Ok ladies and gents, for a few weeks now hve watching from afar and taking everything on board, I've spoken to some great positive people who have put my mind at rest, but I'm mindful that this is a massive operation and depending on fitness, health age etc everyone has a different recovery or outcome. So thinking back to why you wanted the op pain, walking, work,the way your feet looked etc, would you go through this again? Where your expectations higher than than the results you recieved, do your feet look and work how you expected them too? How long did you expect to be off work and how long actually did your recovery take? I'm feeling from what I've been reading the outcome for some is not what they expected and the positives seem to be few. I wonder if age hinders recovery? Your thoughts are appreciated Many thanks
Sorry typing errors Your feelings now lol
Hi , just to let you know what I have experienced , I had my first bunion done in March last year , I had 2 screws put in , the main problem I had was the swelling , I was off work for 4 months , I am a delivery driver so my foot had to be ok for me to return to work , I had my other foot done in Jan this year , I have had the same operation as last time , I am just weaning myself off the boot but I have quite a bit of pain in the arch of my foot , I hope this will settle down as the weeks pass , I'm signed off work until the 18 th of this month but as I'm still a delivery driver I have to be sure I can do an emergency stop to which I don't think I could at the moment .
i am pleased with the results of my first foot and that is why I decided to have the other one done , recovery is longer than I thought but as my consultant explained it is a massive operation to the foot ,
i hope this helps , I would recommend anyone to go ahead and have your feet sorted out , once the swelling settles , it's so worth it ,
Thank you happy face, it's nice to hear other people's stories, after all, we can all relate to the pain and discomfort of our feet, how they look and make us feel. I agree that it's a massive op, I'm a really active person, really active lol, it's took a lot to give in, but I can't carry on as I am. I hope your recovery continues to go smoothly apart from the pain. I'm two weeks away from my second consultation where I'm hoping I can have a double surgery. I'll keep everyone posted
Rae, I had both feet done at the same time 13 months ago. The bunions were removed and both big toes and two toes on the left foot and one on the right were fused. I was playing golf in 3 months and back to jogging in four months. Because of the fusion, my feet aren't as flexible as they used to be but I've gotten used to it. Would I do it again? Absolutely! I'm 68 years old and my surgeon put me on vitamin D3 and calcium 6 weeks before my surgery. Good luck and if you have any questions, just ask!
Wow! Super woman! Well done you, I'm really positive about getting them fixed, but that little niggle of doubt keeps rearing its head lol, my feet are at 30 and 35% I have to get this done now, I've waited too long, throbbing pain and discomfort is pushing me on. I'm taking all the comments and advice on board and D3 and calcium is on my list, thankyou for your input Lynn.
Okay, Rae! You answered your question- everyone experience will be different, too many things you need to take to consideration .
you asked if we will do it again, I will. I was expecting a lot of pain, long recovery. Mostly because I was reading to much blogs about bunions. I didn't have pain,I was working from the first day in the boot. After4 week I am going around in normal shoes. I am not in a hurry to go to work, even you feels perfect, your bone needs the time to heal. So, I will do my left foot after my vacation . I hope, it will be easy like my right one.good luck!
Forget to mention, like Lynn , I started taking vitamin C 2 weeks before and still take it. Also trained my balance and use exercises with tennis ball for my foot.
Thank you Irina, I have read your posts before and took your comments on board, yes I'm looking for support I suppose, I am worried but will be fine because I have great support at home. I've listened to everyone's experiences and took it on board, I too have read to much about double bunion surgery, my head is spinning, but......it won't stop me! Yes foot needs time to heal correctly and we mustn't rush. I look forward to reading your updates and wish you a great recovery. Thank you.
Thank you for your wishes, Rae. The most important to you now- to choose a good doctor. I started collecting information 1 year before operation, I just mentioned it to everyone of my friends and clients. I lived in a very big town- St Louis, but suprisingly at the end I have 2 names ,all my friends were using the same 2 doctors! So, I visit both of them, I loved both of them too. So I used signs. I came after visiting the second doctor back to work and my friend said, that she has a good doctor, whom she used for different operation.she told me the name of my second doctor,so after this, I choose him,not to mention, he was born the same year as me. You will laugh at me, but I also decided to do operation on the full moon. So far, everything works fine.
I think these are the things that lead to a successful surgery: (1) make sure you have a good surgeon--I interviewed and got recommendations on two before making my decision; (2) be prepared with help at home, food in the freezer, shower chair, foam block to elevate your feet, wheel chair or other means to move around, and lots and lots of movies, books, DVDs; (3) follow your surgeon's instructions to a T; and (4) be patient. This is major surgery and healing is very slow. My surgeon said it takes a full year before all the bones and tendons are healed.
Hi Rae, glad that you have had some positive replies. I had my bunion
and hammer toe op 4 weeks ago and although everything is going well it is difficult to imagine that my foot will ever be normal again. I have not
had too much pain and can potter around the house fully weight bearing
in surgical shoe. Have even managed to go out a couple of times to restaurants. It took me 7 years to summon up enough courage to go through with this op and saw 4 consultants before I finally decided who to trust. My foot was in such a poor state I had to go to chiropodists and I spent
years trying to find a surgeon that they would recommend. The person I chose had successfully operated on a couple of people I know and they even went back to have the second one done so I figured that
he must have a good reputation and I was becoming so desperate that I had to put my faith in someone.
The worst part about it now is the swelling, but I understand that it is still early days for me. Fortunately the other foot is OK. I have a slight bunion but not bad enough to consider surgery.
Hope this helps.
Hi, I had it done becuase of foot pain...15 weeks post op and I wish I never would have done it.
Hi Rae - I had a bilateral Chevron Atkins on Dec 8 and I am so pleased with the results. There was very little pain so it was a breeze compared to what I was expecting. I followed the surgeons instructions to a T - I think that is so important. I actually had a minimally invasive procedure. I did a lot of research beforehand and I reckoned by using this technique there is less risk of infection and an added bonus hardly any scars. It is vital that you find a top rate surgeon. I travelled from Abu Dhabi to London to have mine done. My surgeon was amazing and I can't speak highly enough of him. Wishing you all the best Rae. Psych yourself up and just go for it. You won't regret it! Btw I'm 64 years old.
Hi Christine wow 7 years us along time to make the decision but I guess there is no tight time with this surgery I agree about courage! Takes a lot to actually do it , wishing you the best with your recovery and thank you for your reply you ladies are awesome I also have hammer toe which is painful at the moment.
Hi my reason for going ahead with op was pain after being on feet for any length of time or wearing certain shoes on a night out is have to take spare flat shoes as I knew I'd be in agony, I work on a hospital ward doing 13 hour shifts my feet hurt when hot so after few years putting off went for it, I'm not back at work yet but so far so good I'm week two tomorrow post op and I'm weight bearing in post op shoe only minimal pain end of day so still ice and elevate but getting around ok with care and common sense, I've a high pain threshold but have to be honest first 48 hrs hurt a lot I was told I need other foot done and at present I will go ahead in future when this healed, I'm relatively fit don't drive so walk everywhere and im 54. Today I'm starting light exercise I can do without using my foot,, key to good recovery is for me I think plan ahead and listen to yr surgeon advice they all differ even if same procedure x
Yes I would do it again virtually pain free odd day a bit rocky finished my physio getting my other foot done in 6 mths
Hi Rae, I am 70 yrs old. Have had bunions and flat feet since I was in my twenties. The bunions were getting more painful and comfortable shoes were becoming more difficult to find. Walking was becoming painful and getting worse. I'd dismissed all thoughts of surgery at first, as I'd heard it was extremely painful. However, I finally plucked up the courage to have it done. Surgery took place here in the UK last December - so exactly 12 weeks ago today. The results are fantastic! The toe looks beautiful!... (can you call toes beautiful?) The pain I had heard about, never happened. I was in hospital just one night and home next day. I took paracetamol tablets for a few days and that was all. Yes there is discomfort of course, but nothing I couldn't handle. Resting with your foot elevated higher than your heart is crucial especially for the first two weeks. This cuts down on swelling and throbbing. After that and up to 6 weeks you can walk a little with crutches but you must elevate the foot for 45/50 minutes out of every hour. After my final check with the surgeon at 7 weeks I began walking more and more putting full weight onto the foot. I was able by now to wear my usual walking shoes which were flat leather lace-ups. I started driving again once I could use the clutch without discomfort. I returned to supermarket shopping, walking the dog every day etc. Now at 12 weeks everything is absolutely wonderful. I have no discomfort, no pain - although I never really did, and there's no sign of a limp. I am so delighted with the results, that I am having the right foot done in September - and my husband says he's entering me for the London Marathon - he's joking of course!!!
Looking back, things turned out to be far better than I could have ever have imagined. The results were amazing. The operation went well, very little pain and discomfort and none of the horror stories I'd read about, materialised. Post op can be boring with a fair bit of sitting around so you need to find plenty to read etc. Without the surgery I know that I would have ended up as a cripple. Bunions don't go away - they do gradually get worse and more painful. I now walk with a 'spring in my step' and walking is a great pleasure again. As a retired person I can't say how long you would need off work. It depends what your job is? Put it this way, at six weeks post op I wouldn't have wanted to be on my feet for very long - but say, at 10 weeks I could. Anyway, I would definitely recommend the corrective surgery - so I'd say "go for it". Good luck and best wishes.LadyPink
I am 64yrs old and just had my first bunion operation about 6 days ok. I feel fine although haven't done anything but watch TV. I found the pain better than expected after first 2 days. I only take paracetomol at moment so pleased about that. Dr gave me tramadol strong painkiller but I started to vomit so that was the end of them. The codeine also had side effects so left them alone too. I have had bunion off and hammer toe straightened with a pin in it. A bit in the dark about what happens next cos everyone different like you have said. I am an active 64yr old who goes gym and lots of grandchildren so I hp I won't be out of it for long. The forum has been a god send to me and a great comfort
Hello and welcome I too have found the experience not as bad as I expected but I know I've still a way to go before complete healing in place I'm please it's gone this way as I need other one done too and this forum is full of good advice and good to have someone to chat too while unable to get about so much, I don't normally join forums but pleased I joined this one