Morton's Neuroma Surgery - Scared to death of Phantom Pain

usernametaken · Newbie Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 8

In a few days I'm having the nerve removed that has caused the Morton's Neuroma - incision at bottom of foot this time. I have done all the non-surgical treatments for this problem already & continue to do so. Nine years ago I had surgery but did not have the nerve removed at that time. I've been hearing horror stories that this nerve removal surgery may cause 24/7 pain for the rest of my life due to phantom type pain & painful plantar scarring (even when not using the foot) - this was told to me during a pre-op visit with the DR who's knocking me out during the surgery & of course I'm researching a lot on the "net" now. The pain I have lived with for "like forever", well, I've grown accustomed to it & I can still manage to be realitively active but the pain is always there when I use my feet. Just to think I may have more pain 24/7 (whether I use the foot or not) has me scared to death! Can anyone share their experience with me about their surgery and hind-sight on their decision to have the surgery in the first place?? Please - I'm very tempted to not have any further surgery and just live with the pain I already have.

Guest · Guest

hey, did you have your surgery? how is your recovery going? i just had 2 neuromas removed on the 11th

woodtrnrfh · Newbie Joined: 17 Oct 2006 Posts: 1

I had surgery to both feet 3 years ago. I should have lived with and treated the pain by other means. I have had consistent pain in both feet ever since the surgery. I have been to a pain clinic and other doctors to try to solve the constant pain without success.

If at all possible avoid surgery to remove the neuroma.

The pain I am having now is due to nerve problems that developed after surgery.

jakervik · Newbie Joined: 18 Oct 2006 Posts: 6

I had neuroma surgery on both feet 6 months ago and I am in constant pain. If I overdo it, or if I drink some alcohol, my feet fire up and hurt all the time. I have to take neurontin just to keep the feet with the numbness that one would have without these nerves.

usernametaken · Newbie Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 8

I did have the surgery on Oct.12th; starting yesterday a very sharp pain (like stepping on a nail) started directly under big toe going back towards my arch when I put weight on the foot and try to walk normal. What the heck is this???? This isn't even near the incision area! Has anyone had this after surgery?

mmillar · Newbie Joined: 09 Nov 2006 Posts: 1

I had the same pain that you're describing when I had my surgery on my left foot 3 years ago. My foot is perfectly fine now. I was so happy with the results that I had my right foot done yesterday. Hopefully, this recovery will be a smooth as the last.

usernametaken · Newbie Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 8

To MMiller: thanks for letting me know you experienced the same sharp pain after neuroma surgery. Hopefully it will evidentually subside - how long did it take for this particular pain to go away for you? Did you ever figure out or get told what was causing it? I'm really curious as to what it is. I don't go back to my doctor til 11/20. Other than this sharp pain, my foot is coming along quite well ... getting use to the numbness slowly. Been applying Vitamin E oil to the incision site and that seems to be helping the healing a lot. Finally out of the post op shoe(s)! I do have nueromas in the other foot but unless I change my mind, I think I'll just continue to live with it and not have surgery on that foot ... this sharp pain is awful - hate to have the same thing happen in the other foot. I hope your recovery from your recent surgery has the same outcome as the first.

Guest · Guest

I had the surgery for morton's neuroma and have since had a great many problems. The incision on the underside of my foot causes me ongoing pain and because it presses into my foot everytime I stand on it - it has aggravated the nerve underneath and I basically exchanged one form of pain for another. My understanding is that a preferable method these days is to go in through the top of the foot rather than the underside.

It is always best to try orthotics first - made by a qualified podiatrist. Although I had the surgery, the neuroma has since come back, which I have been told is not unusual.

usernametaken · Newbie Joined: 06 Oct 2006 Posts: 8

It's been just about two months since my neuroma surgery (from the bottom of my foot). YUP - exchanged one pain for another - actually two. Now that the "pinching nerve pain" is gone (which is very good), I now have 2 "live wires" at each end of the incision site - YEKS! Removing the neuroma meant cutting the nerve, leaving 2 ends of the nerve activated! OMG! Not the same pain as having the neuroma pinch, but oh so "electrifying"!! Back at doing virtually everything active but I now must learn to adapt to the nerve sensitivity caused by the surgery. I'll learn to live with it, I guess. Nope, I do not advise having the surgery - it wasn't worth the "time down" recuperating & the "live action" I now have. Ya live and learn!

Guest · Guest

I had a morton's neuroma removed via top of the foot 4 months ago. I was doing fairly well but wore a pair of shoes that aggravated it and then I was back to square one with pain, worse than the original, in my toes and very tender spot on the ball of my foot where the excision had been done from the inside. I have lost most of the fat on the pad of my foot, probably from the 15 years of cortisone injections while trying to put off surgery, and from the surgery itself. My conclusion is that I am worse off than before I had the surgery...at least then I had several pairs of shoes I could wear to walk 4 miles, now I can only wear one pair of shoes and manage only a mile very carefully. I'm now afraid I am going to have to live with this pain for the rest of my life, as I'm certainly not up for further surgery! Has anyone out there had a good recovery after a long bout of postop pain? I've had 14 surgeries throughout my life and this one is my most disappointing!

Morton's Neuroma Surgery - Scared to death of Phantom Pain

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