Bunion Operation

Hi jules23, the only reason I was worried I might have some permanent nerve damage with R toe was because at 6wks when I was allowed out of splint and shoe toe was still numb, no feeling in it at all! My foot was also swollen and I had to buy a pair if shoes a size bigger. I was also getting quite a lot of pain at that point, particularly a strange pins and needles feeling that I now think was the nerves firing back to life as the swelling went down. I still elevated my feet when I sat down and sometimes iced them. I can't really say when things started to feel more normal, it was a gradual improvement. I would say it was about 4 mths before foot felt totally normal.

As soon as I was out of Velcro shoe I walked around at home barefoot as I felt that made me flex toe more, unless you are still being told to wear Velcro shoes maybe it's time to ditch them and try something more flexible like a soft slipper.

I can understand your concern re guide dog training but surely considering everything they can cut you a bit of slack! I assume they deal with people of all different fitness levels.

I think you are amazing to have managed all this with 4 young children and site challenges. I have 4 kids but mine are all adults now, could not have imagined coping with this when they were young. I really think you are on track with it all so good luck and stay positive 😄

Wendy 4 thanks so much for encouragement! I hope I will look back in awe at myself not sure that going to happen tho!!! What shoes did you find best to wear outside. I am wearing wide hiking shoes which are the only things I can get on but are painful to walk in for right foot. I have heard that uggs or crocs are good - I have neither to try but Uggs surely would be a problem pulling on as I have to undo laces to get shoe on right foot? Any shoe ideas greatly appreciated!

As for shoes, I found I could get into Hotter shoes, ones with laces that is and a size larger than normal. Not pretty but they have worked well. Have crocs but couldn't wear them at first as they didn't feel supportive enough. They were good a month or so later as lots of toe room.

I am 3weeks post op and am supposed to travel(plane) 4 weeks post op. no weight bearing for another 3 weeks. Just interested to know if anyone out there traveled soon after bunion surgery. Foot is still uncomfortable but seems to get a little better each day

Hello. I recently had surgery on Monday 25 Nov - both feet. I'm currently experiencing a bit of pain still but once the pain killers kick in it eases off. It's really good to read all your posts and have people to chat to who are going through the same! What kind of shoes have you guys been given. I was initially given some that I could only walk on my heals only - but because I'd had both feet done I couldn't balance and the nurse said I needed flat support shoes but with crutches (which I have). I'd be interested to know if anyone has managed with the heeled shoe who had both feet done.

Hi Momzo - I had both feet done on 14th Nov - I have been given velcro shoes where your weight goes to your heels.

Now I take these off in the house - as I find them quite heavy and generally I walk on my heels around the house to get around.

Im back to the hospital tomorrow for a dressing change - so hopefully I will see how much the swelling has gone down, difficult to tell at the moment with the bandages on.

Jules23, I assume you are in u.k? I live in Australia so maybe not much help re shoe brands as maybe different here but like judy4 I found a lace up canvas Ked (u.s brand) worked as easy to get on, also had to go for a size bigger. I also bought crocs but even though they have plenty of toe room I found them tight across top of foot till swelling went down a bit. Then wore them with socks for dog walks, ok not real trendy but what the hell !!

Not familiar with hotter shoes but had a look on line and they seem to have a great selection, unfortunately limited supply available here.

There is a style of ugg boot that comes just above the ankle and has buttons on side which may be easier to get on. I think maybe your hiking boots are a bit hard, you need somthing softer to encase your still tender feet !

sandy72566 I think it would depend on length of flight. I didn't go on any flights but did a 3 hr car trip quite early on and needed to keep getting in the back so I could elevate foot. I guess you will know how long you are comfortable sitting with foot down.

Hi all

I had my operation a month ago, to the day. I've had my stitches removed and started physiotherapy two weeks after the operation, twice a week. I've found this has has really helped my healing and I've started walking on the foot without wearing my velcro shoe anymore. I'm supposed to return to work just before Christmas and have a fairly lengthly commute, I was just wondering which shoes were the best to wear (i'm in the UK) and how other people were progressing at 4-6 weeks post op.

Thanks

I had bunion surgery 4 weeks today along with ankle bone fusion. Still have a lot of numbness and tingling pain in foot. Just wondering when the numbness and tingling will start to get better? Any input would be great.

Well now 9 weeks post op. Had X-ray last Friday and everything is looking as it should. Surgeon can 't explain pain I have in right foot but will see me again in. 4 weeks. He did do more correcting with right foot tho. I am hoping pain will go with time. It is a strange pain. Foot does not hurt to walk on on socks but pain in big toe when pulling shoe on and I can only wear these Canadian Indian leather moccasins which friend lent me. Anything harder presses too much on toe. I have a good range of motion back in both feet and can massage my feet with no pain. Anyone else experienced this odd sort of pain?!

Thank you everyone for your comments - so helpful .

I had my bunion removed 4 weeks ago today (18 November). Bunion sawn off, bone broken and pinned in 2 places (above and below) the big toe bunion. I had it done under local anaesthetic - about 3 injections in the foot, and was given a "happy pill". I thoroughly recommend that. I'm in Austria, so here you spend 2 nights in hospital.

For me the 1st two weeks were awful - but as long as I kept my foot at a higher level than my heart bearable. I didn't give my knee enough support whilst my foot was up, so now I stuff lots of cushions under that too. To help with the nights I took a Night Nurse tablet (paracemol) which is ok with my painkillers - and really improved things.

By 3 weeks I was walking around the house quite well in my clumpy special plastic shoe. By the end of 4 weeks I could hobble around the house quite well in socks - with the ball of my toe slightly touching the ground. Certainly no toe bending etc.

I had my stitches out at 14 days = ok, and was told to stop wearing my clumpy plastic shoe after 4 weeks (today) , so I thought I would be out and about today. (I have been out once in my clumpy shoe but its seriously cold and snowy here, so not good). I thought if I don't need to wear the special shoe, I presumably can take the bandages off (but not the plaster as the wound is still bleeding slightly). No way can I walk without the bandage - pain at the bunion, and wound. And when my duvet touched the outside of the plaster it felt like a red hot knife - so at 2am I was up and rebandaging. I go back and see the surgeon this Thursday, but reading your messages I think my expectations have been wrong.

My numbness and tingling has decreased over the last week. When I had it, putting the foot up helped enormously. I now find (after 4 weeks) I can keep my foot down most of the morning. Afternoons and evenings it needs to be put up more. When I took the bandage off yesterday, the tingling came back with a vengeance.

Hi everyone. Had my op on 21 November it was a base wedge osteotomy and I have two screws and a piece of metal holding the foot in place. Required to wear knee length plastic boot when moving around until at least 6 January when next Xrayed.

This is my second foot and I believe less painful than the first, I am now able to get around quite well without the crutches remembering to take time out with my foot raised as much as I can. The only downside is that I don't think the big toe is as straight as the first foot it still bends in a bit.

Should add that my bunions were very extreme surgeon said the most pronounced angles he has operated on so some claim to fame here.

My own experiences serve to illustrate that no two people and no two feet are the same and we need to keep our expectations realistic, I certainly won't end up with pretty feet just hopefully ones that work a bit better.

Hi everyone - I was last on this site a few months ago seeking advice (which was helpful) so thought I'd post my experience in case it helps others. I'm 62, retired, active (dancing, walking, Zumba), in the UK.

Here is my potted history:

Had Scarf/Akin procedure on right foot 8 weeks ago - NHS, not private. Nerve block, slight sedative, music on headphones. 3 screws put into foot. Went well.

PAIN RELIEF -

Day 1 - great until nerve block wore off - didn't have enough painkillers in system (see others comments about that). Used Tramadol (morphine made me throw up) overnight and by the next morning was fine with ibuprofen and paracetamol.

Week 1 - ibuprofen and paracetamol

Week 2 - 6 - nothing

Week 6 - 8 occasional ibuprofen to cope with swelling

NHS APPOINTMENTS/DRESSINGS -

Day of op - large amount of padding and bandaging round foot. Velcro shoe. Not allowed to get foot wet. Used Limbo cast protector and borrowed shower stool from Red Cross - brilliant.

2 Week Appointment. Nurse removed dressings, cleaned foot. Put Op-Site dressing on wound, and Darco fabric splint on foot. Back into Velcro shoe. Still can't get it wet.

Weeks 3 - 6 Each week I removed the Op-SIte dressing, cleaned foot as much as possible and put a new dressing on, then put splint back. Lots of dry skin - moisturising needed!

6 week appointment. Consultant removed final op-site dressing. Had X-Ray - all is fine. Velcro shoe and Darco splint ditched! All looking good but top of foot and scar sensitive and a bit numb.

MOBILITY -

Week 1 - Velcro boot, crutches, stayed indoors with foot up all the time

Week 2 - hired wheelchair for 2 weeks - great - got me out of house to shopping centre and supermarket!

Weeks 3 - 6 Velcro boot still. Gradually reducing use of crutches so eventually not at all indoors and by week 5 was managing outdoors too without them.

Week 6 - Velcro boot off (yippee!). Driving again. Walking in walking shoes but a bit slow and only about 30 mins at a time.

Weeks 7 and 8 - More shoe choices - Celtic boots (like Uggs but UK made), trainers, Gabor and Hotter 'sensible' shoes (which I used to wear before the op). Now bought a pair of M&S flat ballet pumps to wear at Christmas.

SWELLING/NUMBNESS -

Weeks 1 - 4 Quite swollen. Kept foot up as much as possible. Some numbness but not much heat.

Weeks 4 - 6 Swelling reducing

Weeks 6 - 8 Swelling more now cos I'm walking on it more. Still put foot up whenever I can. Some burning and heat - using refillable ice bag which is brilliant. Scar sensitive at start, now getting less so.

So now I'm at week 8 - some pain after walking for an hour or so but I feel I'm doing pretty well and am quite optimistic. Toe isn't perfectly straight but I don't care - it's not crowding all the others any more and making them hurt so that's the main thing! Goal now is to start dancing and Zumba (gently) in about 3 weeks time (after New Year).

Hi all,

I'm in Canada.

I had my scarf osteotomy last Tuesday. General anaesthetic. They estimated surgery at 2 hrs + min. 2 hrs recovery but I was woken from the anaesthetic 1-1/2 hrs after I went into surgery, so was well ahead of schedule. Surgery was at 10 and I was back home by 2. Absolutely no pain when I got home, I was walking (with the big velcro shoe, putting weight on the foot, etc). Felt great.

Wasn't until 3 a.m. when the ankle-block anaesthetic wore off that the pain hit. Terrible throbbing, like the bandage was far too tight, even though I could tell it wasn't by feeling it. I was prescribed Oxycodone (narcotic) and found that taking a whole pill made me nauseous so I broke them in half and took them 1/2 hr apart.

LESSON LEARNED: Start the heavy drugs when you get back home from hospital. It is a lot better to stay ahead of the pain rather than trying to catch up to it.

First 2 days (Wed/Thurs) I could not even touch my foot to the ground - crutches were a blessing for getting around. I am in a multi-level townhouse so I would bum-bump my way up and down stairs. Lots of laying on couch with foot elevated.

Day 3 (Friday) - was able to lightly hobble around on heel. I stopped wearing the velcro shoe because it is cumbersome and didn't seem to make any difference, pain- or comfort- wise. Still a lot of throbbing but not nearly as bad.

Day 4-5 (Sat/Sun) - stopped taking the Oxycodone and am managing pain with Advil. I also take anti-inflammatory and antibiotics daily.

Day 6 (Today) - about same amount of discomfort as day 4-5. Toes are still a lovely shade of bruisey blue.

I go to fracture clinic next Monday for dressing change, staple removal, and hopefully get fitted for an airboot.

A couple of helpful hints:

I went to a dollar store and purchased two handy items:

1. a pair of elastic velcro straps - these are great for showering. I wrap a plastic bag around my foot, wrap the velcro strap around my leg as tightly as possible, and then add another bag over top and another strap.

2. Fleece-fabric rubber boot (wellie boot) liners: Get an extra large pair, they will fit over your dressings easily and will keep your foot warm and covered up (if you have to go out and don't want everyone staring at your knarly toes! )