Posted , 6 users are following.
Hello I had my Bunion op 17wks ago and also had 3 toes straightened, and I am still in alot of pain and can not walk properly, I am 69yrs old and am certainly regretting having it done. I have read on this site how other ladies have had it done and are almost back to normal after just a few weeks, I would like to know if anybody else has had the same experiance as myself. It is making life very difficult for me.
0 likes, 12 replies
We want the community to be a useful resource for our users but it is important to remember that the community are not moderated or reviewed by doctors and so you should not rely on opinions or advice given by other users in respect of any healthcare matters. Always speak to your doctor before acting and in cases of emergency seek appropriate medical assistance immediately. Use of the community is subject to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and steps will be taken to remove posts identified as being in breach of those terms.
ness.b maureen39687
Posted
Hi Maureen, I'm sorry to hear you're struggling. I am now 10 months p/o, had both feet done. I was in pain until around 6 months. It was around 8 months that swelling and tenderness after a day on my feet was no longer an issue for me.
Some people seem to be up and going after a few weeks. For me it was many months. I also went through periods of feeling deep regret because I would begin being trapped in my mind that something terrible was happening as my feet weren't 100%.
What you're experiencing emotionally is normal. And physically, I have read many people say that they're worried because it's been a long time before they're okay.
I wish you happiness and healthiness. Hang in there, try to be patient and self-compassionate. What helped me was treating myself like I would a friend or family. You wouldn't shame or guilt someone you love if they were in your position, but it's not easy to treat ourselves with that same love.
Keep elevating, and see your doctor and a therapist if this is bothering you and effecting you to where you can't cope.
maureen39687 ness.b
Posted
Thank you for your word's of encouragement, I will take every thing that you have said on board, I am waiting for an appointment at my Hospital for a Cortizone injection to be administered in the joint, so fingers crossed [ not toes!] that it will help me.
pat29966 maureen39687
Posted
I'm 64 and had a bunion and one toe straightened in 2015. Every step on the straightened toe is painful, I don't think it healed properly. I'm going to see a different surgeon that I found myself, it would normally take 10 months to see her so I'm paying to see her privately. This botched operation has cost me a lot of money in physio etc,
I'll never get another operation I don't care how crooked my toes are. It's not worth the risk.
maureen39687 pat29966
Posted
The 3 toes that I had staightened course me no trouble at all It's the big toe, The joint is so stiff and painful I had the toe realighned and a pin put in it, perhaps I haven't given myself enough time to recover, everyone is different I suppose. I wish you good luck and thank you for your reply.
patricia79546 maureen39687
Posted
Here's the deal Maureen. Everyone is different. I am 67. Had same surgery 5 mos ago. I just started wearing soft sided loose shoes about a month ago. And only for about an hr at a time. Just long enough to run to grocery store It's a slow process for most people. I'm still walking on the side of my foot and have pain from that but I can tell it's better than it was a few mos ago. I feel as though I just reached the turning point finally.
maureen39687 patricia79546
Posted
Well that's certainly good to hear, perhaps as the weeks go by I will slowly be able to get back to walking without limping as it does make my knee and leg ache. thank you Patricia for your reply I very much appreciate it.
diane55667 maureen39687
Posted
Don't worry, it will get better. I am 63. I had surgery in January of '15. They prescribed a scooter which was a help but it wasn't too steady and I ended up flying through the air and tearing the meniscus in my opposite knee. (That surgery was easy.) My bunion surgery was extensive (screws, wires and an osteotomy) and it sounds like your was as well. I was still having problems getting around six months later. There wasn't much pain but a lot of discomfort. I was able to manage the pain with ibuprofen and I never took the oxy or the codeine. Finaly, after about a year the stiffness resolved itself and I am finally feeling the benefits. Of course, I still have the other foot to go but I can't bring myself to do it. There are several types of bunion surgery so the kind you have really makes a big difference as to recovery time.
maureen39687 diane55667
Posted
Hello Diane, I did take the codeine for a little while but it gave me such awful constipation, I took Ibuprofen for a bad back once and it gave me a stomach ulcer so will never ever take them ever again, i will stick to Paracetomol. I feel the same as you about having my other foot operated on but it's not as bad, well not at the moment anyway, I will see how this heals first. After reading your reply I'm feeling very optomistic, so thank you for that. If you do decide to have surgery on your other foot you are a very brave lady and I wish you well, I probably won't have it done if I'm honest, time is too precious to be limping about at my age, I want to learn line dancing!
patricia79546 maureen39687
Posted
diane55667 maureen39687
Posted
Hi Maureen. I'm a nurse so the recoup time was especially difficult and I found it impossible to work for about a year. Now that I am over a year post-op, it's all good. My shoe size is back to normal. For the first year I had to buy two sets of shoes--one shoe a full size larger than the other. In addition, one helpful hint I learned in PT was to pick up marbles with my toes. It was difficult at first and I wasn't very successful, but as I practiced more I became a pro. This little exercise helped to solve the stiffness problem. For months, my great toe wouldn't touch the floor. The marble exercise did the trick. And, because my walking was off due to the discomfort, I had some back problems. Stretching exercises once a day helped alleviate the back pain. So, good luck and remember, it's only temporary--long-term but temporary.
maureen39687 diane55667
Posted
Thank you so much Diane for your help, I will certainly have a go with the marbles, what a brillient tip. I'm so glad I found this site it has helped me alot, I was begining to think this is it from now on and it made me quite feel quite miserable. The good thing that came out of this is my partner bought me an automatic car to cheer me up as I just couldn't put my left foot on the clutch soooo painful. Thanks again.
dianachristie maureen39687
Posted
Hi Maureen, I also just had bunion surgery and in total they straightened 3 toes out. I had 4 surgeries on my left foot last Thursday, exactly a week ago on March 6! I'm 30 yrs old. I've had these problems since I was 19, that's when I started noticing pain, and then they wanted to do surgery, but my mom decided against it. I wasn't ready either. I was pretty active, rollerblading, walking, exercising videos (Jillian Michaels), and also in college, my sophomore year. I decided to get it done now because I couldn't take the pain in my left foot anymore. I work at a standing job 40s a week, sometimes overtime on Saturdays in the mail room. It was too difficult and I was miserable. I just didn't want to exercise anymore. I would typically do it before or after work. The foot doctor told me I had soft bones for my age at 30, so he took a piece of bone by my Tailor's bunion and moved it to the middle of my foot to make it stronger! Is that normal to have soft bones at 30?