Posted , 54 users are following.
I had a buionectomy about 8 weeks ago. It was a severe bunion that could only be corrected by fusing my big toe straight as my whole foot was deformed. While it looks better I am still very swolen and can not wear any shoes. Will I ever be able to run or dance again since I will never be able to bend my toe at the joint. Any advise would be so appreciated.
1 like, 163 replies
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patricia69905 beachybeach
Posted
i know recovery is long but if you have the plate attached, does the plate rub on your shoe and cause you problems.
how are you doing now? Are you still golfing?
elizabethjonn patricia69905
Posted
well it seems the screws came through the bone so after a while it really hurts
cant afford to take time off to get it sorted so take painkillers! flip flops are a big no no you wont be able to keep them on and my heels will eventually be given away with all my birkenstock's, im gutted and in more pain than before, why cant the fix the socket in this day in age? fusing it means sensible shoes for ever and constant discomfort, i wonder if anyone else has a good outcome?
misskh elizabethjonn
Posted
Oh dear....so sorry to hear this.
I was given different healing/after care instructions from what you had.
I'm a year post big toe fusion after a revised bunion op wasn't done correctly and
apart from the obvious that the toe doesn't bend all seems to be doing ok.
But it wasn't until around 10 months post I noticed things were on the up.
I had been told by my surgeon the recovery period was a year.... He laughed when
I told him previous surgeon had said 6 weeks..
I had to stay off of my foot, only going to the bathroom for the first 2 weeks, and
wearing my surgical shoe was a must....until my final check up at 12 weeks when
the surgeon could see the bones had fully fused together and screws/pins were
all good.
I wasn't allowed to get it fully wet so swimming was a definite no no.
I had to massage the scar once fully heald with oil a few times a day to keep and
scar tissue from forming and still elevate my foot through out the day.
I'm not a heel wearer anyway but definitely miss not being able to wear my
Fitflop, but as you say they don't stay on the foot, I wear birkenstock's or go
barerfeet at home and training shoes with good support when generally doing
the rounds out and baout. I'm comfortable that life will now be sandals in the
summer and supportive shoes in the winter as the pain has gone.
I do hope that you see someone for more advise, if the screws have come
through the bone then surely your foot needs seeing too. Pain killers will only
work for a certain amount of time and won't eliminate the main cause.
patricia69905 misskh
Posted
I am surprised that you cannot wear flip flops because now, with my bunion so distorted & my big toe going slanted, that is the most comfortable shoe to wear. So, in the heat of the summer, my feet are cool.
may I ask, can you wear a simple flat?
I figured it would be a year before I could wear a normal shoe, and that is ok, but I want to just wear a nice simple flat in the summer and then a comfortable boot in winter.
This is really getting scary.......
patricia95568 misskh
Posted
Hi misskh you were very supportive to me last year when we had a Gt toe fusion within 2 weeks of each other!
I have no complaint at all! I did try my
Fitflops but they
we'rent
comfortable, I'm
more that happy to wear flats and not
interested in
wearing heels as
these may have
been the cause of
my problems many moons ago!
Patricia if you have
the op you have to be prepared to
make changes!!!
misskh patricia69905
Posted
Hi Patricia...
As much as I've tried to wear my Fitflops I just haven't got the grip when walking
because the big toe no longer bends....so they tend to end up being flick off.
pre op I wore them all the time as it was the inly footwear that was comfortable
by not putting pressure on the bunion.
I've yet to have my left foot revised surgery done.....
Bar a heel type shoe.....by choice....I can wear any footwear that has the support
of back/strap, so yes a simple flat shoe works fine.
misskh patricia95568
Posted
Hello there.....good to hear that things are progressing well for you.
I do have the odd day where my big toe still feels alien to me.... trying to wiggle
my foot into my training shoe only to have the shoe keep moving forward due to
lack of toe bending and being able to drag said shoe back.....so a shoe horn is a
must. The other one is when out walking, which I do a lot now, if i tread on an
object.....stone....pine cone or such the toe doesn't bend around it.....just reminds
me I've had a plate put in.
It's been a long haul since my first op's is 2014......the one's not done correctly, as
the second surgeon discovered that I had arthritis in my toes which he scrapped
away, I didn't even know they could do that, so that wasn'thelping pain wise.
Still waiting for my left foot revised surgery to finally go ahead.
DoMinya beachybeach
Posted
I have had to have fusion in both of me feet. The right foot has been fused along with 2nd and 3rd toe and plates are now removed. Completed in 2013. My left foot only big toe is fused and I still have plates in place, 2015 completed. I have to have this surgery redone as the joint did not fuse properly.
I had this done ontop of original wedge and pin bunionectomy when I was 14.
Honesty I wish I'd never done it! I have tremendous pain daily and swelling often. I no longer feel my toes (right especially) and I Trip and lose my sandals and such. It has impaired me completely. I no longer run or can jump. I have arthritis and things seem to be on a degenerative path. I am 42 and I think at this rate I very possibly could be unable to walk much within 10 years. I often have to use a cane.
I hope others don't struggle as I have.
Lildeb beachybeach
Posted
I am getting ready to have bunion surgery 2/7/18 in a couple of weeks. After reading about so many complications and the long recovery, im concerned. I am 59 years old and very active at the gym. I'm wondering is it worth it at my age. Also, I would like to know if anyone regrets having their surgery done, and if given the chance would you do it again.
kathy93578 beachybeach
Posted
Has anyone had screws inserted longways into the length of the 2nd and 4th toes? My question is: how long before you don't constantly feel them in your toes? I had surgery Dec. 4, 2017 to put screws in 3 toes and am 3 1/2 months post surgery. My toes still feel like shish kabob sausages. I am a dancer and this is distressing. When will they feel normal?
nettjune beachybeach
Posted
LinduhT beachybeach
Posted
in Aug I had bunion surgery and a pin placed in my second toe (hammer toe). I have M.S. and one of my symptoms are very intense muscle spams in my feet and legs. The surgery went well with minimal pain. However the pin slipped due to the spasms and the big toe over corrected in the other direction. It is now Sept. 4 weeks after first surgery. Doc went back in 2 days ago through same incision and put in a plate and fused the big toe. This time the pain after surgery has been excruciating. The Hydrocodone has not touched it. I have probably slept 4 hours altogether in the past 2 1/2 days. I have a pot op appt with him tomorrow, I am just trying to hang on till then. Since the surgery last month had been a piece of cake I walked into this one with no hesitation. I don't know if the pain is due to the tissue not being healed from the last surgery or if there is a problem but I do know that if I had of known how this one would go, I would not have done it.
elizabethjonn beachybeach
Posted
you will never run again. im having it redone for the third time early next year. still take painkillers so i wish i had read this and never had it done, forget flipflops as without your two bending they cant stay on, threw them all out and bought sandles with backs. and bought wide fitting shoes. ive got a couple of pairs of kitten heels that i can wear for 5 minutes. I always wore a heel and hate it now. unless your crippled with pain, dont do it!