March 8, 2012
I am experiencing my third neuroma since 1974. These postings are really, really depressing so I am going to weigh in with my experience. In 1974 I was working as an x-ray tech and had a bit of discomfort in my right foot. In mid-stride the pain shot through and brought me to my knees. I had no idea what it was and couldn't even pinpoint the direct source of the pain. It was a Morton's neuroma between my 3rd and 4th toes on my right foot. Luckily I was able to see an orthopod that day. He injected cortison between my toes. He said it either would or would not work. Happily it worked for 10 years.
About 1985 the neuroma in the same location flared up. It was fix it or not be able to work. I had it surgically removed with the incision done through the bottom of my foot and remember being on crutches for a week nearly no pain. It's barely a blip on my radar screen now almost 30 years later.
It's back in the same location and I had a cortisone shot one week ago and today it is flaring again. The foot sugeon did a "crunch test" (sqeeze the foot across the bones) and he and could both feel the bones pop around the neuroma. He says it's a good size one. The typical exam of a squeeze between the toes nearly sent me flying and he located it with no problem. So, I am reading the postings on this site getting depressed since my memories of surgery are not unpleasant and have given me total relief for so many years. I had not heard of laser treatements but will ask about that.
The second neuroma surgery was on my left foot, also between toes 3 and 4 and the surgery was done going through the top of the foot and more painful as I recall but then I couldn't tell you when that was except that it was pre-1990. Ironically cutting through the sole of your foot isn't a problem as there are no nerves to cause pain during recover. At least that's how the surgeon explained it and it was certainly true for me. So I have had two successful surgeries with zero complications. I did have a funny but tiny tingling on the right at the site where they cut the nerve. It was like barely hitting your funny bone and only noticeable during a pedicure. Smile, all is not hopeless.
I want to add at this point that I do have custom orthotics from a pedorthist and buy my shoes wide enough. I have flat feet, little arch and almost NO FAT PAD on the ball of my feet. I never stop seeing specialists and asking questions and doing research. In the course of all this history I found the one remedy for neuroma's that works for me years at a time and that is Birkenstocks.
I carry an old pair in the trunk of my car with a pair of socks. Recently feeling some general discomfort in my foot I had pulled out my winter stand-by shoes--Birkenstock Footprint Clogs and had been wearing them to keep it under control. I was doing fine with it until just last month I had been running errrands all day and was headed to a ballgame. I had stopped at a fast food place, foot feeling worse by the minute while driving in the Footprints and knew I was in big trouble just sitting in the car. I had a ziploc in the car and needed ice to be able to walk into the stadium. I looked in the rearview mirror, knew there was ice available just inside and pathetically could not walk that far. I did hobble to the trunk of the car and retrieve the old Birkenstock sandals. Put my foot flat on the floor of the car and waited while the excrutiating pain subsided. I opted to drive on to the stadium and as cold as it was I walked in with socks and Birkenstocks on one foot and a shoe on the other with no problem.
So, why had my Birkenstock Footprint clogs failed me? I wanted to know.
I went to the local Birkenstock store last week with an entire bag of shoes, orthotics, Birkenstock sandals and the Footprints Clogs and peppered the gal with questions for an hour. This is what I learned: my orthotics have a significant metatarsal support but it is the toe bar in the Birkenstock Grenada that I favor that puts the pressure in the correct location and separates the toes to relieve the pain. I am dead serious, for me it's the toe bar. I learned that the Birkenstock original sandals have the most pronounced toe bar. They have a newer line called "Birko" with a lesser toe bar. The "Footprints" have no toe bar.
Tomorrow I am headed back to the Pedorthist to have toe bars added to my orthotics.
I am breaking in a new pair of Birkenstock Grenada's (I love thongs but cannot wear socks if needed, so I stick with Grenada's). Breaking them in is a nightmare and generally takes me months. I don't have the luxury of months right now so I am forced to speed up this process so I "googled" how to break in leather shoes, soften suede, etc. and gleaned some helpful hints. Headed off to the tropics to captain a boat so I can't have the surgery yet and will have to rely on the Birkenstocks until I return and then see about surgery.
I am experiencing my third neuroma since 1974. These postings are really, really depressing so I am going to weigh in with my experience. In 1974 I was working as an x-ray tech and had a bit of discomfort in my right foot. In mid-stride the pain shot through and brought me to my knees. I had no idea what it was and couldn't even pinpoint the direct source of the pain. It was a Morton's neuroma between my 3rd and 4th toes on my right foot. Luckily I was able to see an orthopod that day. He injected cortison between my toes. He said it either would or would not work. Happily it worked for 10 years. <?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
About 1985 the neuroma in the same location flared up. It was fix it or not be able to work. I had it surgically removed with the incision done through the bottom of my foot and remember being on crutches for a week nearly no pain. It's barely a blip on my radar screen now almost 30 years later.
It's back in the same location and I had a cortisone shot one week ago and today it is flaring again. The foot sugeon did a "crunch test" (sqeeze the foot across the bones) and he and could both feel the bones pop around the neuroma. He says it's a good size one. The typical exam of a squeeze between the toes nearly sent me flying and he located it with no problem. So, I am reading the postings on this site getting depressed since my memories of surgery are not unpleasant and have given me total relief for so many years. I had not heard of laser treatements but will ask about that.
The second neuroma surgery was on my left foot, also between toes 3 and 4 and the surgery was done going through the top of the foot and more painful as I recall but then I couldn't tell you when that was except that it was pre-1990. Ironically cutting through the sole of your foot isn't a problem as there are no nerves to cause pain during recover. At least that's how the surgeon explained it and it was certainly true for me. So I have had two successful surgeries with zero complications. I did have a funny but tiny tingling on the right at the site where they cut the nerve. It was like barely hitting your funny bone and only noticeable during a pedicure. Smile, all is not hopeless.
I want to add at this point that I do have custom orthotics from a pedorthist and buy my shoes wide enough. I have flat feet, little arch and almost NO FAT PAD on the ball of my feet. I never stop seeing specialists and asking questions and doing research. In the course of all this history I found the one remedy for neuroma's that works for me years at a time and that is Birkenstocks.
I carry an old pair in the trunk of my car with a pair of socks. Recently feeling some general discomfort in my foot I had pulled out my winter stand-by shoes--Birkenstock Footprint Clogs and had been wearing them to keep it under control. I was doing fine with it until just last month I had been running errrands all day and was headed to a ballgame. I had stopped at a fast food place, foot feeling worse by the minute while driving in the Footprints and knew I was in big trouble just sitting in the car. I had a ziploc in the car and needed ice to be able to walk into the stadium. I looked in the rearview mirror, knew there was ice available just inside and pathetically could not walk that far. I did hobble to the trunk of the car and retrieve the old Birkenstock sandals. Put my foot flat on the floor of the car and waited while the excrutiating pain subsided. I opted to drive on to the stadium and as cold as it was I walked in with socks and Birkenstocks on one foot and a shoe on the other with no problem.
So, why had my Birkenstock Footprint clogs failed me? I wanted to know.
I went to the local Birkenstock store last week with an entire bag of shoes, orthotics, Birkenstock sandals and the Footprints Clogs and peppered the gal with questions for an hour. This is what I learned: my orthotics have a significant metatarsal support but it is the toe bar in the Birkenstock Grenada that I favor that puts the pressure in the correct location and separates the toes to relieve the pain. I am dead serious, for me it's the toe bar. I learned that the Birkenstock original sandals have the most pronounced toe bar. They have a newer line called "Birko" with a lesser toe bar. The "Footprints" have no toe bar.
Tomorrow I am headed back to the Pedorthist to have toe bars added to my orthotics.
I am breaking in a new pair of Birkenstock Grenada's (I love thongs but cannot wear socks if needed, so I stick with Grenada's). Breaking them in is a nightmare and generally takes me months. I don't have the luxury of months right now so I am forced to speed up this process so I "googled" how to break in leather shoes, soften suede, etc. and gleaned some helpful hints. Headed off to the tropics to captain a boat so I can't have the surgery yet and will have to rely on the Birkenstocks until I return and then see about surgery.
p.s. My Doctor is a Podiatric Surgeon and when I asked about alcohol injections he warned me off of that method.
Thanks
Bandages have felt a bit tight and are my major source of pain/discomfort. They gave me a percocet before I even left recovery because the foot was bothering me, I now believe it is the bandages. I have not taken any of my prescription bottle of percs since I do not think the pain rates such a strong pill and because after I got home I had breathing difficulty after taking it. Have taken tylenol for headaches more than anything.
I elevated the majority of the first 3 days and if the foot has been up a long time even now bringing it down hurts and throbs into the toes due to blood rushing to the area.
The nurses did not put a surgical shoe on me because "it would not fit over the bandaging." The post-op instructions said to weight bear as tolerated but it is hard to do so in the tight dressing. I have tried it on the heel because the bottom of the forefoot is painful, I have hit it by accident a couple times and its made me jump, but I felt too much discomfort from the pinky toe along the side and a sensation of pulling on the incision. I have been mostly using crutches and hopping.
Under the dressings is kind of itchy now and my toes feel pretty squashed also I have a crease down the pinky toe side of the bottom of the foot due to the squashing of everything. Tomorrow I get the bandages changed, though I don't know if the stitches will come out then or at a later date.
Showering has been fun. :P Initially I sat against the long wall of the tub with my left foot over the edge (wrapped in plastic/rubber bands) and my left side to the spigot. Not too bad because I have a hand held showerhead. My mother found my departed great-grandmother's shower chair though so I have been experimenting with that since. Showering less often due to relative difficulty of doing so and not wanting to chance getting the foot wet somehow.
I am hoping everything looks good tomorrow and that I can get this surgical shoe I keep hearing about, would like to be more mobile. Crutches are really not a great solution for me, my house has many narrow areas making them hard to use.