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Bunion Surgery from an 11 yrs point of view!! HELP!!

Posted , 4 users are following.

kayua003
kayua003

Hello everybody!cheesygrin

I'm an 11 yr girl how has bunions on both feet(quite young for all thisredface)

They are quite severe,like the 3rd and 2nd toes are slanting to the side as well. Either way, if everything goes as planned, I should be having the surgery this summer!! Soo happy to get rid of these annoying things!! But I have alot of questions about it, hoping some of you guys could anwsercheesygrin! Is it best to take both feet at one time or should I 1 at? I do want the quickest recovery time but would if be easier for me to half that good foot to hobble about on? Most people how have the surgery don't really talk about when they go back to work/ school for me. I don't want to be away from school for a month so like when is the normal for the pasient to go back to work/school. If you guys want to tell me stories, please!! Because I am sooo curious

0 likes, 11 replies

11 Replies

  • kayua003
    kayua003

    Posted

    Also would I need to fix all my toes that are weird or just the big toe

     

    • star1456
      star1456 kayua003

      Posted

      Hi sweetie

      I am sorry that you have to go through this at such a young age. On the positive side because you are young your recovery time will be smoother and shorter. Have you seen your surgeon yet? He should be able to tell you what you need done. Usually when the bunion is fixed if you don't have major issues with your toes they don't touch them. If you have a scarf surgery where the bone in your big toe is cut in two places and realigned and fixed with screws your recovery will be quicker. Your doctor should be able to tell you about different methods of surgery.

      I had both my feet done 17 days ago. It is harder when you have both done , but then both your feet will be done at the same time and you won't have one with bunion and one without. It will take 6 to 8 weeks before you are able to walk properly. After 4 weeks you should be able to walk in loose fitting trainers, so if you are having it done in the summer , hopefully you won't need to take time off from school. Have a good chat with your doctor and ask as many questions as you can and then make your decision. Hope this helps.

      Good luck

    • karen27130
      karen27130 kayua003

      Posted

      Hi.

      So sorry that you have to go through this at your age. However, being so young does have it's' advantages. You are definitely likely to heal more quickly than we oldies! Your recovery time will depend very much on the procedure that you have. A long talk with your consultant should clear this up.

      I had both of my feet done when I was 11 years old so I do have a good understanding of what you must be going through! Mind, it was 40 years ago and things have come a long way since then! I would not have thought that you would be able to go to school for a good 6 weeks. However, I had mine done just before the summer holidays and was absolutely fine when I started high school after the holidays. I had no problem with getting shoes etc. for wearing for school. I think that this would be a good time for you to have it done. I think that I you are having pain and your feet are already bad then it probably is the best thing for you to do to have the op. Procedures are much better nowadays so you should be much better than would have been in the past. Check whether you will be having Minimally Invasive Surgery as this will mean that your recovery will be quicker and scarring will be a lot less. Let me know how you get in. Good luck

    • kayua003
      kayua003 star1456

      Posted

      Hei @star1456 

      I didn't know I would have an easier recorvery time since I am younger! Thats such good news!cheesygrinI have seen the doctor but I don't go to him so often. Just everynow on them to see how they are going. Wouldn't it hurt have screws in my foot?neutral Did you have a scarf surgery? Good luck recovery and I would love to know how your going! Thank you so much for the infomation and replying!

       

    • star1456
      star1456 kayua003

      Posted

      Hi

      No the pins and screws don't hurt . You don't feel them. After your bones have healed you don't need them anymore but if they don't give you problems they leave them in, or you can have them taken out. Most people just leave them in and BTW they don't go off in airport security lol.

      I had scarf surgery myself and walked from the hospital to the car myself and could walk to the bathroom and even upstairs to the bedroom . I am 3 weeks post op and recovering well and I am a lot older than you, so you should be fine.

      Good luck

    • kayua003
      kayua003 karen27130

      Posted

      Hi @karen27130

      Thanks for replying!

      When you were 11, what type of surgery did you have? Awesome that you had yours when you were 11 toocheesygrin 6 weeks of school?!? Don't know if I am happy or sad about that! Though, I really do hope I have it in the summer. I am planning to have the surgery because I don't think non-surgicial ways will help. What makes a Minimally Invasive Surgery better. I never heard of it before. Thank you again!cheesygrin

  • karen27130
    karen27130 kayua003

    Posted

    Hi. When I was 11 it was way back in history ! It was 1971 and things were very different then! I was actually in hospital for 3 weeks and then I had plaster casts which went up to my knee for 6 weeks. I then had light dressings for about a week and then went into ordinary shoes after that. I don't know what the name of the operation was but I had the big toe broken at the joint with some bone removed and then re-set. I also had some of the lumps from  the side of the feet shaved off. I have a scar which is about 4 inches down the top of the outer part of each foot. I am sure that they don't do the operation like that now! Whatever way that the surgeon chooses to do the operation it  will be much, much better. 

    So, I was away from school for about 9-10 weeks all together. Recovery times these days is much faster but I do think that you are likely to be away from school for a few weeks. I was not allowed out of bed for nearly 3 weeks but you should be able to walk with the help of special footwear and possibly using crutches on  the same day as you have the operation. You should be able to mange to get around really quite well after a couple of weeks. Having the operation done in the summer would be good if it could happen then. 

    Minimally Invasive Surgery is one of the more modern ways of doing the procedure. This means that the surgeon is able to make tiny cuts into your feet and then use tiny tools to shave off the bone from the lump. They will probably straighten the toe by cutting a wedge of bone away and then putting in a pin in it to keep it nice and straight. The wounds are very small and will heal really well.over time you are hardly likely to notice them. People heal more quickly from this . The pins are usually left in the foot. You don't feel them and they definitely don't hurt! 

    Not every surgeon likes to use Minimally Invasive methods (MIS) and a lot of people on this site have had other methods. Most people say that it is not nearly as bad as they had feared and that they are really pleased that they had it done. 

    As you are young, your bones heal nice and quickly so you will be back on your feet and pain free before you know it! 

    Let me know how you get on and if there is anything else that you want to know then just ask! Good luck! 

    • Owl369
      Owl369 karen27130

      Posted

      Hi Karen I was just wondering why people would choose invasive over minimally invasive. MIS is much less pain and I assume the results are similar? I have mine planned for April. 

      Thanks

       

    • star1456
      star1456 Owl369

      Posted

      Hi

      Sometimes you don't have a choice .

      My consultant explained that MIS is performed on mild bunions , if you have medium to sever bunions it's more difficult . Also depends on your surgeon and what method they use .

      I wanted MIS but couldn't have it .😩

    • karen27130
      karen27130 Owl369

      Posted

      Hi. As Star has said, you don't always have a choice as it will be down to the individual surgeon as to what procedure they choose to use. There was a thread in here a little while ago where one person talked about how her surgeon had decided not to do any further MIS operations for the time being. I am not totally clear why. You could search back and have a look for that conversation if you are interested. As an individual, assuming that results are likely to be the same, it is obvious that if you can then you will choose the one which offers a quicker recovery and is less painful. However, you don't always have that choice. MIS is usually performed on mild to moderate bunions and it also depends on the severity of the bunions. An example of this can be seen on Adam Budgen's website ( a foot and ankle specialist working in York ) where one patient had each foot done using different methods as appropriate to the need.
    • Owl369
      Owl369 karen27130

      Posted

      @Star and Karen...Thanks. I have moderate bunions. I can imagen that severe bunions will need a more invasive procedure. I'm so glad I found this forum. Wish you both a great recovery.
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