Bunion Operation

Hi jules23 yes to a wheelchair and yes to a wheelie walker/stroller. I am messaging you a link to a list if useful things that I posted on my blog just after my surgery. The stroller because once you start walking more its hard to carry things too and I also found standing still quote difficult so used a wheelie chair like a walker and wished I had a proper one - brushing your teeth, drying your hair, washing up, making a meal - all doable witching a week or two for a short period but sitting down,

Lots of positive information on here has helped me to decide. I spoke to HR & Line Manager yesterday and have now called and requested my name goes on the waiting list. In some ways I wish I could have both done at once to get it over with more quickly, but the advice is for them to be done separately, allowing for sufficient recovery time between ops, so I'll settle for that and hope the first one is a textbook recovery so it doesn't put me off the surgery for the second one! Thank you all.

Has anyone had the minimally invasive surgery for Hallux Rigidus which is inflamed joints (look a bit like bunions but they go up more than outwards) due to osteoarthritis ? I have booked in for it, and the surgeon will use some tendon to wrap around the big toe joint in place of cartilage which is all worn away. I am also having hammer toes straightened and pinned and the "bunions" cleaned out and cut down. Just wondering if this op takes longer to heal than Hallus Vulgaris, normal bunions, and how long before I can exercise properly. I am in Sydney, Australia.

Well I have just had stitches removed after bunion surgery 2 weeks ago. I had keyhole surgery - modified chevron procedure. Didn't hurt too much but felt very shaken up think it was the removal of all bandages. Now back on sofa with feet elevated and feet just ache a bit and feel crampy. When I put them down they pulse and I can feel them swelling but not really painful. So glad I got wheelchair from Red Cross as means I can go out for fresh air. 2 weeks time I get the titanium wires out - one in each foot poking out of big toe. Surgeon says this will not hurt. It would be good to hear other people's experiences of similar op.

I am glad to hear all the good results on the bunion operation. Unfortunately this is not my case. It is been 3 1/2 months for me and starting to feel very depressed. I am 63 and very active. Exercise 5 days a week, love to walk. I feel that I will never get back to my old self. The operation itself and the recovery was not painful at all. My foot looks great but I can't walk properly. Before the operation I had a big ball on my left foot but no pain and I could run, walk do anything I wanted. Now I feel limited by the pain and discomfort. I just came back from seeing my doctor and he recommended to start using soles to alleviate the pressure on the second toe. He says I have fluid. He injected cortisone two days ago, (so painful). I don't think it has helped much. I asked what the prognosis is...his answer is that not always things come 100% right.

I feel I should go for a second opinion. Any suggestions?....Are there others that had bad experiences.

I have been reading so many blogs.... I'm off for my pre op appointment Tuesday 29th October, I'm in my 4o's and have two awful bunions, so embarrassed by them.

I'm really going into this quite blind, but I want them doing so bad, at this moment in time I don't know if I'm have one or both done, I really want them both doing at the same time.. How likely is this?

Are you awake during this surgery ?

Do your feet go into plaster casts afterwards ?

Feeling excited about this Op - the date for this is mid November

Hi debbie1806 . . . .

I had big and little toe bunions operated on on both feet in May. The main things when considering whether to have both done at the same time would be:

- do you have someone at home to get your dinner / drinks / do the laundry? It's much easier if you have this support

- one operation = one recovery period = slightly longer recovery period . . . but then you are done! (that's the main reason I did both together - get it done and I can move on with fabulous feet

I was asleep during the surgery; I had local anaesthetic in both feet and then gently under general aneasthetic too. My surgeon does this because the local blocks the pain (I had none) and means you are only lightly under general so you wake up less groggy.

Mu procedure took just over an hour. I was longer snoozing in recovery afterwards! I asked my surgeon about this and he said he does this all the time so it's a very efficient procedure. I think that that was surgeon talk for "piece of cake".

I could walk (carefully) straight away in post op sandals that did up with velcro. They were very supportive and comfortable. For two weeks I was in bulky bandages and then they were removed and the knots on the ends of my dissolveable stictches cut off. I had small dressings, tubular bandages and velcro stretchy splints for several weeks after that. By 5 weeks I was in my own shoes (gently).

I had bunion surgery 4 weeks ago. I had general anasthetic and bandages and both feet done. I can stand but too scared to walk as have k wire in each big toe. I am getting these removed on Thursday - Halloween how apt! And hopefully then can be more confident about shuffling on my heels not my bottom!

I had my operation almost 4 months ago. Does anyone have problems walking without shoes?...I feel I have lost that freedom for ever. I can not wear flip flops either. Any ideas for comfort shoes to use at home?

Hi ivelisa - me too but I'm going to give it 12 months before I dispair. I have comfy pull on Skechers called Go Walk. I've started wearing things around the house for only 30mins at a time which is going well but was sore at first.

Barefoot with no support is not good for any feet I think.

Next on my list are some nice but trendy slippers from grosby which have arch support so good for pottering about the house.

The more I read about this op the more it worries me, two weeks today I will be home and had both feet done (hopefully)

How long after the op is it before you are in nice shoes. My holiday is 7 month away - do you think by then I will be wearing some nice shoes?

It really does worry me with what to wear on my feet.

Morning all, just a progress report really..........

well thats me knackered after my first week back at work!!!! I had my operation 9 weeks ago and felt ready to go back to my nursing job in my nice new shiny patent clarks shoes. My actual bunion site is now completely clear of its infection and pain free closed in my shoes which I'm obviously pleased about :-) it my other toes at the joints when you walk forward and up and on to that are killing me!!!!! Does anyone else experience this discomfort??

I work in a hospital so there is a lot of walking, i generally spend half my week doing managerial admin/office work and the other half working clinically on the ward, so no chance of sitting down. I have been fortunate to ease myself back that i am spending the first couple weeks in the office. After this week there is no way i couldve performed working on the ward rushing about! My foot is defo more swollen and i started back on my naproxen last eve which has really helped so im going to continue for a week or two more as a prophylaxis measure. This operation has not come without its expense! I have always believed in supportive 'sensible' shoes for work but have also purchased some arch supports that I've put in my shoes as i have a tendency to rotate my feet inwards of which i think are helping and i don't want to go undoing all the good work done in surgery. Ive also got on order some 'special' trainers with inbuilt arch supports for when im running about on the ward.

I guess over the next few weeks im going to experience more swelling and discomfort. I kind of feel that im learning to walk again, at the start of the day i walk ok but the end of the day my friend 'the limp' is back with me - bah!!!!

Luckily i have AL next week, then another week in the office before venturing back to my ward - just hope my toes are up to it, lol

I am feeling so much better this afternoon. Yesterday I had my wires (more like long rods) out - a deep sort of ache more than a pain. My concern though is that I have not walked at all for 4 weeks just bum shuffled round house, used my kids foot stools to get on toilet or on to chairs. Husband carried me to car or to wheelchair ( borrowed from Red Cross) for fresh air. I stood up after wires out with nurse helping in hospital yesterday as she said most people are heel walking by now. Got home drank medicinal red then slept. This morning all confidence had left me and I did not know how to ever stand up again. A friend came round and she helped me to standing and showed me how to use crutch and surfaces to hold. Just shuffled to the kitchen got a bottle of water put it in backpack and now back on sofa feeling very pleased. Now for the toe exercises and figuring out the fiddly splints!

Hi everyone heartening to read about everyone's progress here particularly as I am due an op on my second foot shortly. Had the first one done about a year ago, my progress was good although it was not a straightforward op and I was not able to put my foot on the floor for about 3 weeks and then in a plastic boot for another two.

The good news is that the repaired foot is now fine. I think it took me about 9 months to be comfortable walking bare foot you do use the foot differently after the op and it takes time. Have bought lots of shoes mainly from Hotter as I find them most comfortable. Biggest challenge was a wedding 6 weeks post op, went for soft patent leather pumps and a long skirt, it was February after all.

Just back from hols and we did lots of walking also good to note that the foot that hurt was the one which hasn't had the op.

Everyone tells me no two operations are the same so my second experience could be very different to the first but this time I will be better prepared and have some idea how to meet the different challenges in the weeks after the op.

I wish you all the very best and hope we all experience better pain free days in the future.