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recovering from bunion surgery

Posted , 4 users are following.

jemma40517
jemma40517

Hi its a week today i had my surgery on my bunion and also had to have my big toe broke i was terrified befor my op but i did nt relise how much you need your family round you to help you with every day things like making meals geting a hot drink from the kitchen to the sittingroom very hard on one leg and crutches so much hard work just sitting here is geting on my nerves but i know its going to be best in the long run i used to be in so much pain trying to walk doing a shift at work im got badages on with a little cast next to my big toe but im getting alot of muscle pain in the back of my leg is anybody else geting this pain?

0 likes, 53 replies

53 Replies

  • Kaliana
    Kaliana jemma40517

    Posted

    I had that too my first 2 weeks. It's from muscle atrophy setting in and from the body trying to drain the swelling. It will get better week by week. I'm 5 1/2 weeks and no longer experience it.
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 Kaliana

      Posted

      Hiya kaliana its so painful been taking pain killers just to take the edge off and muscle gel hope it becomes less soon because it hurts just walking on my crutches
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 Kaliana

      Posted

      Hi ive got a cast splint next to my big toe but i know people have had to have pins screws or wire in but im not sure if i have cause knowbody has told me i did
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 Kaliana

      Posted

      No not yet i still need to get my plaster boot on i hope i have nt got any in
  • carole_Marie
    carole_Marie jemma40517

    Posted

    Hi Jemma, it's early days for you. You will experience different aches and pains along the way. Listen to your doctor. Keep the foot elevated as much as possible and ice the area as much as possible to reduce the swelling.

     You certainly do need all the help you can get  make the most of people fussing after you it won,t last forever!! Stay positive.

    Good Luck with your recovery. Here,s to bunion free feet😀😀😀xx

    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 carole_Marie

      Posted

      Hi carole i feel abit better know was worrying there was something wrong. I went out in the wheelchair for the first time yesterday it was nt to bad but its amazing how you feel invisable im just waiting to get my boot cast on now does everyone get pins screws wires in etc just cause i did nt get told i was geting them just wonder if that plaster splint is keeping my foot in place instead xx
  • nemo68931
    nemo68931 jemma40517

    Posted

    this is a time you really appreciate family! I have no idea what I'd do without them.I too got pain on back of the leg but that for me personally was mostly related to how tired my leg got from lifting my cast and holding my leg up on crutches or while standing etc my hip and leg just took on a lot of aches until it got used to the slack it was going to pick up.yours might not be the same but expect odd pains in places besides your foot.its all very normal and will subside more everyday.focus on staying busy! biggest thing that helped me with .y attitude and boredom is at about week 2 I was able to go for car rides more every day and elevate and ice my foot in the backseat.it gets me off the couch and helps so much if you're able to.
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya nemo thanks for the advice yea ive been out in the car a few times but my parents have to push me around in a wheelchair im getting my plaster boot on tomorow do you know if ill be able to walk on my foot then? The pain has eased off now im away in nov so hopeing ill be able to walk on it by then
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      well everyone seems to be a bit different but I haven't been able to walk on my foot at all yet and will hopefully start next week at the 6 week mark.I had a soft plaster cast after surgery and for about a week and a half and when that was removed went into a surgical cam boot.with that I can take it off and can set my heel down for balance but not step on it.not too sure if you'll have the same everyone seems to have different things!
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hi nemo been to the hospital today to get my plaster boot on it looks like its healing really well i nearly fainted when i seen it lol got to go bck on the 12th got the surgical boot to so just need to try and walk on it now
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      when I first saw my foot I was shaking while they were cutting the bandages off haha its scary to see and doesn't feel like your foot! that's great though glad its going well.so you can weight beat? how's the pain so far?
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Yea thats true lol yea i can put weight on it now but it felt very strange putting my foot down but i have to use my crutches as support just doing a little bit every day yea my ankle is hurting abit think its just with me putting weight on it im still hopping upstairs lol how far are you on in your recovery?
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Hey Nemo! Today's 7 week post-op appointment went far better than I had thought it would. The X-rays show a 85% fusion so far, which my surgeon said was fantastic at 7 weeks. I have zero pain and minimal swelling. I no longer need the boot! I will be wearing a sneaker now. Next week, I can start using an exercise bike and elliptical. No running yet but I wasn't expecting that until next year anyway. I really miss running!

      I had been worried that my next surgery for my left foot would be cancelled due to my bacterial pneumonia and partially collapsed left lung. He said as long as I'm better in 2 weeks from today, I can still get my surgery as scheduled in November. Fingers crossed! Happy healing everyone! I still don't know how to attach pictures on here to show you my before and now photo. Maybe you have to be on a desktop computer to do so? It won't let me do so from my phone. I hope all is well for you!

    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      wow kaliana great news!! a sneaker must feel like a huge milestone reached! that's great that your fusion is going so well.I thought at 6 weeks it was 100% fused it really is a long process! so sorry to hear about your lung that's scary but I'm glad its not keeping you from your next surgery.hopefully the next one is a piece of cake now that you've been around the block with it.I can't wait to lose the boot it's my biggest goal right now haha.hope the pain stays at a zero!
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      I'm day 36 in my recovery which brings me to about week 5 and it's getting easier but still dealing with swelling and some pain from the boot because my foot tends to favor being angled.yeah I hardly go up the stairs its not worth it ha how are you feeling?
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Nemo,

      You're getting closer to no boot each day. And PT will start soon too for you. It will show you the progress you're making each visit.

    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Nemo,

      Have you had X-rays to see how far along your fusion is? My surgeon said typically 10 weeks is when most patients get to 100% fusion. I'm hapy to have made the ptogress I have. A sneaker feels delightful, especially since my bunion is no longer there jabbing into the side of the shoe getting a blister.

    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      i havent had an xray since week 2 but i see my dr the 21st and will get one then so hopefully i'll see how my fusion is going. i think it is going well because my pain has gone down a lot compared to how it used to be.i still haven't done big toe stretches yet as it's just been painful but that is what PT is for so i'm not too worried if i don't have it all done yet it's still early.my incision hurts mostly by my big toe so stretching it doesn't feel great on it yet it feels like a big sting when i have tried. my big toe keeps laying on top of the toe next to it though which gets uncomfortable and is making a little blister there.i think it is from my toes being swollen it makes less space for them.
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya yea not to bad ive started walking on it now it felt strange to start with the boot feels tight on a night time but not to much pain or swellen how long did you have your plaster boot on for? I have to go upstairs lol
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      sorry to hear you have to go upstairs ha that's not fun.just be careful and take it slow to avoid any tumbles! I didn't quite have a plaster cast I had s soft dressing cast which is basically a plaster cast with the fluffy padded inside except instead of the hard material outside it's a bunch of ace wrap.and i had that for 2 weeks then I went to the awful boot lol
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya im 3 weeks yesterday im geting more pain now ive got the boot on ive got to go bck the 12th will they just take the boot off then? Just im not sure what happens im geting alot of pain at the top of my leg and my ankle i think its very week how is your progress going?
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      3 weeks wow! it will start to feel much better soon. around my 3rd or 4th week was when the sun was pretty much gone just occasional discomfort. I am 6 weeks and don't get my boot off until the 8th week so I would assume you'll have it for longer but all Dr's are different. my progress so doing good I started physical therapy so swelling has been an unwelcomed issue again but every day I'm closers to shoes!
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya i go back to hospital on the 11th now they said they re taking my plaster boot off and geting a xray hope its healing well cause going on holiday on the 16th hows your recovery going im just worried ill not be able to walk on it properly
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      I'm in a similar situation I'm planning to go out of town the 26th for testing weekend with lots for walling. hope I can do it all alroght.my recovery is good I think I'm getting rid of the boot tomorrow when I see my Dr. man I hope so...it's been 6 long weeks with it and I just want shoes!
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya how did it go at the hospital? I got my boot off yesterday feels weird lol but i can walk on it the doc said im healing well it just does nt look like my foot lol it hurts abit but not as bad as i thought it would my big toe is now pooker dot straight lol but he said it should go bck to notmal in about 2 years looking forward to my holiday now smile
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      that's great news! how has the swelling been? unfortunately I'm will in the boot but I'm healing well and I've been working on going down to one crutch. the 16th I will start wearing a shoe for an hour and ncrease every day. are you on crutches at all?
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya sounds like your on the mend to yea im still using crutches untill im completley weight bound yea my foot is really swollen just really stiff at the mo dont know if ill be able to wear a shoe when i go away geting more pain now its starting to heal
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      I can't wait to be off the crutches and in shoes! feels like forever since there's been a day I haven't thought about my foot. how many weeks are you now?and the swelling means it's healing it'll get better with time! will you be doing any physical therapy?
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Yea me to i hate crutches lol yea im geting 6 weeks of it im 6 weeks now seem s like its gone quick cant beleive i got it done in september how many weeks is it for you? Im having trouble sleeping now are you?
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      I'm 9 weeks. I've been sleeping better than before at least. the first 4 weeks were bad

      I like to sleep on my side and since doing that it's been much much better.

    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      My sleep was good after 4 weeks of the first foot surgery. I'm only 8 days post-op on my left foot and wow is my sleep messed up. Waking up every 4 hours to take pain meds messed my body's sleep schedule up. Some nights I barely get any sleep. I hope I can get this resolved in thr next week begore I go back to work next Friday. I prefer sleeping on my side too. The lounge doctor product I bought is great for side sleeping or if I'm on my back.
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      is it easy to sleep in your right side or is your first post op foot sore when you do? I pretty much can nky sleep on my side . I just have my pot op foot on pillows and sleep on that side.took a while to be able to.
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      I bought a memory foam product called the lounge doctor. I can sleep on my back or either side and it keeps my legs very comfortable. I bought it a month ago. A few people in the other bunio group I'm a part of recomnended. I wish I had it for both surgeries but happy I got it!
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      do you just sleep with it between your legs to elevate? I sleep in such an awkward protein to keep my foot up. I'm used to it now though but I always wake up with my foot close to falling off the pillow and my foot asleep.
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Nope, I sleep with both feet on top of it. It's memory foam so my feet sink comfortably into it. It's delightful!
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      hmm that sounds like it would be pretty comfortable. how long do you think you'll sleep with your feet elevated at night? I've heard swelling is about 3 months or so
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Until the swelling goes down. Since I'm 9 days post-op and 11 weeks post-op right foi5t, my elevating will continue. I heard swelling can be 6 to 12 months post-op.
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      yeah I kind of just plan to elevate until my foot has no problems being down. it's a slow process. yesterday at pt I was doing my syreyches standing and sitting and my foot turned purple before my eyes slowly and had white dots on top. it starts itching when it swells too.
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Interesting. Has that happened before? I haven't experienced that. Did it hurt too or was it just a circulation issue?
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      yeah it happened once before and I asked my pt about it I can't remember all the medical lingo she said lol but it's normal it's basically your foot has so much circulation and fluid to it it doesn't know how to get Rd of it fast enough. same thing hoe in the shower my foot will go from normal to purple it dilates inside. I'm still finding weaning ff crutches to be so tough. .it's got to be a mental block. I'm hoping when I'm in a shoe Monday it'll be easier. I'm going out of town for the weekend after thanksgiving and I want to be off crtuches.
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya im 8 weeks now foot still swollen came bck from holiday i enjoyed it but it was challenging and i get alot of pain went bck to the hospital they said i dont need crutches anymore so got a walking stick instead they ve gave me some exercises to do should be bck to work by january cant wait to get a shoe on how is your progress geting on?
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 jemma40517

      Posted

      I'm about the exact same as you haha I just got back from a holiday too and it was fun by exhausting but was nice. today's you first day without crutches or a cane and. drove so I'm feeling good. I saw your Dr today I'm 50% fused which kind for surprised me but she wasn't worried at all so it sounds like everything is going great. I'm in shoes no more boot which is awesome and I go back to work tomorrow.I have swelling too which is keeping my big toe off the ground and makes it a bit stiff but time will help. glad you're doing well!
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Yay Nemo! That's great that your in sneakers! How's work going now that you're back? Today is my 25th post-op day since left foot Lapidus. I got my vast off and snitches snipped. It's great being in a boot again. My healing seems to be going smoother than my right foot. I had my first PT session today and had far more range of motion on my left than my right had. I'm hoping that continues. Sending my best to you!
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      thanks kaliana it's been a new journey!work was good I nlt worked 3 hours and open to be doing that for a week or two.my job is all walkng so needless to say it was exhausting lol my back started to get really sore it's not used to it. it feels so great to drive and be crutch free but walkng will take a bit to lose the limp. my other foot takes alot of the slack. my Dr ia going to see if pt can go from 2x a week to once. how are you feeling with your first lapidus foot being the stronger one?
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Nemo,

      Yeah I can't imagine how it'd be adjusting to standing and walking a lot for work. Inhope each day gets easier for you! I'm glad driving again is going well! Independence is refreshing.

      My right foot actually feels really well. My PT measured the range of motion and I haven't lost anything since stopping PT for that foot. We had an extra minute at the end of PT for my left foot this week. It's deja vu doing everything all over again on the other foot but so far so good. It's great to be cast free! My surgeon gave me this toe splint to wear at night on my left big toe. It's not very comfortable but luckily my foot wasn't too stiff from it so far. My foot got so much more bruised in this surgeey than my right foot. 3 Arnica Montana treatments is already helping them start to fade. How are your scars healing Nemo?

    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      wow great news to hear! it syreyches is nice to feel the journey coming to an end soon isn't it? my scar feels fine it obviously is more sensitive than the rest of my foot when it's touched but it's not too painful. I can tell it is starting to fade but I've never been too hung up on it honestly. I'd rather have a straight foot with a scar than a crooked one without a scar haha. I've been trying to massage and move the scar to help keep it from being stiff I know to helping it just has a few spots that are stiffer. Dr said my big toe is normal it's stiff but since my foot is swollen there it's not touching the ground so I have to be manually bending it to help it. what are arnica Montana treatments?
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      wow I haven't been on this site in forever! just thought I'd check in to see how everyone healed up! I feel great back to normal life. still some stiffness but no pt anymore and I'm walking around just fine! how are you guys?
    • jemma40517
      jemma40517 nemo68931

      Posted

      Hiya have not been on for ages I'm back to work had my op done last September my foot is still swollen big toe is still sticking up and when I'm walking it's still painful I've just started noticing when I'm walking I can feel the bones crunching in my foot so I've had to get another X-ray today has anybody else had this? Hope I don't need another op 😔
    • Kaliana
      Kaliana nemo68931

      Posted

      Nemo,

      I never saw this until just now. I'm doing amazing! I'm back to all pre surgery activites and I'm 100% pain free. How are things going for you?

    • Kaliana
      Kaliana jemma40517

      Posted

      I haven't experienced this. Sending my best your way!
    • nemo68931
      nemo68931 Kaliana

      Posted

      awesome news! I feel 99% foot is just stiffer but nothing that is painful just a new feeling really. some spots I don't feel as much when I shave for natalie it's number tingly by the scar but I'm sure glad I feel normal!
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