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My bunion surgery expirience! As a 14 year old girl:)

Posted , 5 users are following.

yagir09461
yagir09461

Hi everybody!

I wasn't so sure if I was going to write about this here, but I think it's the best. Im Yagir, a 15 year old girl who at the moment is six (almost seven) months post-op from a bunion surgery. I had have been waiting for this surgery since I got diagnosed with Hallux Valgus in 2009. Of course at that time I knew I was not going to have a surgery anytime soon. But as my big toes started getting worse, and I couldn't buy proper shoes or even participate in P.E. lessons, I knew I had to do something. I had tried every non surgical method that existed, many of them coming from this website which I have actually been following for years now! Every year, I would visit orthopedic spesialist and every year I would be told the same thing. "Yes, your bunions are very severe, but we can't do anything about it yet. You're too young. In 2017 (August 28th to be precise) I was at my annual check, when my doctor said that he will put me on the waiting list. I was over the moon at that point, even though he said the wait could be up to 6 months. I left his office smiling from ear to ear. Time flies and I had  actually forgot about it for a while, until the 26th of September. I came home and my mum told me that on Friday the 29th of september, I will finally be getting my bunion surgery!!! The reason it happened so quickly was that another person had become sick, and I was the only one of the waiting list that they could fit in. When I got a letter with all the details, I knew it was real. It was going to be a short procedure. In at 08:00, surgery starts at 09:00, out by 15:00. 

I came in the hospital and got my dress on and waited. I was going to get general anesthesia, which was fine by me. I actually like the feeling of falling asleep (This wasn't my first surgery). I woke up with a soft white cast on my foot. It was only up to my ankle. I left with a wheelchair and crutches. In two weeks I would come back to take off my cast.

To be completely honest with you guys, those two weeks (and four days) were difficult. Thankfully I had my family there to help me so it went as smooth as possible. But it was painful, a lot more than I expected. I got 4 extra super strong painkillers to take at home, and I tried to save them but by the end of week one they were gone. It wasn't that difficult to get around on crutches, I only fell three times! By the end of week two, I couldn't bare having a cast on anymore, and on more then one occasion I tried to pull it off my foot. Sorry not sorry. Either way Tuesday came and it was show time!

I feel like I wrote looooaaaadddss now, so I'll stop here and just tell me if you want to hear how the rest of recovery time went. I would be more then happy to share. If anyone want be to go deeper into to anything, just ask and i'll do so. So yeah, thank you sooo much for making it this far on this "story" of mine. I just felt like it would be really nice to get it out, and for someone who many is in the same position as me to hear a young persons perspective on a hallux valgus operation because I never really felt that I had that. Anyways Byeeee cheesygrin

1 like, 5 replies

5 Replies

  • jules50095
    jules50095 yagir09461

    Posted

    That’s great news! What happened once the cast was off? Two weeks seems such a short time! Did you have any screws out in or cuts in your foot? Is your foot still swelling? 
    • yagir09461
      yagir09461 jules50095

      Posted

      Hello!

      I know, but in real life but foot was definitely ready to get out of the cast. After the cast I had to use a surgery boot, a long one that went up to my knee, for eight weeks. I have two scars. One between my big toe and second and a kind of big one on the side of my big toe I'm pretty sure I had an osteotomy and had two screws put in diagonally across from my big toe to my second toe, since they were both slanted. It took around a week for the swelling to go down around my foot, after I got my cast of. But my toes swollen for a couple of months after, at least.

  • dona86269
    dona86269 yagir09461

    Posted

    Wow, how very mature you sound! I think it’s super you got it done while younger, my mom tried to get me to, but I always said no, no time for that! I wished I would have now of course! did you have one foot done? sorry if you already said and I didn’t see it. Do you know what procedure you had? I had the Lapidus, as my bunions were pretty severe. 

    I think it’s super you have started this process at a young age. And you have researched so much! so you know what helps, etc, and what kind of proper shoes to wear. I think that’s important. Because my feet were so bad, I could never wear heels, or many shoes. I ended up most of the time wearing Toms which have NO support, and I think my feet got worse because if that. I have no arch now in my left foot after two surgeries. So I’m making sure I am given proper instructions this time, and different doctor for sure! I was given no exercises or instructions years ago with my left foot, and it suffers from that still. 

    Id love to hear the rest of your recovery. It’s nice to get it all out sometimes, and then look back at how far you have come. 

    Best wishes! 

    • yagir09461
      yagir09461 dona86269

      Posted

      Hiya 

      First of all, thank you! One thing that I have always been sure on is that I wanted my surgery before I turned 15, so it was only a matter of time. The quicker the better! I only had my right foot done, as that was the most severe one. In hindsight, I'm so thankful that my doctor only allowed me to one. I don't think I would have survived the pain with having them both done at the same time. My doctor didn't tell me, but I checked out the different methods to do a bunion surgery and I'm 99% sure that I had a osteotomy. I had two screws put in that kind of went diagonally across from my big toe to my second toe, since they were both slanted.

      My mum was always really strict on what shoes I could were because she really didn't want my feet to become any worse than they already were. I would always go a size up than I actually was, and they had to be really wide. She always wanted me to do as little sports stuff as possible, because even though I hated to admit (since I really liked cross-country running) it was painful for my feet.

      Did you have two different bunion surgeries done on your left foot? Why? I can definitely relate on not getting advice. I expected some sort of physio after I had got my cast off, since I was really afraid of walking on my foot properly.

      Thanks for the answer, by the way! smile

  • Bigbluefrog
    Bigbluefrog yagir09461

    Posted

    Glad you shared your story!

    I agree with your mum as shoes that fit good and that are comfy will be best for your feet. Good arch support!

    2nd it is a genetic defect according to my doctor so nothing we do can cause this....I also think gentian and some arthritis.

    So buy cute comfy shoes!

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