surgery bunion recovery problems

I have now had both feet done, and I agree with the person that wrote if you think it is not painful you must be superwoman!! Not only is it painful after the surgery but the laying in bed with one foot elevated for a week is very hard on your back, and when you do walk, the awkward way in which you are forced to walk causes your body to get totally out of whack which can lead to further back and sciata problems as it did with me, I had to end up getting a spinal injection to relieve the back pain~but I will say that once all this is over, it will be worth it, I had my left foot done three years ago and it looks and feels just fine, hoping that when this one finally heals up I will have the same result, had the same doctor, so hoping all will be well, but do not mislead yourselves into thinking you will be wearing your normal shoes anytime soon, don't rush that, keep wearing the ugly shoe they gave you and then wear only comfortable flat shoes until full healing is achieved!
Good luck to everyone

I had lapidus bunionectomy surgery March 2007 on my right foot and I'm set to have the same surgery on my right foot early 2009.

It was only after careful consideration that I entered into this course of treatment - the pain was adversely affecting my activities and I was close to dislocating my toes.

I had an excellent podiatrist who was willing to perform this surgery (it is messy, time-consuming and not where one can make the money). And he and I were both pleased with the outcome. .

The biggest challenge was being patient and letting my body heal. As a fiercely independent woman, I had to accept that I was not able to do everything on my own and it was okay to ask for assistance. The recovery was very humbling and I was even more appreciative when, eventually, I was able to walk.

For anyone having this surgery, do not weight bear (I was in a wheelchair for 6 weeks) too early and follow post op instructions. The surgery itself was not painful (done under a local in the doctor's surgery) nor was the healing. Toradol was my friend - assisted with the inflammation - as was the ice water bag. Be sure to keep your foot elevated. I had planned all sorts of activities (organizing my computer files, reading books, renting movies) to keep me distracted. However, my body told me to sleep, which I did a lot of for the first 4 weeks.

Also, be sure to drink lots of water! This is not only good for overall health, it helps with healing. And, since I was inactive, I made sure to take ground flax seed.

Because of swelling, I did not have a fibreglass cast put on for a week. Until my foot and lower leg were firmly encased, I was paranoid about bumping my foot. Once I had my cast, I slept better. I rented a wheelchair to get around my house and used it to go back and forth and at work. After 2 weeks, the pins in my toes were yanked out - this really hurt! I could then take my fibreglass cast on and off and besides using my ice water bag regularly, I was able to do ankle rotations so my leg muscles did not atrophy too much. When I was finally able to walk, my Rght ankle was definitely weaker than the Left though. I also got exercise by practicing using my crutches doing laps down the hall.

At 4 weeks, I was able to go back to work, in a wheelchair, but still not bear weight.
At 6 weeks, I was able to put my foot down. I began using crutches more than the wheelchair.
At 8 weeks I was in a walking cast and was soon able to get around with no prosthesis.
At 12 weeks, I had no cast and began physiotherapy to regain mobility in my toes and foot.

Besides being patient, I would suggest beginning physio early. I still am unable to fully bend my big toe but the pain I had in walking is gone. My foot went down a full shoe size, the screws in my foot will remain, and I have a scar along the side of my foot and along my toes. I rarely go bare foot and have orthotics for my shoes.

I'm looking forward to the second surgery and anticipate that it, too, will be successful.

I'm deciding whether to get surgery as well cause I don't want to wait till my bunions get worse. I'm only 16 though.

I was just wondering about a few things

1) Is bathing very difficult? What are the some problems? Do I need extra help or to keep my feet dry?
2) Do I have to change my diet? Will I gain a lot of weight after the surgery? Since I won't be doing much.
3) will I be able to wear heels after I fully recover?

Thanks. :-D

Hello All. So great to find this board. Glad to know others are sharing in my pain.

I had a bunionectomy for my taylor's bunion, and fat pad augmentation done on my right food the first week of december and left foot done the following week.

I was put under general anesthesia (sp?) for both. After the first surgery my right foot was put in a boot (that goes up to my knee) which allows me to only put weight on the heel of it. I used crutches until I had the second surgery done the following week.

After the second surgery, they placed the boot on the left foot and put a surgical shoe on the right foot. So I began putting weight on the right foot and slowing putting some weight on the heel of the left foot.

Both surgeries were long! 90 min-3 hours! The worst pain came during the first 72 hours. The second and third day my foot felt like it was on fire. So much so, that I was ready to call the doctor. I took some darvacet and went to sleep. The fourth day it was much better.

After two weeks, i got the stitches out of the Right foot. The following week the stitches came out of the left foot.

I am not using crutches, unless I start hurting. But I'm also not doing a lot. I took off 3 weeks from work and will return to work on Monday.

I ordered the waterproof boots that go over your leg so I could take a shower/bath. However, getting in the shower or bath proved to be the most difficult task. I finally figured out if I got my husband to stretch the waterproof boot over my surgical boot and shoe it worked a lot better!

ALso, after 3 week they no longer re-dressed it. Now i have bandaids and some kind of foot pads wrapped around. I can take them on and off depending on when i'm on my feet.

I've had very little swelling and no much pain other than the first three days.

If my ordeal helps anyone on here, i'll be glad to put another update on when i go back to the doctor on Tuesday. Will also be glad to answer any questions. I know I wish I had found this board before my surgery!

i have been searching for answers on having a tailor bunion removed. my dr is actually going in, cutting the bone and pushing it in.. basically, they are breaking my foot... (by the way i am thinking)... the dr wants to do both feet at once to get it done and over with.. after reading this im severely scared to death now.
my left foot has a tailor bunion starting but doesnt hurt at all. infact, to me, my foot looks normal... its my right foot that i can not put any pressure on at all right this second and have surgery on the 29th of january, 2009. after reading this, im wondering if just doing my right foot would keep me sane... lol.. i hate not being able to do anything, as i have had surgery on my spine and have been put down for ever with it... and i dont want that again... thinking now after reading all the comments above, having just one foot done at a time is what im going to do... cuz now im scared :-(... i have found that my bunions are caused by my spinal issues... but a good way to get a new pair of shoes i guess... lol..

oh boy... 3 weeks ... and ill be having my surgery...

An update after 4 weeks:

I now have all stitches out! I've just started using a bone stimulator 2x each day as well as soaking both feet in betodine mixture(sp?). I've started wearing my "new" New Balance 992's on my right foot. I have very little pain...actually none at all other than discomfort from the skin healing.

I'm very pleased! I think it's healing so fast because for the first 3 weeks I did nothing. I didn't even want to drink a lot because I hated getting up to go to the bathroom. My dr is shocked that it's healing so quickly and feeling so great. Both feet are a little swolen and extremely dry. THe first time I was able to wash them, I was horrified by the dead skin.

So I would recommend getting both feet done at the same time if you're a young and active person. I'm 27 and work out daily (well pre-op i did).

I have found all your posts useful and interesting. I had surgery 9 weeks ago to remove a bunion and correct two hammer toes. I had wires in my toes and one inserted inside my big toe. I had a plaster cast and was non weight bearing for six weeks.
I started off with a zimmer frame and when I became more confident I used crutches. I was surprised to have very little pain after the surgery. I had the pins removed three weeks ago and this meant another operation to remove the wire in my big toe (apparently this is unusual at this stage). I

I was then told to start to weight bear. I found this almost impossible until the stitches came out last week. My doctor said go, walk without crutches.

I had not corrective shoe, had been given no advice apart from press down on the two toes as they were rather high. I still have a lot of swelling and cannot put my foot flat on the floor as the pain is too great.
I cannot move my toes, my big toe only moves down a fraction.

I have found a physiotherapist who asked for an x-ray (my doctor had not taken one) and it showed the bone that had been cut has not joined.
He advised me to see his surgeon who has now advised to begin physio to try and loosen the toes and reduce the swelling and in four weeks to have another x ray to see if the bone has joined.

I am feeling quite depressed although I now have support and guidance from the physiotherapist. I had almost felt abandoned by my original surgeon. The pain I now feel is quite severe at times but as you will all know it is odd because it can vary from awful pain when weight bearing, to tingling, sparking, throbbing and downright agony. Then I can spend a few hours totally pain free.

I am going on holiday in five weeks time. My goal is to be walking reasonably well with no crutches. With positive thinking and determination I hope to get there.

Jo

Hello everyone. Just want to share my experience with bunion surgery. This might be lengthy but hopefully it'll help.

Background: I'm a 31 year old female, exercise fairly regularly and so that's why my physician agreed to doing both feet at once. I really didn't want to be off work twice for the same surgery. It was a two-year process from referral from my GP to actual surgery date. Apparently that's good for the particular specialist who treated me.

I had both feet done 5 1/2 weeks ago in Toronto, Canada. The surgery itself was fine. I had been told I'd receive a morphine drip but at the last minute I received an epidural instead. Nothing to it considering I'd never had one before. I spent the night in the hospital for observation. It was a rather restless night and I required Tylenol as often as the nurses could administer it. It was the worst 8 hours of the whole process to date so I guess I can’t complain.

I was wrapped in bandages and given special booties. No crutches.

Once at home I was put on Percocet but took less than I was allowed, opting instead for Advil and that seemed to do the trick. I only took the Percocet for a week and then the Advil at night for one more week.

After 10 days the stitches came out and then a week later the pins were removed. I keep my feet elevated even after 5 weeks when sitting but since the day after surgery I have walked around the house as best as I can. I still find it difficult to get comfy in the bed. And squatting down to pick things up is still difficult as my toes don’t bend or curl easily yet.

I will return to the doctor a week from today to get the final clearance. I tried to wear shoes the other day and it's a no go. My feet are still too tender and the scabs can still ooze a bit if I'm not careful.

I am able to work from home and had hoped to return physically next week. Doubtful. Toronto in the winter requires boots and sure footing and I’m not taking chances. I can go from the car to a venue and let my husband or friends drive – just in case. I’m worried about travelling on my own while I still can’t wear shoes.

The surgeon has been very pleased with my progress but continues to caution it will be an 8-week recovery for shoes. I thought I could beat it.

The hardest part of this recovery as been my immobility. I easily forget just how invasive the surgery was because I had very little pain and can cope with the discomfort. But sitting around does my head in. I miss my daily walks and workouts. Hopefully by the spring I’ll feel the benefit of the surgery when the pain of the bunions is no longer a constant in my life.

I’d be happy to commiserate with anyone further if needed! Best of luck!

It has been approx. 6 weeks since my bunion surgery. I have been non-weight bearing and using crutched this entire time. The first 2 weeks were very painful but pain does fade with just swelling if not elevated. I tis a long recovery and you are not able to drive.

I had my bunion and hammer toe surgery 7 weeks ago. Third day I fell twice on that foot, hurt it more and hurt my hip - had big bruise, and was in big pain for about 8 days. I was in the walker when I fell. I think that painkillers made me dizzy. My pain after this was so unpleasant that i could not have even sheet over the toe - this is how much it hurt. But I did not break the bones. So I started to crawl in the house because I was so afraid of falling again.
They took stitches out 3rd week, fourth week the cast was removed. I could not use the crutches at all....I could not keep my balance. After four weeks I was put in boot, but this caused my spine to hurt terribly due to unbalanced pelvis....and I twisted my ankle in that boot. I was not able to put any weight on my heel then....Now, it is about 3 days I walk without boot, without crutches, but with ankle stirrup which is OK. I can walk without pain. I put tiger balm on my swollen foot, cannot wear an shoes but wide slippers and the first surgical boot outside. I hope one day I will be able to wear normal shoes and walk normally. It is a ordeal for me.

Hi all I am 23 years old and had bunions removed on both feet along with the fourth toe on each foot straightened 3 weeks ago. I found the first week very hard and was in a lot of pain and even a trip to the loo was a mission! i had to bum shuffle for a couple of days up and down stairs as it was so painful! week 3 seems to be good i can walk around and put more pressure on my feet although its stil quite uncomfortable. I use a wheel chair when i go out and a walking stick around the house. went for a check up today and all seems good, quite a bit of bruising but doc seemed happy. Am going back in 4 weeks time to have stitches removed etc. I find it quite hard being immobile as im normally very active, i dance twice a week and work in a busy nursery 5 days a week so am very bored and cant wait to get back! (never thought id say that)! hope you have found my story helpful.

This could be me to a T.



Some history: I'm a 24 year old male (yeah, probably the only one ever to have this done!) and I just had the surgery on my left foot on 1/09/09. The procedure went perfectly, and I took the next week off of work to keep myself off my foot.



I felt little to no pain during that week, just some minor aching. Not bad at all, considering the procedure. Ironically, the worst pain I had came from the bandage around my foot being wrapped too tightly, causing me pain on the outside of my foot, in other words, something totally unrelated to the surgery! This was easily solved by cutting down the outside of the bandage and using surgical tape to reattach it in a looser fashion.



I took about 11 days where I limited my movement as much as possible by spending most of the day chilling on the couch, elevating and icing my foot. As the above poster suggested, netfix, or even better, a DVR and a good cable package as well as books are a godsend. The occasional Vicodin, as well as celebrex really helps out during this period, but all in all the pain was minimal considering they'd just sliced off and pinned my toe back in place!



Last week I was able to return to work using a boot that keeps the weight off my toe and back on the heel. Luckily my parents work downtown and are helping me by dropping me off at the door to my job, otherwise the walking to/from the bus would be annoying (mainly because it takes me about 3 times longer to get everywhere!). The first week I experienced some soreness after being on the foot for a while, but at my post-op the doc said that was to be expected and that the toe was straight and looked great. I continued to elevate/ice when I got home at night, and that worked well to reduce the swelling and slight soreness I was experiencing.



I'm now on day 2 of the second week, and so far, things are going great. I've experienced little to no soreness so far, and my foot feels great. I'm being careful not to get over confident, just to be on the safe side.



All I can say is that if things continue the way they've been so far, then this surgery will have easily been worth it.



Don't get scared off by horror stories. Weigh the pros and cons and make the decision that's right for you. If you do decide to go ahead with it, just make sure you have a good doctor doing the procedure, and do EXACTLY what your doctor says. Stay off of it, wear your boot and be careful while it's healing.



For whoever was asking, my doctor said you need a week off your feet after the surgery, and 4-6 weeks (depending on how quickly you're healing) in the boot from the date of the surgery. He also said that I could resume my normal activities, including hiking and basketball, pretty soon after I'm out of the boot.

I have just been reading through all of these posts and have learned a lot. I didn't realize there were so many ways this procedure was done. I had my left foot done one week and one day ago. I wasn't given crutches, just the surgical shoe and was told not to walk much and keep my foot elevated. I haven't done so great on the staying off my feet. I have been doing laundry, the dishes, taking the new puppies to go potty (have to potty train them) and helping get the kids ready for school and daycare in the morning. My husband drug me out to go to Target the other day to pick something up (torture!) and we went grocery shopping last night (horrible again!). I guess I don't look like I am in much pain cuz he apparently has no clue! LOL

I am pain free for the most part as long as I am doing what I am supposed to and keeping my foot up. It hurts a little to walk to go to the bathroom or stand to do the dishes etc. but it is bearable. I only have bad pain at night when I go to bed & this is the only time I need pain meds. I assume the reason I am in so much pain at night is because I am pushing myself too hard during the day. Today I backed off with everything which is hard to do because I already set the precedence with my husband that I was fine to do everything so now he kind of looks at me funny when I tell my 4yr old to go to him to get a drink or help him brush his teeth etc. I am REALLY bad about not wanting to ask for help so I try to do everything myself. I'm also paranoid about not being able to lose my baby weight since I had a baby only 5 months ago. I'm also scheduled for another surgery in a month so I'll be down again for that. I'm just a wreck.

Anyway, I am babbling... that's what happens when I am stuck at home all day by myself (aside from cleaning LOL). I thought it was strange that I don't have any pins to remove from my surgery. There is a pin in my foot but it is staying there. I can wiggle my toes but I don't want to... it makes me nervous... not sure if I will damage anything. I have my stitches removed next week. My doctor wants me off work for 6 weeks but I am military and they said nope, only two weeks. I think I'll actually be off my feet more at work than I am doing here at home anyway. I'll be glad when I don't have to take a bath with my leg wrapped in a trash bag and hanging over the edge of the bath tub though. LOL

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Recovery Problems After Bunion Surgery

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