Should I have the surgery?

michelin · Newbie Joined: 22 Jul 2007 Posts: 3 Location: NJ

I'm 29 yrs old and have had a neuroma for a couple of years now. At first it was only bothersome when I did the elliptical at the gym, so I stopped doing that. I also started wearing less heels (not that I wore a lot before) and better shoes in general. The neuroma flared up again when I began Salsa dancing to the point that I can't really do it on a weekly basis. I've tried cortisone shots but they do nothing. One doctor mentioned an alcohol shot but I don't know anything about that. Has anyone had the alcohol shot? My current doctor is saying surgery is the next step. Here are my questions: What questions should I ask the doctor? Anyone know about the alcohol shots or any other treatments to try first? I have the tingling only sometimes when not in heels, dancing..it's really mostly a problem when I dance..but I LOVE to dance and I'm young...what do you think about having the surgery when I'm not in pain daily? I'm worried about permanent numbness, etc, or worse pain afterwards. Anyone have a successful surgery? All the posts here seem like surgeries were unsuccessful. I appreciate any help...

Anxious in NJ!

KerryShin · Newbie Joined: 03 Aug 2007 Posts: 2

Alcohol

-alcohol causes tissue irritation, and ulcers or abscess may occur - can be very painful
-may cause formation of stump neuroma
-4% concentration of alcohol sometimes not strong enough to cause chemical neurolysis

Cryosurgery

-minimally invasive and takes approximately 15 minutes to perform
-no incidence of stump neuroma formation
-short postoperative recovery period - only need to reduce activity for few days
-success rates with one treament run 80-90%.
-cryosurgery can be repeated without problems
-available for heel pain, Morton's neuroma, plantar fasciitis and many other painful foot conditions and masses

I haven't even received cortisone shots yet, but I've done lots of research on alcohol and cryosurgery. As you can see, I favor cryosurgery. Try these procedures and leave surgery as a last resort. Go on Youtube and type in "foot cryosurgery." There's a video showing how cryosurgery works to help the neuroma.

Should I have the surgery?

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