I had this surgery done about 5 weeks ago. 2 days after surgery I had the dressing changed and 2 weeks after surgery I had the staples removed. I can honestly say that the IV was the most painful part of the surgery. I did take pain pills for the first week or 2 post op... About the time until the staples came out. The day and a half after surgery my foot was completely numb and my mom had to help me hobble to the restroom. Once the numbing wore off, I was able to walk on my own with the help of the surgical shoe. For those 2 weeks before the staples came out, most of my time was spent on the couch with my foot elevated. After the staples came out, my foot didn't throb anymore but I still wore the shoe when I walked. I wore my own shoe about 18 days after surgery but switched between it and my surgical shoe (only wore a comfortable running shoe because I still had some swelling). Now I am almost 5 weeks out and my scar has healed, I can walk and jog (short distances) but cannot stand for long periods of time nor can I put much weight on the ball of my foot. I am a dancer and am not able to return to work yet. My doctor quoted me 10 weeks before I return to work and I'm hoping the soreness on the ball of my foot will go away by then. I have been stretching my toe up and down and have seen a dramatic change. So far, I'm very glad I got this done!!!