Bunion surgery -having both feet done at the same time.
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I would welcome hearing from anyone who has both feet operated on at the same time. I am really eager for this to happen to get it all over with in one go. Also I am 64 --very fit and active --(hike and cycle up hills etc) and am worried about losing my fitness so am thinking that one period of recovery makes more sense that being inactive twice over. But I have little concept of how disabled I will be --eg will I be able to get to the loo, make myself a coffee etc or will my husband have to do everything for me and if so for how long. I am quite a positive and determined person but one or two friends have suggested that I must be crazy to have both feet done at once. Anyhow just thought I'd join this forum and get advice from people who have actually been through the experience. By the way I have just got back from holiday and found a letter offering a provisional date for surgery in 10 days time!
1 like, 87 replies
suzzylg56 lizmw
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i had both my feet done at the same time on the 13th March,
obviously everyone's experience is different and everyone's outcome different too, but for me in my late 50', active full time working .
the first. 3 days were very difficult and once the pain block wears off you really need good pain relief you will be virtually immobile and need to have help to go to the toilet, and be waited on in bed with your feet raised above your hip height, then spend most days laying flat with your feet up above your hips for the next 2 weeks.
they usually give you 'special' shoes to wear for 6 weeks and the Physio will show you how to walk on your heels and get up and down stairs using crutches.
if I went any where I was in a wheelchair for a few weeks.
i was able to drive after 9 weeks and return to work after 9 ( a phased return)
but the only comfy footwear even now are trainers or bear feet and my right foot is still quite painful and swollen, but I am able to walk the dog and will be starting aqua aerobics and Pilates next week to improve my fitness levels.
i guess my advice is that if you have both done at the same time you must be patient, you must rest , and you must havelock help at home and good medication.
i hope it all works out for you
lizmw suzzylg56
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lindalou88 lizmw
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All in all it hasn't been half so bad as I feared. Pain was bad on days 1 & 2 but quite manageable since then. I am resting and sleeping a lot and today I have felt quite weak and light-headed which is probably due to the Tramadol (morphine) 50mg 3 times a day. As the pain hasn't been too bad I may see if I can cut it down and rely more on paracetamol.
I'm not sorry that I had both done and the extra bonus is that you get a matching pair of sexy shoes to wear!!
Good luck with the op whichever choice you make. Happy to answer any other questions.
Linda (age 62)
lizmw lindalou88
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lindalou88 lizmw
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Great that you have plenty of time to get organised. I wish I had organised my clothes better...I'm finding that long dresses are easiest to get on and off and look better with the sexy shoes. Balancing to get trousers on is still a bit tricky. Let us know how you get on and don't hesitate to ask if anything else is concerning you.
lizmw lindalou88
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lindalou88 lizmw
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It's been fairly warm here so what I find I wear most is a couple of ankle length t-shirt dresses - dead easy to get on, they cover your legs up, almost reach the sexy shoes to avoid the total Minnie Mouse look and they don't need ironing.
Narrow leg trousers will be unwearable for weeks. Wide legs would be better but still very complicated to get on as you can't stand up without the shoes which try as you might simply won't go through the legs. So you have to get both feet into the trousers, then put the shoes on, then stand up to pull trousers up!!! Worth the hassle if you need trousers to keep you warm but not otherwise.
Anything else concerning you? It seems a shame to wonder/worry about anything when so many people on here are happy to talk about their experiences.
lizmw lindalou88
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From what I uinderstand most people here don't stay in hospital at all -they just go home the same night -and there is no follow up until the 2 week out-patient appointment. Not sure if it is different for people who have private surgery. Sounds like France has a more thorough approach! .
lindalou88 lizmw
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The French system does seem very good but, who knows, maybe they are keeping an eye on me because I have lowish blood pressure.
deni444 lizmw
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I had both feet done and was kept in overnight. This was at the private London Bridge hospital. I would say you are better to get home whilst the nerve block is still active as you will have less pain travelling and getting settled. I think they assess on a case by case basis. I was scheduled for an over night stay but it was the physios decision as to whether i was stable enough on my feet to go. As i said earlier. She would not have let me go if I could not comfortably slept downstairs with access to a downstairs bathroom and so potentially could have been kept in 2 nights. I was given the choice of 2 different types of support shoe. One that was flat and required you to position foot so weight goes on heal and one that you could stand on and no weight could possibly go on front of foot. I could not cope with latter as it was very hard to balance. I found it quite easy to walk on heal from day one and not as painful to walk as you may imagine.
lindalou2 lindalou88
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gilly45811 lizmw
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gilly45811 lizmw
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gilly45811 lindalou2
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vjl56 lizmw
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i had both my feet done on 28 feb this year, I wouldn't have had it any other way because I didn't want to lose the whole summer recovering. I'm four Months post op now, I can wear trainers and crocs and even my toms. This took a long while as the scars rubbed with just about all footwear and it was too painful.
i would say go for it. I have no regrets. I drove after six weeks, but my car is auto which makes it easier. You need a lot of patience and acceptance of the immobility for a while. I could manage the toilet on my crutches ok, the stairs were hard I went on my hands and knees or bottom for a while. Only just now do I feel ok without having a hand to hold onto the rail. Standing up took a long time without being unbearably uncomfortable, again it really just needs patience. You should ice regularly too this helps with the swelling. I would say my feet are still a little swollen by the end of the day and I'm not very good at resting any more. We've just got a puppy, another reason to have got the feet done together so I could settle the dog in over the summer. Your fitness is bound to help you.
I managed tomake tea/coffee after a few days as my husband was working away from home. I hired a wheelchair from the red cross which was invaluable when we went out, and in the home when I was alone. One thing I would say(I've forgotten a lot now!) is if you're on your own in the early days, gather things round you in your bed or lounge chair like weather, phone, books etc so you don't need to move around much.
Be sure to have good pain relief, I used codeine regularly for a while. You will be and should be almost immobile for the first two weeks, feet up 90% of the time I was told which really just allows a toilet trip once every hour or two. It's worth resting up it really is, don't push yourself too soon however fit you are. I'm in my late 50s, arthritic so not hugely fit, but I'm glad I did it. My feet will never be perfectly straight but they are hugely better. I managed in The shower ok as I could leave my feet out of the door and sit on a little step stool. I could also have a bath by getting into it dry then running the water, then emptying before I got out. I kept my feet up on the end of the bath. My husband had to help me in and out to start with but I managed eventually to haul myself out.
i hope this helps and do message me for info if I can answer anything else. 👣👣good luck
lizmw vjl56
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lindalou2 vjl56
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