Bunion surgery - anyone recently had it or considering it?

[Plinkyplonkmum73]

Hi, so I've seen a few topics on here about bunions and surgery, but interested if anyone has recently had it or considered it?
I've had bunions for years, which are quite severe looking, inevitable I knew would get them as my mum has them as well as her side of the family. My mums are really bad but she does not suffer from any pain from them even though her feet looked pretty deformed!
I'm 43, and I'd say in the past few months I've noticed a very slight pain with the bunion on my right foot which is the more severe one. The pain is not enough to interfere with my daily life, I tend to notice it when I walk.
My worry/concern is that it will get worse over time, I went to have a check up with a chiropodist and as soon as they saw my feet they said to look at I would be eligible to be referred for surgery on the NHS, my big toe has started to move across to the second toe, and will almost certainly cross over at some point in my life.

So I am now in a position where I am considering the possibility of surgery which really does scare me, mainly as I have never undergone any kind of surgery before and worry about the success rates, and recovery time, and the fact that my pain at the moment is quite mild and should I therefore wait until it gets worse. But I have been told and read that operating whilst you are healthy is something to consider as well.
The chiropodist has referred me to an NHS podiatric surgeon for a consultation which will be in around 16 weeks time, being NHS that is usually a long wait. I'd be under no obligation to go ahead with it so thought it would be useful for me to go along and get a surgeons opinion.

If there is anyone that has had surgery would be great to hear your thoughts/experiences.

Obviously I appreciate anyone considering it has to do a lot of research, and ultimately it is up to the individual.

I have horrendous bunions and some pain. I saw a consultant aged 35 who told me to come back when they were painful. Saw another aged 45 who advised leaving them as they were not very painful. I am coming up to 60 now and they are still not too painful. I think I am put off surgery by the long recovery period and the fact that they can come back if you dont wear granny shoes! To be honest the slight pain has nit not increased that much over the past 25 years.

Thanks, that's interesting to know. I think if the pain was unbearable then the decision would be quite easy. I know I am a worrier in general so that doesn't help. I guess it's knowing what pain is acceptable to someone, and as I said mine is mild at the moment and it's whether or not I am happy to accept it. I don't really have anything to compare it with.

Does the slight pain you sometimes get happen on the joint of the bunion? Mine seems to be where the big toe meets the bunion if that makes sense. I think it may be where the bone has started to rub.

I had one bunion corrected about 25 yrs ago - it was causing me a lot of pain and waking me at night. The surgery was painful but worth it long term. I have a bunion on the other foot but would not consider surgery as it isn't causing me a lot of pain.

I had one done when I was about 18!! It was vert deformed & the pain was awful. I'm now 60+ & have had no more problems with it.

In fact I struggle to remember which foot it was on. I haven't worn heels that much but haven't worn 'granny shoes' all my life.

I've had both of mine done over the last couple of years. I'm 44 and mine had become quite painful when wearing certain shoes and when I was running.

I had mine done under local anaesthetic by podiatrist surgeons-it was the only way they'd do them as its proven to have the speediest recovery. I could have had it done under general but I'd have had to have gone to orthopaedic surgeons and I'd hear some real horror stories about their work

I'll be honest with you, the first 24 hours after surgery are quite painful. The second time round was worse than the first (something about anxiety levels being lower). But once I got the pain under control I was fine. I spent two weeks in a boot and was on crutches for about 4 weeks, couldn't drive for 6 weeks.

I was back in "normal" shoes after about 3 months. I do still wear heels but I need a more blocky heel than stilettos as I find I need more stability. Plus I tend to wear rounded toe shoes rather than pointed ones.

Hope my experience helps you-I am so glad I had mine done. I'd highly recommend it to anyone-provided it's done by the specialists!

Thank you football mum, it's useful to hear other opinions. I almost wish that my bunions were really painful to help make my decision. Although I've not had my consultation yet so shouldn't assume anything until I've seen a specialist. My chiropodist advised she would write a referral letter for to see a podiatrist surgeon, so I'm pleased about that. I'm glad your experience was a positive one, it's not an easy decision to make and whilst I'm trying not to to think about it as there isn't much I can do until I have my consultation, I can't stop thinking about it! Thanks again.

I had my left one done about 14/15 years ago! It was really quite painful (the bunion) and so I needed it gone! The doctors, amongst other people said foot surgery is quite painful, however as I remember it , it wasn't actually that bad, I hobbled about for a short while a on crutches, but I never looked back after having it done. i think my foot was in plaster for about 3 weeks, certainly not longer than that.

I've seen that lately there is a kind of keyhole bunion surgery they can do - seems amazing - maybe worth investigating?

I've got bunions on both feet and they do get painful at times the pain is terrible ..My mum also has them my lucky sister got away with it.
I am concious of them especially in the summer when all rhe pretty sandals come out I feel that my feet are too ugly .I would consider surgery but I'm very nervous about the procedure .

Dh had one removed about 10 years ago. It was a major thing, and he was in severe pain for some time afterwards. He's never had any trouble from that foot since, so the surgery was a success, but his view is that you shouldn't even consider it for cosmetic reasons (not you, the OP, but there are people who would) and above all else get a 1st class surgeon to do it, as it's a surgical operation that is renowned for resulting in complications.

Thanks everyone, really appreciate all your comments and feedback - given me lots to think about.