Bunion op in December

Hi Sarah

Try not to worry about it. From what I can see on this site by the time you have your op next month there will b lots of relevant discussions going on and everyone is so friendly and helpful willing to share their experiences. Main thing is to get as much help as you can for the first two weeks as that's the crucial healing phase and also most painful. If people offer to come and stay say ' yes please' as having one or both feet very incapacitated really affects your mobility far more than you'd expect.

I have had both feet done and am on day five and whilst they are sore it isn't much worse than the worst bunion pain we get and if you keep on top of it with painkillers it is manageable. The nurses at the hospital stressed importance of taking pain killers regularly so don't miss a dose because you think you can manage as I suspect the pain might return with avengence!

Please try not to worry - enjoy yourself as much as you can between now and the 3rd and then take a good book in to the hospital with you to while away the waiting time.

Good luck and remember we will all be here for you post the 3 rd!

Hi Sarah, Lindsay is right, try to relax and think about something else until the big day. And focus on how much you dislike your bunion!

Why not read through everyone's suggestions, and make a 'to do' list, and a 'to buy' list? It might make you feel calmer to be preparing for it.

I really do know how you feel, I was living in my head in the weeks leading up to it, I didn't want to bore everyone stupid with my fears, but I was thinking about it all the time. It wasn't really a healthy state of mind to be in!

My scar is starting to fade a bit, and I'm thinking about shoes I could wear...... Only dreaming!

Take care.

Lindsay - how is the itching?

Hi Sue

Itching seems to be abating thank you, pain lessening and bandage getting looser which hopefully means that I haven't swollen up too much.

And you?

Hi Lindsay, that sound very promising. If the bandages are looser, it must mean less swelling.

I'm much better thank you, after a dodgy week last week, I'm feeling very positive. x-Ray coming up on Friday, that's the 'proof of the pudding'!

Let's hope the X-rays look good. Here's to a better week for all of us in so top bunion land!

Hi All, I hope everyone is recovering well. May seem like a daft question but I am not sure what sort of shoes to take for when my bandage and rod are removed. I was looking for a sandal type shoe with Velcro but it's not really the time of year.

Anyone got any ideas please?

Thanks tina

Hi Tina,

I'm 6 weeks post surgery.

I was told to bring in a soft Shoe/Trainer with velcro fastening, as they would provide the support my feet needed.

I managed to shuffle to my local shoe shop and tried a Trainer which had a velcro opening. There was no way I could get my feet into my normal size 5, so I tried a 51/2 and a 6 no way would my feet fit into these Trainers.

I bought the size 6 and took it to my appointment to show the Nurse. She agreed that I needed to wait for the swelling to subside before I attempted the Trainers.

How is your foot? Has the swelling subsided?

Robina

I was thinking of wide fur lined boots, like the BearPaw ones in TKMaxx, but I think flip flops might actually be best, because the size doesn't matter. I thought I'd just get straight back in the car - my appointment is on Friday. The other thing I thought of was to buy 2 pairs of VERY cheap trainers in 2 different sizes, so I would have the same thing on each foot! Any comments much appreciated!

Hi Tina and Robina,

The shoe problem is a very timely one for me! I am five weeks post op tomorrow, the wound is healing very well and I have very little pain, just a tight stiff feeling all over the foot. I have been walking well in the Darco boot,, and am anxious to get back to work.

My job requires safety boots, and I tried to get my post-op foot into my well-worn work boot today. even though I took the laces completely OUT I could only tolerate the boot for a few steps. I really shouldn't walk around much without the Darco Boot until at least 6 weeks have passed, so I didn't push it.

I just wanted some idea of how it would feel, as I am going to my GP this Weds to decide what to do with me in the two weeks until my 7-week follow up with the surgeon. Apart from the initial referral to the ortho dept, my GP has had nothing to do with the process and will only be the interim professional who uses his knowledge and what I TELL him of my progress to decide whether I can go back to work.

I am climbing the walls at home, and am worried about having taken 5 weeks off work already, but am trying to be realistic and not push myself too much too soon, thus undoing the surgeon's good work. ( Although I am still unsure whether the op was a complete success - the bunion area still appears bunion-y and my big toe still wants to aim inwards towards the other toes.) Sue45768 and the first Sarah have been with me on this since early December!

My employers are not pressuring me to return to work, I just don't want to appear to be milking the system, and want to go back on a 'phased return' asap. I originally thought a phasedreturn would mean severely moderated duties, as my normal work is physical and I am on-the-go all day. But now I am thinking we may be better off limiting the LENGTH of my workday - shortening them as required by the length of time I can tolerated a saftety boot on the foot.

There are other bunion discussions on this site, one from last year was very focussed on footwear, and like yourselves many people referred to buying a larger size trainer or Birkenstock type shoe to wear for up to a few months while the foot continues to heal and return to a better shape. I went thru the discussions looking for a ray of hope.

This is so worrying for me, as I may not be allowed to do ANY duties if I can only wear a soft trainer.

It's so strange, at the beginning of December I was SO excited at the prospect of a long break from work, and now i am champing at the bit to return, even tho I could quite easily justify staying off for up to 3 more weeks.

i might shuffle to a shoe shop myself this week, because work boots aside, i am looking forward to wearing real shoes again!

Hi Sue,

What a fab idea about buying 2 pairs of VERY cheap trainers in 2 different sizes so you'd have matching feet

The BearPaw from TKMaxx sound wonderful and I personally love flip flops.

I was given very specific instructions to bring a soft shoe/Trainer, which apparently would give the feet protection and support. So at the moment I am still shuffling around in my Darco Boots and waiting for the swelling to go down.

Alice

The incisions on both feet are healing well, I still have bouts of achy feet, shooting pains in the toes and the large toes on both feet are still numb. My job involves me moving around a lot and at the moment I cant see myself at work as standing and walking is tiring and painful. Please don't rush back to work as you say you dont want to undo the Surgeons good work.

Phased return sounds like a good idea.

Robina

Dear Robina & Alice - don't go back to work yet! They always say they'll put you on light duties, and after an hour everyone expects you to do everything you always do! I've seen it happen so many times colleagues. Plus there's so many horror stories of people having yo repeat their bunion surgery, and that's worse than an extra couple of weeks off......

Hi Sue,

Absolutely agree with you. Expectations at my workplace are high and I know I would be expected to carry on as nothing has happened. I don't want all the good work to become undone for the case of a couple of extra weeks.

Alice

I Know its hard but hang in there.

Robina

Hi all, it's so good to read all the comments on here and thanks for the ideas about shoes. I was feeling pretty great today until I slipped and put weight on the front of my foot and mainly on my big toe bending it where the bunion used to be. I have rung the hospital and they said unless it's really hurting it should be ok. It feels very warm at the minute so I am keeping it up. I have been so careful up until now but my crutch slipped on some moss type stuff. Goodness knows what the cab driver thought when I finally got the cab! Fingers crossed that I haven't done any damage.

I hope everyone is recovering well.

Tina

Shame Tina, I hope it will be ok.

I had my fibreglass cast replaced late yesterday. It has been on for 4 weeks and I was very aware that dead skin will be flying around once the cast has been split as I was playing golf everyday in sunny Zimbabwe before my surgery and was quite tanned. Sure enough, lots of dead skin on my leg and the cast (sorry to be gruesome), but my surgeon was so understanding and let me scrubbed my leg with wipes and moisturise it with body butter before he put the new fibreglass cast on which will be the home of my now even skinnier leg. No Xray was taken, but he assured me that it looks as it should and the Xray will be taken when he takes this cast off and hopefully (who would have thought I would be excited at the thought of air boot cast) I will then have my air boot cast. He also reassured me that the tingling and numbness are all quite normal. He has a very good reputation in SW London. I have met and know a few people that he has operated on.

The only thing that now bothers or worries me is he left all my toes exposed. I'm worried that if I fall, I will stub my toes and do damage or catch the little plastic loops at the end of the stitches. I took several photos of my foot before he put the new cast and I must say I never realised that the big toe should be slightly longer than the second toe, anyway, it looks very straight. I'll have a long scar along where the old bunion was and an L shaped scar along the outside of my heel where he took the bone to graph onto my big toe. I also did not realised that my 3rd toe was numbed because he took the neuroma out from the top of my foot instead of from the balls of my foot as if he did, the scarring may be painful when I walk. This now means an inch and a half scar between my 2nd and 3rd toe, but much better than on the balls of my foot. I wish we could post photos on this blog. It would be interesting to compare.

Anyway, take care everyone and hope we all recover as well as expected.