Im 4 mos post op..and just putting my regular shoes and my ankle keeps swelling After about an hour or so. ..anyone else have this problem please tell me it will get better
Hi Lisa
in my previous expereince 18 months is the time you need for full recovery from most orthopeadic surgical interventions. Having said that I don't think that there is a quarantee of nil swelling as a lot would also depend on your age, fitness level and health level but I definitley can say that it does get better.
Thank you. .I'm supposed to go back to work..but idk if I will make it just kinda scared but they told me I could sit n work for a while if needed
Hi Lisa, I'm only 4 weeks post op so I can't really comment but there are a few people on here who are at varying stages post op so you should get some replies. The way my foot feels like today though, it feels like I will never get a shoe on.. it's a sore one tonight. Good Luck
Ty..yes your foot will feel alot better. .mine doesn't hurt until it swells up..but yes u have a long way to go all I can say is take your time n don't rush it. I'm 4 mos post op n barely getting to walk but ib had some bones that didn't heal very fast good luck and God bless
Hi Bohemia
it is very early days for you
keep going girl, it does get better (just not tonigh 
the recovery process does feel as though we make three steps forward and two back but we do progress and we do recover
Sleep well Bohemia
I had my surgery in May and walking is quite uncomfortable and swelling is daily. I am a massage therapist so I know all the things to help but has not improved. Also from stopping the toe moving laterally accross the foo they cut a tendon between the big toe. They do not tell you it is connected to the perineal tendon on the outside of the leg, so the foot has lost its balance. Now my foot falls away to the outside and have heel pain and Also pain along the outer edge due to this tendon being cut. I am told I will need to go to a podiatrist to get a silicon cushion of types to support the outer edge of foot and support it, up so it does not drop. The part itself costing $500 not to mention consult fees, scans etc. I have not mentioned the screw in the toe that is holding the joint together!! Before this I waled miles every day with my 3 dogs and had nots of energy. Now a walk Round the block is a mission and walking around the supermarket on the concrete floors is painful. My other foot is looking very similar with the bunion protruding and the foot twisting also, but I think I will leave it as it is. I have been a very sporty person all my life and never one to wear heels, always had flat shoes. Would be interesting to hear of other long term patients with their version of life after surgery. Good luck!
Hi Lisa
if you can work sitting that is great, however, even sitting you probably should consider elevating your foot at least a little
I did that in the past and it worked well but only because I worked just 3 hours and only 3 days a week. You would have to be careful with your lower back as sitting and elevating your leg at the same time can cause problems in your back.
Howver, it is all worth trying. Each of us responds slightly differently and a lot of us had different techniques used in surgery so recovery is not necessarily the same. Also some of us are much more resiliant (often because we have to).
I personally believe in trying things gently and living in the present with as much acceptance of what is as possible. It does not change the reality but takes out the struggle and allows us to concentrate on as much positives as possible.
Well said ty
Hi Bellapupina
It sounds as though you are having pretty horrific expereince with your surgery. It may be that the technique of the procedure differs from country to couuntry. I am assuming that your surgery was done in the US or Canada since youa re qoting costs in $, or was it Australia?
I am absolutely amazed that the consequences were not discussed with you prior to operation as they seem to be pretty big to say the least. I can't judge my recovery yet as I am only just approaching 6 weeks so I am still in a boot but I dont think I lost any movement or balance of my foot (I take the boot off when in bed and I started 'illigal' exercises without weight bearing to speed up my recovery and it seems to me that my foot has all the movement it should have but I have not walked on it yet so the time will show if I am right).
To tell you the truth, it does sound all pretty wrong and if I was you I would be seeking second opinion
Hi Mishe, yes I am in Australia. The foot dropping to the outside was very noticeable after I began walking and brought new shoes. Within 2 months the soles has worn down the soft rubber, just below the little toe area on the shoe. So I thought maybe I had developed bad walking habits when by bunion was there, so made a conscious effort to walk straight but with pain and more swelling when I increased my daily walking. I sent to a sports store where you walk on a machine that shows your walking pattern and videos you walking. The man said when I stride with that foot, the hole ankle collapses and the foot rolls to the outside. I'm afraid we cannot help you with what we have here. On my last visit to the surgeon, he said he had done what I requested, repaired the bunion and the foot is straight. As far as he was concerned he had fulfilled his job and that was the end of it. The swelling will go down and so will the pain in the toe by the massive screw. It may be ok for the sedentary folk in their later years, but for a middle age woman running her own business and being active, I'm afraid it is not a good outcome at all. I am having acupuncture done next week, as the injury site is in the middle of many acupressure meridians, and may be a blockage that can be cleared. Between the toes are many lymph nodes. And if these are removed or damaged, this may be the cause of swelling in many patients. Hopefully I will find this out soon.
My surgeon did the bunion but he also shortened three bones in my forefoot as this was necessary to rebalance the foot
it is a bit bigger surgery but it is meant to assure that the whole foot works well
It was all done through a number of tiny cuts so the external healing was quick and safe.
The bone healing is obviously much longer.
I cannot have an opinion here but it does not sound right and for that reason I would seek second opinion but you need to be careful as specialist often will not criticise their colleagues.
If you are in Sydney I would be happy to recommend a brilliant and very caring specialist
Hi Bella, I'm really interested in your obseervations and experience as a massage therapist because I can relate to some of the balance issues that you are mentioning. When I am out walking doing shopping and walking on a hard surface although I'm weight bearing on my left foot and left side of the body, I'm using crutches too but I too feel that my right foot tends to lean outwards slightly and my calf aches too, I thought I was imagining it that my foot seemed to turn out slightly, because no one else has mentioned this on here to my knowledge, but I'm now thinking about what you mentioned re the tendon between the big and second toe. It has felt very tight in bectween my big toe and second toe and I know that both toes had surgery but that area feels very tight and sore as does the top of my foot... I'm doing gentle massage and gentle excercise even when my foot is raised, and I'm using vit E45 cream and lavander. I presumed that it would be the metal plate that prevented the foot from being flexible and the need to wear flat shoes ( I do anyway) but it would seem that your theory re the tendon makes sense. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Hi Mishe, thanks hun. Just another busy week taking it's toll on the old foot lol Bella's knowledge re the anatomy of the foot and tendon information is very interesting and makes sense of my concerns of today that my foot was leaning to the right and possibly turning out slightly. I've got my xrays coming up soon so I will post on here with the results. Must try and sleep now, ni night.
The tendon between the toes is usually either elongated or not touched at all as far as I was explained and both those options cause pain
Elongation means cutting it slightly but not all the way through
Sometimes it is a zig zag cut
I do hope Bohemia that you are favoring the side of your foot to avoid pain rather than having balance difficulties
it realy worries me as my other foot is already only partly functional so I am hoping for smooth recovery and improvement rather than the opposite
Hi Bohemia, the calf pain was what prompted me to look into the cause, and going through my many text books found the perineal tendon is responsible for rolling the foot medially and dorsidlexion so if it is unable to do those movements, even if as others have suggested, is not completely severed, will be greatly impaired in its function. I had a client a while back whose surgeon cut this same tendon as the man had knee pain!! He had trouble walking and affected his hips and back too. So is a bit like pulling one of the guy ropes out from the tent, it collapses, as does the body!
It seems that I need to correct my previous statement. I have just read more about the types of surgery and it appears that in some cases they may cut the tendon not just slightly but completely. I am not sure how commonly this is done as it clearly would be more likely to cause changes in the whole 'system' and therefore possible difficulties with walking. It is pretty scary how those issues are not discussed with patients in advance.
I had to know exactly what was done to my foot and that is the only way I found out for sure. My mother died the day I came home from hospital and had to make an international flight home. I had to present a 13 page document on what was done to cover the airlines insurance etc. I also had to have an independent doctor examine it and converse with the surgeon. Was only then I found out and now the impending I balance that has resulted should be discussed openly, so no one else has to hobble about in the best years of their life😁
Hi Bella
So sorry to hear about your Mum passing.
I totally agree with you in regards to openly discussing surgery prior to performing it although I also expect that most doctors would talk about options rather than one way of solving the problem as they often have to improvise once they go in and see exactly what needs to be done.
I also agree that the age of the patient and their life style should be considered in discussions prior to surgery.
I have learned based on a number of surgeries I have had that only very well trained and very expereinced doctors can be trusted. I also learned to ask about possible complications and I often ask them the following quesiton: "If I was your wife/daughter/mother (depending how old their are) what would you do and why?" This usually gives me a sense of what option is the best.
I do hope that your situation can be improved as it clearly is effecting your ability to return to more or less normal life. All the best.
Hi Mishe, thank you for your kind thoughts. I was quite thorough with my questioning. But as you say, they often don't know how bad it is
till they actually go in there. The problem with limping about is everyone's perception of your mentality. They think you are a bit daft as you waddle about, and have no idea what that the brain is functioning at Normal capacity, it's just the foot not coping!! Gives one a whole new respect of the disabled and how they get about. With the ankle kept in dorsidlexion for 2 months, I have been doing the opposite movement plantarflexion to stretch it out, so it's just a learning process and when success comes will post it to let others know!! Good luck in your wellness also.