Please tell me about your Bunions. Was there ever a sexier thread title?

[FelixTitling]

I'm mostly interested to know whether your pain is constant, or, as mine is, intermittent and of varying intensity.

I'd also be grateful for your stories of surgery, which I'm contemplating, or of any other remedies you have found successful (or otherwise).

Thanks in advance.

Mine is intermittent and varies the intensity too.

Bloody hurts but I don't think it's bad enough to be offered surgery on the NHS. I now can't wear any shoes that pressed on the joint, I already had a nightmare finding shoes to fit before that added joy.

Both hurt intermittently and not that often considering how bad they were. Then the left one trapped a nerve and it basically was like a funny bone sort of twanging sensation every time I put socks on or pointed my toe or lay on my front in bed. I had a scarfosteotomy in October 2005. It was the pinning as well as the shaving the bunion off.

It was pretty brutal to be honest but they didn't get my pain under control - kept giving me ora morph when one diclaphenac (anti inflammatory pain reliever) sorted it out. Until then though there was a day of burning pain and a lot of being sick she to morphine and codeine.

I wore a surgical shoe and was on crutches for about two months.

Since then though I have had NO problems with my foot. I have even done some ballet on it. I never ever think about it and my only remaining symptom is a tiny numb patch of skin along one of my scars.

My other foot has similar nerve issues now though not as bad and I don't dance anymore so not quite as noticeable. I wouldn't have the surgery unless it was bothering me every day because it was quite painful in recovery and quite inconvenient to get EVERYWHERE on crutches and not be able to carry a cup of tea to my desk etc! I also hated the shoe and the bandages and having gross scabs and long toenails underneath it...

I also should mention that I had the op done under a local . I had a cold and sore throat so the general would have been postponed. I was super chilled then compared to the massively anxious type I am now, and I was offered sedation but didn't accept it. I think this did help my recovery as I had no general to get over and I would probably do that again as of course I couldn't feel anything - they numbed my leg from just behind my knee - and I just lay and chatted to the anaesthetist for an hour or two. If I had my other bunion done I would get my pain relief sorted and get up and walking sooner as I was sleeping and vomiting and ended up in hospital for about four days rather than one.

Hope this helps!!

Thank you both, that's really helpful. I have a hospital appointment today to see if surgery is an option, and also for formal diagnosis.

Everything I read about bunions tells me the pain should be constant, which mine isn't despite being unbearable most of the time. Its good to hear then that that has been the experience of others too.

I'm allergic to morphine so it's useful to know that diclafenic was a better option for you bigpaws; it has been effective for me in the past too.

Interesting about the local anaesthetic; I'll ask about it as I would prefer that.

Random, my feet are super wide too now. It's the pain that's driving me to seek treatment, but it would be good to not have to men's shoes.