Thanks!
If you are looking to have bunion surgery be very selective when you pick a podiatrist. I just had bunion surgery 6 weeks ago and I am very happy with my choice. But I did not have a bunion exostectomy and would never have that done. I had a bunion chevron osteotomy. I went to a podiatrist about 8 years ago and he wanted to just cut my bunion off, he didn't even do x-rays on my feet, that did not impress on me and I did not feel he was the doctor for me. So I waited and finally found a podiatrist I liked this year and went to meet with him. The first appointment he did x-rays of both feet, went over them with me and explained what was causing my bunions. My bunions were from my family:), basically my bones were not in the correct position. My doctor explained that he had to break my big toe joint and reset it, and there is a small bone that sits under your big toe joint that was sitting between my joint and my 2nd toe. So he had to place that back under my big toe joint once he reset it. I still have to have my left foot done and will most certainly be doing so in December.
I had 2 pins in my foot due, one was sticking out of my big toe and the other was 2 inches above my big toe inserted towards my toe. I didn't have any pain from the surgery it self, the only pain I had encountered was for the last 2 weeks before the pin on the top of my foot was removed, it would, as the doctor said, bite down into my foot. So I would just change the gauze around it every couple of days to keep it as padded as I could under the pin, that helped a lot! I just got the pin removed from my big toe yesterday and everything has gone well, no pain and my big toe already has some movement to it, I wiggle and mess with it often to regain motion in it as quickly as I can.
First of all I would make sure it is something you need done, don't do it just because you don't like the way your feet look. I did it/am doing it because they cause me pain. Second of all make sure you find a podiatrist you like and feel you can trust to take care of you. Ask him for references if that would make you feel better, I knew a few people that had delt with my doctor, not for the same thing but they were extremely happy with him and there results.
I had both feet done.. bunionectomies and hammer toes fused . I was inj pain for years before and had bunions at just 14 yrs old.. nothing to do with shoes as spent fortune on properly fitted foot wear.
Since surgery I had complications right foot.. infection and on a introvenus for weekend.. about 6 weeks worth antibiotics pumped into me.. the swelling was so bad that big toe looked like chicken thigh and incision scar was at other side of foot. The pins micrated 1cm down and turned and had additional surgery right foot to remove them.. local aneasthetic and broke 2 BP monitors arrrrrrrr!
I had been very fit and active before - jack of all trades and was a carer and garden maintenance worker for elderly for 2 yrs previous.
Since surgery, my walking got worse and worse, balance caput, weight gain as could not exercise the way used to and after many physio sessions was referred to Podiatrist - She told me I had been born with rear foot verus a tilting of heels and lax ligaments which caused the bunions so early and that surgery should never have been done as it was and a referral to her first. Her diagnosis made me cry and made sense of many years of muscle fatigue, miscarriages, ligament injuries through my life and I had just thought I was clumbsy!! I wear podiatry insoles now but hard to find shoes to fit. I am dumpy, frustrated and depressed by what the surgeon has done to me.. if he had left the hammer toes alone things could have ben better. I have no flexion in toes and kneeling down to weed etc agony. I am as a consiquence registered diabled now with young children who miss my playing with them as used too.
My surgery is massive irriversible and I am unable to claim compensation as done 4 yrs ago, referred by doctor (?????) and signed consent form for surgery ??? What makes me sooooo angry though is I trusted the darn surgeon had my best interest at heart not just doing a good bunionectomy - Surgeons can be very adamant they know best and we trust them, when they are really often too arrogant to refer other professionals opinions too and work together as a team.
My advice, as thousands have this surgery with no problem.. is go to podiatrist first, wear good shoes with podiatry sole like Sketchers , exercise the feet, and ask podiatrist what surgery they reccommend if at all - if they discover inherited problems like lax ligaments, hypamobility, rear foot varus etc take their advice first. Pleaseeeeee - walking with stick at 51 makes me feels old lady like lol
All the best whatever you decide xxxx
ALL I CAN SAY IS AFTER HAVING BUNION SURGERY I WANTED TO KILL MYSELF REALLY BECAUSE THE PAIN WAS THE WORST THING ON THIS PLANET!!! I HAD BOTH FEET DONE OVER THE SUMMER. AND THE RESULTS ARE A DISASTER!!!
I AM GOING IN FOR SURGERY TO REMOVE A PIN THIS WEEK BECAUSE IT MOVED!!! MY DOCTOR FAILED TO TELL ME THAT I MIGHT NEED TO REMOVE THE PIN UNTIL IT GOT TO A POINT WHERE THE PIN IS ALMOST GONNA COME OUT OF MY FOOT!!! AND I CAN'T MOVE MY THUMB. NOW I'M WALKING AROUND REALLY RETARDED TRYING TO BE CAREFUL NOT TO MOVE THE PIN.
ALL I CAN SAY IS THAT THE BEST THING TO DO IS RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH RESEARCH. DON'T PICK JUST ANY DOCTOR. MAKE SURE YOU CAN SEE THE DOCTORS WORK!!! (MY DOCTOR NEVER SHOWED ME HER WORK)
ALSO LOOK FOR THESE CHARACTERISTICS IN YOUR DR. (MINE LACKS ALL OF THESE!!):
-MAKE SURE THE DR. EXPLAINS EVERYTHING FROM A-Z!! EXACTLY HOW THEY WILL DO THE PROCEDURE IN DETAIL!! HOW THE RECOVERY WILL BE ETC. ETC.
-MAKE SURE THE DR. IS ON THE SAME PAGE AS YOU!! IF YOUR DR. IS BEING IFFY ABOUT SOMETHING...RUNNNNN (MY DR. CHANGED THE DISCUSSED PROCEDURE AS I ROLLED INTO THE OPERATING ROOM!!!)
-DO A SIMPLE PROCEDURE WITH THE DR. FIRST TO TEST THEM!! MAYBE IF YOU HAVE AN INGROWN TOENAIL, HAVE THEM PERMANENTLY REMOVE IT AND SEE HOW IT GOES...IF IT GOES BAD...RUNNNNNNN
-MAKE SURE THE DR. DOESN'T SMILE OR LAUGH OR NOD..MAKE SURE THEY ACTUALLY TALK AND EXPLAIN THINGS WHEN YOU ASK QUESTIONS AND TAKE YOU SERIOUSLY AND THEIR JOB SERIOUSLY
AFTER I GET THIS PIN OUT, I AM GOING TO ANOTHER DR. BECAUSE I HAVE HAD IT WITH MY CURRENT ONE. I AM HOPING THE NEW DR. CAN FIX ALL THE MISTAKES MY CURRENT ONE MADE.
HONESTLY YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL I FIXED MY BUNION. IT LOOKS LIKE I STILL HAVE A BUNION!!!
WENT THROUGH PAIN FOR NOTHING, WASTE OF TIME AND MONEY =( >;)
Hi,
I just had to post here with my own experience. I went to a teaching hospital in Pittsburgh to have my bunionectomy back in 1989. I came out of it with two big toes that point the opposite direction of normal. They cut the tendon or what ever the name is of the muscle like part that holds the big toe to the main part of the foot. So now my big toes drift off. They gave me the works, I am sure using me as an example of all the things you can do to a patient. Unfortunately, I am left with Spock toes! (You know, "Live long and prosper" with the fingers spread out abnormally???) I cannot wear Flip flops or any sandal that does not cover the toes, because my toes cannot hold the sandal onto my foot and my foot slips off the shoe sideways. I cannot wear any shoe very long because that big toe keeps rubbing against the shoe as it is pressed in.
My situation before surgery involved a little pain with shoes, but it was mostly cosmetic and I do regret having surgery greatly. The only solution my surgeon, Dr. Lenz, offered, was to slit a muscle on the inside of my foot to release tension of the toe towards the outside. That would have left me with a toe just flopping around I think. I really didn't want him cutting any more on my feet, so he said ok, just wear tight pointy shoes! I found out after all this time that nothing can push those toes back in because they cut the tendon that holds them to the foot!
How I regret not suing him!
I recently saw a noted foot specialist whose only solution was to break the toes and reattach them to the foot, but then there goes the joint.... so I declined. Maybe they will come up with some new technology soon.
My daughter has bunions, but we are treating them with a device she wears while sleeping, called bunion regulators, that are available from catalogs like footsmart and carol wright. We are also using essential oils on them, since the bunions are forming because of some cause, like bursitis, so we are treating them as such, and using shoe inserts to correct her foot position from lack of arch.
Hope my experience helps someone.