To ask for your experience of bunion surgery

[allotmentgardener]

I have horrible bunions on both feet 😫. Never really taken much notice, but now in my 40's the big toes pushing over is resulting in significant pain in the other toes, and they are bending and lifting. The podiatrist says that surgery will fix it but the recovery will be 6 to 12 months 😱and the earlier I do it, the better the results as its already becoming arthritic. Please help with your experiences to make a decision. I don't want to get to 60 and not be able to walk if I choose not to go through with it. I'm really active so not being able to walk/run etc would significantly affect my mental health.

Yabu- get the surgery
Yanbu- don't!!

Not me but a friend, had the surgery, recovery is more than they anticipated and expected, they were basically unable to walk for weeks, hobbling around on their bum in the house or hopping around, however after that! Amazing...

No advice but watching with interest as you sound exactly like me, foot-wise!

I am fit and active and the long recovery is what is putting me off.

Same here - although mine aren’t bad enough to warrant it just yet. I’ve been warned they will probably get worse though.

I had a scarf osteotomy on both my feet when I was 18/19; the surgeon did one at a time, so I could move around on crutches for each one, rather than being in a wheelchair if both were done at once.

Like you I was experiencing pain in both feet and my big toes were overlapping the next ones. I think I was unusual to require the surgery so young, although I had a quicker recovery time at this age.

The surgery went brilliantly but the recovery was painful and did take a long time. Each foot took three months to heal, and then another three to be back to full strength. Because my feet were done one after the other it took a year in total. I was allowed to heel-weight-bear straight away to try and keep my leg/foot muscles as strong as possible. I found it challenging learning to walk again, as you have to learn how to roll your foot again, rather than limping along!

However, I am so so glad that I did it. I know that if I hadn’t, I would be in so much pain now and couldn’t have the active life that I currently enjoy. I’m now late thirties and my feet are perfect, they never bother me and I can run and play with my kids, go to the gym, dance - everything that I couldn’t do if I hadn’t decided to have the surgery.

Good luck in whatever you decide 🙂

Wow @Creakycroaky that sounds so brave and incredible. What a good news story after! I am frightened of the Op and the recovery. Two smallish boys 5 & 7 to look after (although I would have support) but I am more frightened of not doing it....

44 and I've had both done. No word of a lie but zero pain post surgery. I've had breast surgery (severely lopsided boobs so it was a purely an 'evening out' procedure) and that killed like a mother fudger. I've also had forehead reduction surgery and that was even worse, imo, than vaginal child birth. The bunion surgeries were a breeze, I had them a year apart. I had them because of intense burning pain due to the bunions, I'm not really a sandal wearer so couldn't give a hoot how they looked pre surgery. I was up and about, albeit a hobble, a day after each one and no pain relief needed thankfully.

I can totally understand why you feel frightened, I felt exactly the same before mine. It’s a big decision and a big procedure I think, and the recovery could be hard work (although after a couple of months on crutches I developed quite impressive Michelle Obama arms, which was a silver lining….they haven’t lasted, sadly)

My kids are the same ages as yours, and I can understand your worry there too. Would you be able to wait a few years until you’ve got 10/12 year olds who could be more self sufficient?

I was on strong painkillers for a few weeks after my surgery, so would definitely have needed full time support for a few weeks if I’d had kids at the time.

Driving wasn’t possible for a couple of months, so you’d have to think about school runs/clubs/shopping.

Despite all that, it’s still so worth it to live without pain, and to know that your mobility is protected.