Bunion Surgery questions

8 weeks realistic,I have podiatric,love it! No pain, after 2 weeks usial shoes, going to work now.

But, there is Murphy Law. So than I decided to do after 6 weeks another leg, he said not to do it now, because I am going on vacation and must be in perfect shape. With this type of operation nobody knows how it will be. Even I have fantastic results with my more problematic leg. He also did not want to do both legs the same time.

we like to believe in good, but need to be realistic.

i was walking in the shoe from the first day. Never use crutches or wheelchair. I think we have better system with this operation in America.

my doctor never promise me anything, was realistic and I think it's right.

Good luck!

Not sure you're going to like my answer.  I, too, WAS an avid tennis player...3 to 4 times per week.  I had bunion surgery on my left foot...fairly severe deformity...2 pins in my big toe and one small one in my second toe.  The surgery was 10/16/2014 so about six months ago.  I still have considerable pain and swelling in my foot and will need additional "revision" surgery to correct the original surgery.  Make sure you are comfortable with the surgeon or podiatrist you choose.  I went against my better judgement and decided on someone I didn't like nearly as much as another fellow (podiatrist).  My gut feeling is that podiatrists have much more experience with bunionectomies than orthapedic surgeons.  Make sure you do considerable research and get recommendations from as many people as you can who have had surgery from the respective parties....look everywhere for reviews...do a comprehensive search.  The jerk who did my surgery lied to me on a number of occasions AND blamed me for the surgery not working.  "You didn't stay off your foot for seven weeks."  Well, of course I did.  "You didn't follow the physical therapy routine."  Again, of course I did.

I am no stranger to surgery.  I'm and ex-college jock and avid tennis player, basketball player et al.  I had ACL surgery 8 months before the bunionectomy and rotator cuff surgery four years ago (ex baseball pitcher).  I had no problem with either the rehab or pain from these.  I KNEW right from the start that the bunion  surgery wasn't right.  Another dirty little secret is NERVE DAMAGE.  My foot is still numb and burns considerably especially when I try to sleep....TRY being the operative word.  Nerve damage happens frequently with bunion surgery but obviously, surgeons don't exactly advertise that...it's every man for himself.  Do I sound cynical??  you bet I do.

When I walk on my foot, it feels like it's broken.  My next surgery is to have the pins removed, a bracket to replace them and a an artificial hinge put in to give the toe joint some "bend." because there is no bend to it now which causes tremendous stress on the rest of my foot...basically this has been a TERRIBLE NIGHTMARE...and I'm pretty sure the surgeon had alot to do with it...Unfortunately, I'm in Indiana USA and the laws are stilted heavily towards doctors in malpractice cases because the former governor was a surgeon.

Most likely, if you pick the right surgeon, you won't have all the complications I've had or the misery...just be SURE you do your homework in picking the right person to do the job....it's VITAL.

good luck!

I live in New Zealand and it seems Podiatric surgery really hasn't taken off here and is frowned upon by the Orthapedic communities. It's a shame as it feels to me like they're (Podiatric) the ones who seem to be pushing things in terms of better procedures etc. based on what I'm reading on the Internet. That said it's probably their own marketing spiel anyway.

Redstone, sounds like you've had a bad run which I'm sorry to hear. I take on board what you say about going with a surgeon you trust and feel comfortable with.

As for the research and reviews etc youve suggested finding, I;m not sure how to go about that. Certainly on New Zealand websites i cant find anything in terms of reviews for Orthapedic or Podiatric surgeons, so I;m not sure how to go about that.

Obviously the surgeons have their own testimonials but you have to take those with a pinch of salt I guess.

I'm certainly not at all enthusiastic about a 9 month rehab knowing that I'll then most likely to have to get the other one done too.

Oh well, I'll keep researching but either way I go I'm sure it'll be something I won't regret.

Thanks again guys and good luck Redstone, I hope it all comes right for you.

So, one was podiatric , another- orthopedic. Both have nice reviews. It was hard to choose, they both were confident, both didn't promise fast recovery. 

I picked podiatric, may be because we both were born in the same year, may be jbecause just before I made my decision, my friend had bad operation with other guy. She was saying it's not his fault, but I choose the other guy.

so, my advise to you- talk, ask around and you will get a lot of information.

It got too bad and so I went to a nhs orthapadic surgery.  He offered scarf and akin surgery with lesser foot fusion and k wire for middle hammer toe.  I checked online to find out more about the surgeon, seemed good where he had previously worked, basically his cv.  Also asked the secretary, and found he is a teaching surgeon and writes papers.  But I couldn't get any info about his success rate.  I questioned the type of op that he does compared to what was offered before and he said that scarf Akin surgery is far more successful.

My op was done on 31 March, so almost 2 weeks ago.  It's been quite painful, especial first week.  This second week slowly improving, I get tingling, sharp pain, and burning at different times and from different places (not just the surgery area).

My surgeon was realistic about recovery:   Very painful first few weeks, stitches out 2/3 weeks, k wire removed 4-6 weeks, six weeks wearing a wedge shoe, after then could be in a normal shoe but wider fitting.  Then gradually improve until in 6 months should be recovered, though it will be 12 months till properly back to normal.

I think there are good and bad surgeons/ podiatrist, but it's such a major surgery think I would rather use the orthapadic surgeon in a hospital.

Good luck.