bonion op has it gone wrong please help what can be done or what can i do to help my self...

See your consultant! In the meantime listen to your body and rest/elevate/ice as much as possible. Pushing yourself at this stage may do more harm than good. Not sure what you had done. I had 4 bunions removed both sides of both feet and six weeks post op I find I have good days and bad days. I certainly can't drive or even stand for very long - certainly couldn't go back to any sort of work as apart from  physical problems I find that the pain/discomfort prevents me from focussing properly! Pathetic aren't I but just desperately trying to be patient and tell myself that tomorrow will be better! Be kind to yourself and get proper advice from your specialist. :-)

thank you for reply lindalou88 , i had 1 bonion removed on right big toe,,   dont think i could cope if had 4 done ,, can not cope now ,, well done to you,, i have phoned and got a appointment for monday,, as he had discharged me.  thanking you again for help ,, does your big toes touch the floor, ?  

Hi Caz

I'm sorry you are having problems. I totally understand how you are feeling.

What recovery time did your consultant give you? As I see you expected to be back at work 2 wks ago? this seems too early to me especially if you have to be on your feet.

The foot swelling is common and if you do overdo things it will become red and swell. The best thing to do is have your foot raised and rest it. My big toe would not touch the floor either, and I did have exercises to do to help this.

Have you been back to your consultant for a follow up appointment?

I would go and see him again and explain to him how things are going. I was told recovery should be around 12 weeks, so there is still a bit of healing still to go for you.

Best wishes

hi tracy, the consultant said 6 weeks,, i seen him twice and he discharged me,, but he has never seen me stand , i had to go to gp ,, i am doing toe  exercises , i was given naproxen by gp to bring swelling down but they made me ill and breathing problems,, ,, my toe has come down with  exercises. but a long way off,, i have got appointment this monday to see consultant,  thank you for you reply i don't feel so wimpy seeing 12 weeks,,,   people round me say i should be back to normal by now ... thank you x

Hi Caz,

So sorry to hear you have so many concerns, but glad you have an appointment so that you can check it out with your consultant. I am also 8 weeks post op, (unilateral hellux valgus correction on right foot with 2 screws and 1 staple) but fortunately I have a desk job unless I am travelling which I do about once a month on average.

My big toe is also not touching the floor, and I am doing a routine of exercises that I found online after being given rather cursory instructions by the consultant at two weeks. There is no way you would have been able to stand for 8 hours after 6 weeks, the swelling lasts for months (up to a year according to my consultant), so the key as others have said is to make sure at the end of the day you get your foot up with ice. I am still on anti-inflammatories but only take one dose at bedtime when I've had a busy day and the foot is particularly swollen - and I am trying to avoid taking them every day.

You are probably finding that your foot is almost normal in the morning, but once you start moving around it swells up to the ankle, I have had that experience too when I have been on my feet for a while. Can your employer get you a high stool so that you can sit and do your work? If they need you back they have to be flexible so that you can recover.

I hope your appointment goes well - let us know how you get on. Best wishes, Caroline

thanking you all for your help and kind words, will let you know about consultant monday xx

As Lindalou says -- contact your consultant. 

It took a long time for the redness and swelling on my foot to go away, I thought it never would and I did contactact my consultant. I was told it can take up to 1 year to fully recove. In my case the swelling was still bad at 8 weeks and walking made it worse (at 12 weeks it was almost gone). An instant excellent soulution is to raise your foot really high, well above your heart so the blood drains easily (e.g lie down and lift you leg as high as possible). The blood circulation is affected around where the operation was. The swelling reduced and redness went to normal the instant I raise my foot very high, then just keep your foor up as much as you can.  My big toe also took a long time before it touched the floor properly, I think it was about 10 weeks before it started to behave. I discussed this with my consultant and he explained it was because the muscle/ligaments are realigned as part of the operation and they need to stretch as they would have become too 'short' when they were in the old position (pre-operation), Because they are tight this tends to raise the toe. So you may just have to be patient. However I do suggest you contact your consultant and get them to take a look, we all recover differently and the consultant has the experience to know if you are progressing OK.

Good luck, Kevin

Hi. I am at seven weeks postop tomorrow.

My big toe does not touch the floor, either. I saw my surgeon last Friday, and he said tight ligaments are causing the lack of mobility in my big toe. My surgery was June 17, and after September 17, he wants to do a surgery to remove the screw and do a ligament release. According to him, the tight ligaments have pulled the sesamoid bones out of position and I cannot walk normally without pain. It feels as though there is a golf ball on the ball of my foot below my big toe. It is very discouraging. I still have some swelling, and I'm thinking it is due to the screw. I have a pair of wide width tennis shoes and I started wearing those after five weeks. I cannot walk without a limp though because of the pain. Yesterday, to try to get some mobility in my toe, I have really been trying to get my toe to go forward and backwards since it doesn't want to move much. I am going to physical therapy two, and I would recommend that if you have access to a good physical therapist. I feel for you. Last Friday when I got the news I was very depressed. That is when I joined this forum, to see if other people are having similar problems. My surgery date is September 30, but in the meantime I am going to do whatever I can to get the most movement from my toe. 

I also have some people praying for me, because I would rather not have my ligaments cut.

Stay positive,

Jean

You sound like me, Caz.  I'm at 8 weeks, foot is swollen and kind of purple, and I have all kinds of pain, on and off.  Can't, of course, wear any of my shoes, but did accidently buy a pair of flip flops that were too big months ago, and didn't return them, so I can wear them if I go out in the evening, but they are still tight. I do think it's normal.  I have had many friends who have done it and say the swelling lasts 3-4 mos.  My own surgen said "several Months".  See him thursday.  Good luck.  I have a feeling you'll be fine and so will I....just a TOO long recovery time.

 

I had a big toe fusion and hammer toe surgery 6 weeks ago.  I had the pin removed from my toe on Friday and was told the fusion in the big toe is still not fully fused but not to be duly concerned - I too have found difficulty in walking as both toes are slightly elevated from the floor at present.  As the doctor has suggested I start to walk normally as possible I attempted a dog walk today just to the end of the road and back.  On my return my foot over the big toe scar was so sore and had become really swollen - this I might add was whilst wearing my surgical shoe as I just can't get any normal shoes on!   I think I am beginning to panic as I was hoping I may be able to return to work within next 3 weeks - am I expecting too much too soon ?

I am not sure if physical therapy helps with hammertoe recovery, but it's worth a shot. For scarring, I am using a scar gel. Helps a lot. My scar looks great. A clean diet helps, too. Sugar and wheat cause inflammation, so I cut that out. There is a homopathic remedy I get from my health food store, called Arnica. It comes in little balls, you can dissolve under your tongue or a cream, too. It helps with healing, swelling, and bruising. I am lucky; I have a wide pair of tennis shoes that I can wear, and I have been riding my bicycle around the neighborhood. May try a short hike tomorrow. My PT gave me the ok. He keeps saying that it just takes time.