52 and with bloody bad bunions….

[WiseRobin]

Is there ANY point looking into surgery?

I’ve not worn ill feeling shoes for years, my Gran had them and my Mum, in her 70’s has one but they don’t seem as bad as mine 😬

Is surgery worth it or should I just wear moccasins from now on?!

Ill FITTING shoes ffs!

How bad is bad?

I'm 38 and have awful bunions. My mum had them too. I'm thinking surgery is the best option for me.

Probably me being dramatic, photo should be uploaded. Please ignore ankle and horrible veins swollen due to the heat.

God my foot looks horrendous, sorry! 😆

Ow looks sore.

I would ask for a referral but no idea how high the threshold is for NHS treatment is

DH has a similar size bunion, he is being operated on very shortly. It took about a year from his first doctor visit to seeing the consultant.

I am same age and I think your bunion looks similar to mine. I have sometimes wondered should I get treatment but thought I would be well below the threshold for any surgery, I have seen much worse when I have googled anyway! Your foot looks like it has other problems though?

Your bunion looks about the size mine was. I explained to my GP that it was causing me pain when walking. I think the criteria is moderate pain, which mine was even when wearing trainers.
I was fortunate in that I had private health insurance through work so the GP made a referral and then I could choose when and where to have it done. If it had been NHS then, yes there would have been about a years waiting list.
In my case I feel it was definitely worth having the operation. Yes, its inconvenient not to be able to put much weight on it for a month but it didn't take long after that to get back to normal. That was 4 years ago when I was 54. Its made such a difference to my feet being comfortable when walking. I can remember how much it used to hurt.

It's a myth that they are caused by ill fitting shoes or high heels. They are hereditary and common in people with hypermobile joints. Men can develop them too.

Mine have been coming on for years OP and I never wear pointy shoes/heels. My mum had them so I think I've inherited the genes. I'm 42 and think mine look much worse, although they don't yet cause me any pain. I've got knobbly wrists too - can you get wrist bunions?!

I have similar, age 43. They don’t hurt, just look awful. I think also hereditary, my mum’s are very similar.

I'm early 40s and have had bunions since my 20s, loads of my cousins, male & female have them & pretty much all one side of the family.
The surgery is meant to be really horrendous.
Between bunions & varicose veins, my legs & feet are a mess. 25 years of nursing prob hasn't helped either tbh.

Had my first surgery for this at 17 and second at 21 and at 40 it desperately needs redoing but I have too many complicated issues with the foot for them to risk it (would need a lot of metal work). Surgery does help the pain and look of the foot but be aware you will likely loose mobility in that toe.

Are they painful? If so have the surgery - it will only get worse. I had my (one) operated on in November and it's now 95% recovered, just a bit of swelling left. It's very sore for the first few weeks but worth it in the end. There's no cure other than surgery.

I had surgery - about ten years ago. Was difficult for the first month but life changing and got rid of the pain. Starting to have pain again so maybe will end up needing surgery again but would do it in a heart beat

My DM had the surgery a fair few years ago now. Both feet at the same time. It was definitely painful for about a week but she's so glad she had it done. And they've never come back which some people told her they might.

I had both mine done around 20 years ago. The pain has completely gone and the lumps much improved. No loss of feeling in my toes , and the bunions haven’t grown back . It was pretty painful for a couple of days then was manageable. I would have them done again if necessary

Thanks so much for sharing your bunion photos, there are many of us!

Seems that surgery is the only option?

Mine do ache but other issues going on with swollen ankles that do usually swell when the weather warms so not a constant. They look awful though!

Have you checked out bunion shoes? A girl I went to school with has bad bunions, and after wanting to wear pretty shoes gave up and set up her own company making them. I'm sure there's plenty of other companies out there that do similar too.

callashoes.co.uk/?gclid=EAIaIQobChMItNWRzICl-AIVVuvtCh3lNQcoEAAYASAAEgL7vvD_BwE

@FarmGirl78 ooh thank you! Had a quick glance at the site but will look again later when I have more time, never heard of this before.

I have a bunion on the opposite side (tailors) and it's so bloody painful it's really effecting how much I can do
Has anyone had a tailors bunion and what treatment did you have?

God, mine are much more prominent than yours! They rarely hurt though. I wear flat, wide fit shoes but with support - in fact soft moccasin shoes are not good for bad feet.
But if you want to consider surgery definitely see an orthopaedic surgeon and get some advice.

I have a really big bunion too, it's not too painful but looks awful.
Hotter make some of their shoes in xxx wide they are just about the only shoes that fit

Mine started hurting and were causing other issues with my feet....spoke to gp he advised surgery probably only option..
Refered to podiatry team..
Turns put bunions least of mh feet problems...they have been great at the hospital bug still investigating..waiting for ultrasound but plan is proper insoles 1st ..but surgery is only thing that will actually fix my feet.. both feet need doing ..although the bunion on one foot is not bad enough on its own
I feel where your at but def speak to gp and get referral to podiatry