I had my bunionectomy on 12/23/2014. This was after a year of speaking to the podiatrist and not being sure about the surgical option. I had informed the podiatrist that, even that I was 46, I was still very active and played soccer up to four times a week, one of them being with my soccer team in a league. She had assured me that all pain will be gone afterwards, and I should feel like new.
Two months after surgery, when I first started walking with more tempt, I started to experience pain near the ball of my foot. It was a pain that was always present when walking, ever more so later one when I tried running. I informed the podiatrist of this and was notified that expensive orthotics should fix it......but at $200 out of my own pocket, that wasn't an option.
I saw the podiatrist several more times. She first sent me to a month of physical therapy. It helped the flexibility of my tie, but did little to nothing for the pain. On a later occassion she said it was a pinched nerve and wanted to give me a cortisone shot. I refused until having a chance to research it. Turns out all the symptoms I read about didn't match. The next visit was the same, but than she said that I just needed to give it time, and surely it will heal. "it is a major surgery, after all".
At six months I decided to get a second opinion. This podiatrist took one look at the xrays and say it was sesamoiditis (inflamation of the two bones beneath the ball of the foot). She also suggested a cortesone shot. By than I had read some nasty side effects, not to mention how the shot can disolve soft tissue. She suggested expensive orthotics as the only option, and also suggested some expensive shoes to alleviate the pain.
Today, in the tenth month, I had a third opinion from an orthopedic surgeon. She surmised it was the sesamoid bones, but said it was a complication of the surgery.....that the surgery had changed the way the foot had been accustomed to working. The sesamoid bones and the related tendon are in positions that cause pain. There was no solution, and the pain could only be alleviated. He never offered a cortesone shot, and repeated the value of orthotics and shoes with a very stiff sole. He also stated that I wouldn't be able to ever wear soccer soes again without pain, not to mention the daily pain I've always had when walking.
I expressed my appreciation for his candor, as I truly felt I was getting the full story....finally. He did say that this is a complication that can happen when bones are realigned, and that I should have been warned of this possibility. The fact is, I wasn't, it was the opposite. The surgeon's prognosis was all rainbows and happiness, stating I whould be better than before, without the slightest hint that it could all go wrong.
Apologies for the lengthy story. But in the end I feel like I'm stuck with a bad foot that will now cause me pain for the remainder of my life. In additional to that, all my athletics will be heavily curtailed. Any kind of running was painful, and it seems that's the end of my soccer career....
So be careful when making your decision. It sounds like the majority of surgeries go well.........but ask a ton of questions, and get all the facts....
