hoping to find here that some people recover almost immediately after getting out of the 'boot' but clearly that is not the case.  Pity but just has to be.

     

  • caroline38772
    caroline38772 anita51180

    Posted

    Anita - how are things going. Any better? Caroline
    • anita51180
      anita51180 caroline38772

      Posted

      Well  no change here, 7 weeks from op and I'm finding it very difficult to remain positive. I bought  a pair of crocs and  fleecy  mules.  The crocs press on the big toe joint..... The mules the fleece  irritates the  joint as well.  So back into husbands slippers. The swelling is the same and the pain will not  go away. A sharp cutting pain that starts where the bunion was and  it then goes across the joint , it makes me shout out and gasp,  so nothing in the way of going forwards here. Not yet.  I did try and get some size 8 e fitting  shoes on but could not even get foot inside the shoe, very  depressing to say the least. To walk  with nothing on my foot  makes me feel sick.  I'm hoping that there will be  an improvement  someday.........
    • karen27130
      karen27130 anita51180

      Posted

      Sorry to hear that you are still having trouble. I could not get any shoes on at 7 weeks post op either. I was wearing walking sandals with adjustable straps and socks. Must have looked a complete clip! Things improved a bit at 8 weeks and I could wear my walking shoes which are a size bigger than I normally wear as I usually wear them with 2 pairs of thick socks. At 11 weeks I bought a pair of boots one size bigger and a EEE fitting which fitted fine. Bought these from Evans who sell quite a range of EEE fitting shoes. Also Simply Be do EEE fit shoes. Clarks do EE fitting shoes but they don't carry a wide range in store so you might have to order on line. They do have a god service where you can order and return to store free of charge. I found that I felt better having the opportunity to wear 'normal' looking shoes (albeit flat ones, of course!). Mostly still choose to wear the walking shoes but they do give an option! The boots are feeling bigger now but will be great with thicker socks. Just bought some sandals as going on holiday at the weekend and still had to get EEE fitting ones but in my usual size even although I am almost 14 weeks post op!

      Hope that you manage to get sorted.

    • Mishe55
      Mishe55 karen27130

      Posted

      Hi Karen,  this sounds like a really long process 

      I was hoping for a miracle I think.  I have two different feet  and a shorter leg so not only i always have to buy two pairs of shoes but also have to pay a shoe maker to elevate my left shoe to make up for discrepancy in the length of my legs.  Additionally my club foot although perfectly usable due to a number of corrective surgeries is still quite deformed so most shoes do not fit at all and others hurt too much.  I have no idea how I will manage the shoe sitaution  once I am out of the boot in 10 days or  so.   Onwards and upwards,  somethow smile

    • karen27130
      karen27130 Mishe55

      Posted

      Hi. I think that many of us have expectations which are somewhat unrealistic. I have been to see the consultant today and he stated that it is about 3 months before things really begin to improve and you really begin to be able to do things and 6-12 months before you are totally back to normal and things are as they should be. Hope that you get sorted with footwear because it is a difficult situation. Good luck
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