I was planning on doing both feet for a bunionectomy and hammertoe repairs and chickened out last minute deciding to only do my right foot. I did a bunionectomy and hammertoe repair on toes 2,3,4, and 5 on my right foot. I glad at this point I only did one foot bc the pain is unbareable. I did the surgery 4 days ago and the throbbing is so painful. Not to mention I get jolts of pain every so often shooting through my toes. I was put on demerol pain relieving tablets bc all the others make me nautious based on past experiences. The demerol doesn't help much, just helps me go to sleep easier. Nothing so far has taken the pain away and I can't want for my foot to heal. I didnt get any screws and Im only 24 so I guess I should be better off. Guess some people have better experiences, age doesn't eliminate pain. Well I dont know what happens now but I go for a follow up appointment in 4 days to change the dressing, I heard that part is painful. I don't have a hard cast, just a whole bunch of ace bandage wrappings but my toes flex every so often as a reflex because im so use to moving them and that's even more painful. Maybe I wil request a cast or something. Any suggestions for the pain, and maybe eating or doing something to help the healing process?
Hi Imperialdyme,
I was going to do the same thing - both feet at once. My surgeon was totally against it and I'm glad I didn't either. Though you may be doing this already, keep your foot as high up as possible and use ice (or a bag of frozen veggies). Only get up out of pure necessity! The first week was the toughest for me with both of my surgeries. Do you have a rocker boot? I felt better when my foot had to be down being the boot (more padding, more support). You may ask your surgeon about it. Dressing changes hopefully won't be too bad. What also may be adding to your pain is the thickness (and therefore the weight) of the bandaging. Possibly you may want to ask for a lighter dressing. Hope this helped and hold tight! My hope is that it will get better for you day by day.
I was going to do the same thing - both feet at once. My surgeon was totally against it and I'm glad I didn't either. Though you may be doing this already, keep your foot as high up as possible and use ice (or a bag of frozen veggies). Only get up out of pure necessity! The first week was the toughest for me with both of my surgeries. Do you have a rocker boot? I felt better when my foot had to be down being the boot (more padding, more support). You may ask your surgeon about it. Dressing changes hopefully won't be too bad. What also may be adding to your pain is the thickness (and therefore the weight) of the bandaging. Possibly you may want to ask for a lighter dressing. Hope this helped and hold tight! My hope is that it will get better for you day by day.
I had my second bunion surgery in 20 years on my left foot 6 weeks ago. My advice to anyone having bunion problems is this - GET IT FIXED. I waited so long that I suffered (unknowingly) a stress facture. The longer bone of my big toe did not heal correctly. This simple bunionectomy, turned very bad. When my surgeon cut into the large bone to free up the big toe joint (which I knew about), he found that the interior of the bone had developed a tumor. He had seen this a few other times. My was very large, due to the fact that I had put the surgery off for many years. I could have seriously jeopardized my foot with the delay. If the bone had shattered, I would have lost my big toe and part of my foot. I now have a plate and several screws in my foot. Although the recovery is going well, I was extremely surprised when I woke up from the surgery only to find that it was 3 hours later and my foot was in a removable cast from toe to knee and nurses surrounding me saying, "you can't put ANY pressure on your foot." I had planned to return to work a few days later (I have an office position where I could sit and elevate my foot). I am now on disability and out of work for at least 7-8 weeks. Since I live where it is now winter, I am confined to my home, cannot drive, have to use a walker, and had to impose on family and friends for everything from doing my laundry to getting my groceries.
In short....don't delay if you are having bunion pain. It could be worse than you think. This is nothing to fool around with. At 56 years old, I could have lost part of my foot causing me more than just physical pain - but could have resulted in financial impacts if I couldn't work. Please take my advice....get your bunions taken care of. You won't regret it!
In short....don't delay if you are having bunion pain. It could be worse than you think. This is nothing to fool around with. At 56 years old, I could have lost part of my foot causing me more than just physical pain - but could have resulted in financial impacts if I couldn't work. Please take my advice....get your bunions taken care of. You won't regret it!
I had my second bunionectomy 3 days ago (4/16) on my right foot. The left foot was done abou 4 years ago. Both procedures involve shaving off the bump, breaking and re-aligning the toe bones with pins and screws. My bunions are considered borderline between "Moderate" and "Severe", as the doc at one point was considering doing a "base procedure", which involves breaking and realigning the longer bone at the bottom of the foot. The "base procedure" would put me in a cast for at least 4 weeks. After reviewing results from my first surgery and considering that I need to take care of 2 little boys, the doc and I determined that the "head procedure" would be more suitable for me.
With the lastest surgery, I had a lot of pain during the first 24 hours, as even Percoset didn't seem to do much. But the pain is a lot better the second day and I've basically taking Aleve and Tylenol since. Currently the swelling is bothering me somewhat, so I tried to keep it elevated and iced as much as possible. I hope that this will also soon pass. Currently I move about in a surgical boot with crutches. I saw a lot of posts mentioning being in crutches for 2 weeks but I think the time varies with individuals. After my first precedure 4 years ago I had to walk with crutches for 4 weeks because my bones did not heal as well as expected. I will try to keep up with my daily vitamin and calcium this time around, hoping that will make a difference.
I am extremely pleased with the results of my first surgery and am looking forward to live free of foot pain after recovering from this one. I am currently 36 years old and enjoy an active life style so not having the bunions will be a great improvement for my quality of life. Furthermore, both my mother and my mother-in-law have bunions, they are both in their 70s and the bunions are now very severe. My mother in law is also constantly struggling with overlapping toes, hammer toes and corns resulting from the big tow pushing inward. Not wanting that to happen to me is also another motivation to have it done soon.
I have consulted several doctors about my feet and realized they have different level of expertise. Some may advertise procedures that seem to have a short recovery time but may have a high chance of recurrence later on. If you are also considering surgery it would be very helpful to do a lot of research a head of time and seek second opinion.
With the lastest surgery, I had a lot of pain during the first 24 hours, as even Percoset didn't seem to do much. But the pain is a lot better the second day and I've basically taking Aleve and Tylenol since. Currently the swelling is bothering me somewhat, so I tried to keep it elevated and iced as much as possible. I hope that this will also soon pass. Currently I move about in a surgical boot with crutches. I saw a lot of posts mentioning being in crutches for 2 weeks but I think the time varies with individuals. After my first precedure 4 years ago I had to walk with crutches for 4 weeks because my bones did not heal as well as expected. I will try to keep up with my daily vitamin and calcium this time around, hoping that will make a difference.
I am extremely pleased with the results of my first surgery and am looking forward to live free of foot pain after recovering from this one. I am currently 36 years old and enjoy an active life style so not having the bunions will be a great improvement for my quality of life. Furthermore, both my mother and my mother-in-law have bunions, they are both in their 70s and the bunions are now very severe. My mother in law is also constantly struggling with overlapping toes, hammer toes and corns resulting from the big tow pushing inward. Not wanting that to happen to me is also another motivation to have it done soon.
I have consulted several doctors about my feet and realized they have different level of expertise. Some may advertise procedures that seem to have a short recovery time but may have a high chance of recurrence later on. If you are also considering surgery it would be very helpful to do a lot of research a head of time and seek second opinion.
I had my bunion surgery 4 weeks ago today and have no regrets...everyone does heal differently. But from my own experience lots of rest and keep the leg elevated is the best for a quicker recovery. The third day after the surgery was the worst because the anesthetic began to wear off and each after that got a little better. Can't wait to show off my new foot!!
I had surgery five days ago and am doing much better now. I had a rough 24 hours at first. The vicodin made me puke so I was without pain meds for most of the first 24 hours. My cast also had to be changed because my heel was rubbing so bad. I have a hard cast up to my knee, it is horrible. No weight bearing for 6 weeks! This cast feels better. Although I am not supposed to bear weight, I started to fall today and caught myself of course with my bad foot and bent my toes, OUCH! I hope this does not impair my recovery! Any thoughts?
I also need bunion surgery on both feet, but the problem I have is Arthritis in both feet. Along with the bunions, my toes are bent under. I think they call that hammer toes and all my toes are shifting in the opposite direction making it just about impossible to buy shoes. Does anyone else also have the problem with Arthritis. I'm scared to death to have the surgery not knowing how extensive it will be and how long the healing time will take. I'm not one for sitting still.
I'm on Day 19 after Taylor's Bunion surgery. No swelling but still very painful. Need the meds by the end of the day no matter how long I sit with the foot elevated and use ice packs. Is it normal to have pain at this point?
I am 39 and had a lapidus bunionectomy on May 21st. Things are going pretty well... I didn't have a lot of pain afterwards and stopped taking the Rx pain meds after one day. Swelling has been okay too. I'm in a walking boot so it could be expanded for swelling and easy access to incisions to monitor for infection - but I am not allowed to put any weight on the foot yet. I have my 3 week appointment next Tuesday - and hopefully the xrays will show healing. I may get a hard cast at that point if incisions are healed up well.
The worst part for me has been the lack of mobility. I too am not a person that sits around the house, and as the surgery was on my right foot I've been unable to drive or go anywhere unless someone takes me. I did rent a roll-about rather than use crutches and I think that was a good move. It has been pretty easy to get around - easier I think than crutches would have been. I sympathize with anyone going through this... it is a hard surgery I think mainly because of the degree it affects mobility. I'm hoping and praying that I recover quickly (meaning as the doctor predicted) without any complications. I wish that for everyone on here as well.
The worst part for me has been the lack of mobility. I too am not a person that sits around the house, and as the surgery was on my right foot I've been unable to drive or go anywhere unless someone takes me. I did rent a roll-about rather than use crutches and I think that was a good move. It has been pretty easy to get around - easier I think than crutches would have been. I sympathize with anyone going through this... it is a hard surgery I think mainly because of the degree it affects mobility. I'm hoping and praying that I recover quickly (meaning as the doctor predicted) without any complications. I wish that for everyone on here as well.
Hello. I had bunion surgery a llittle over a week ago. I am 16 years old and had severe bunions. Post surgery i had some mild pain that was settled with many pain pills. I am currently off the pain pills and am so ready to get back on my feet. I have bad cabin fever and i was wanting to know from your experience how long it took you to walk again. I go to the doctor Monday to get stitches out. Thanks
I had my surgery done Jan 5 and for the first couple of days i was on Oxycoden. Since it was habit forming I stop using it after the 5th day. My swelling went down after a week and as of Saturday Jan 14 I was able to begin walking on it without crutches just around the house that is and at a slow pace just in case. Now I can walk on very well but i still try not to apply much pressure. I have no cast just some sort of wrapping made out of thick fabric that goes on like tape and I had a screw inserted in my big toe. I am 22 yrs old. The doctor told me I should heal fine by the end of this month. Either next week or the week after i get my stiches removed and will be able to wash it. And my doctor recommended from the beginning to walk on it with the crutches and to keep it elevated when i can. So far so good. From reading the other post about people under 21 considering the surgery. I ADVISE NOT TO DO IT UNTIL YOUR OVER 21!!! I tried when i was younger and they told me getting it when your young can cause many problems especially if the bone is still growing. I am glad I waited.
I had the surgery one week ago - June 9, 2008. I guess the worst part of the surgery for me was trying to get into the car after the surgery. It was awkward and I was a bit loopy. Other than that, everything else was easy. I had a gr8 doctor (and kewt).
I'm now in a cast and on bedrest. I've never been in a cast before so that is taking some getting used to. It feels like a boot that I can't take off. Thank god for the wire hangers to scratch those pesky itches.
The pain is.......well.......a pain. I'm on percocet and take it 2-3 a day. It is unlike any pain, I've had before. Luckily, the pills kick in and i'm all good.
The strange thing to me is the pain is coming from the top and bottom of my foot.
I am using crutches to go to the kitchen and bathroom, but can't stay on my feet too long. My foot starts to throb.
I am elevating my foot 2 -3 hours at a time, before I have to get up. God bless the laptop.
The prognosis for me is i'll be in a cast for 4 -5 weeks then boot for the rest. I'll keep ya posted.
I'm now in a cast and on bedrest. I've never been in a cast before so that is taking some getting used to. It feels like a boot that I can't take off. Thank god for the wire hangers to scratch those pesky itches.
The pain is.......well.......a pain. I'm on percocet and take it 2-3 a day. It is unlike any pain, I've had before. Luckily, the pills kick in and i'm all good.
The strange thing to me is the pain is coming from the top and bottom of my foot.
I am using crutches to go to the kitchen and bathroom, but can't stay on my feet too long. My foot starts to throb.
I am elevating my foot 2 -3 hours at a time, before I have to get up. God bless the laptop.
The prognosis for me is i'll be in a cast for 4 -5 weeks then boot for the rest. I'll keep ya posted.
I had the surgery two weeks ago. I am in a walking cast and my foot is wrapped in bandages. The doctor says she is so pleased with my recovery. I had extreme pain that oxycodone took away for about 36 hrs after the surgery but since then not even tylenol. I should get my stitches out next Thursday! I would recommend this surgery to anyone, it was my first ever. I also had my second toe broken with a pin from the top to half way up my foot. There will be pain, but if you do what the doctor tells you to do it will go away.
hey im the 16 year old who had bunion surgery who made an earlier comment on this page. i am doing sooo much better and i am completely happy i did...as far as the being to young to have this done goes, as long as you are no longer growing, you're fine. if your feet are no longer going to grow then you're in good shape.. my feet look beautiful and im so happy.
i will be going through physical therapy for my first and second toe to get movement back. i love my feet!
i can't wait to wear sandals! FINALLY!!
i will be going through physical therapy for my first and second toe to get movement back. i love my feet!
i can't wait to wear sandals! FINALLY!!
Hi, I just had an austin bunionectomy today. I'm resting, my foot felt ok until I got up to go to the bathroom. I used a walker to help mobility. I am taking Lorcet for pain and other than having an ice pack handy and lots of elevation, I should be ok.