Bunion: has anyone had the Lapidus procedure?

[Chocol8isLikeaBeautifulEngine]

I've always known I had the 'big toe' as my family used to say and since we all had it, it was just one of the things you inherit from your family.. until I showed my feet to my gp who insisted in referring me to a consultant who wasted not time in booking me for an op. Now, as he said there are the easier cases - on your feet in 3 weeks- and the more difficult ones where they break bones and somehow fix them back with nails.. the Lapidus procedure. I will have the op as no end of problems if I don't, would still like to hear any feedback from MN!

i have the bones broken and fixed up on both my toes a few years ago. I was awake for the whole proceedure as it was quicker than having to wake to go to hospital for the whole thing. I had one done, then 2 weeks later the other one.

Absolutely no bad effects once it was all healed over.

HTH!

though maybe it has affected my spelling !!

"Wait" not "wake" to go to hospital

Have you checked the archives - I recall someone posting about this recently?

Thanks whippet, though the threads I've found were more about the cosmetic bunions/surgery not the congenital, hypermobile joints, it's already painful walking and it will only get worse blah..

Oh - sorry - I wasn't aware of the difference

t

Chocol8isLikeaBeauti... i had the same op and i was crippled with the pain for two years before a had a supposed corrective op, to replace the bone that was initially taken away.
The bone was set skew wiff and it crippled me. It only has to be a tiny bit out of place and the tiny triangular bone that your big toe ball of the foot pivots on and the pain is excrutiating.
Wish id kept my bunion.
2nd consultant took a v shaped piece of bone out of my lower leg bone( not realising that he had almost gone all the way thro my bone) and a week after the op, when i was walking along ,my leg snapped.
Then, had to have a plate in my leg, a plate in the top of my foot to correct it ,a screw in my big toe and a screw in the 2 metatarsal.All becuase of a cocked up bunion op!!!!!!!
be very careful as it alters the way you stand and walk. A neighbour has had a sinilar problem too. Have not heard any good stories about the op...
good luck if you have it done. If you are not in pain dont bother.

whippet and strawberries - I'm glad the operation went well for you and alypaly, you've scared me now. The thing is my feet are nearly completely flat now, I have a very long metatarsal, a ridiculous angle and my second toe joint is hardly holding up.

I'm 34, in pain, cramping and losing feelings in my toes in some positions. Which hospital did you have your op? I was told that my worse case scenario was the bones not fusing and then having to operate again.
And after that the other foot would need the op as well!

have you tried orthotics. I have bunion and Ive started to wear these -my bunion is huge and my toe is starting to cross x

Chocol8isLikeaBeauti... I still have loss of feeling in my big toe and the next one...as if i have had a dental injection in my foot.

Yes i too, was told the worst thing was the bones not fusing and mine didnt for 10 months...they called it none union. You can imagine how devastated i was with the result as i play national badminton and ski every year. I was gutted.
The hospital i went to was a pivate one in south manchester....but found out later that the orthopaedic surgeon was a back specialist...NOT a foot specialist. Was going to sue him for damages,( was going to say he didnt have a leg to stand on ...as I felt like breaking both his legs, when i found out he had conned me)but i would have had to put my house up as collateral . Even though another surgeon proved that his work was poor,it is so difficult to sue a doctor,they are protected to the hilt and dont even own up to mistakes even when the xray shows conclusive ignorance.
Where abouts are you having yours done.

I have herad the least invasive way is to have the bunion shaved ,not the full osteotomy. The amount of people that came out of the woodwork AFTER i had my op,to say they knew loads of people who had had unsucessful ops was unreal. Be careful who you choose.

Not me but a friend had that about 18 months ago - complete unsuccess - poss because she tried to do too much too soon (single parent) and poss because she's hypermobile, with the prehensile toes you mention. I'd take some more advice and see if you can talk to the surgeon if I were you - sorry.

i am a single parent too.but couldnt walk for 6 weeks after my initial bunion op.i was in sheer agony.
My personal opinion for what its worth is that...........I think when you start messing around with the way your body has walked for years,you alter so many things. Not only the different little bones under the ball of you foot,but it also alters which metatarsals you walk on aswell. The op also caused a Moretons neuroma,for me, because the bones that were moved, started to press on different nerves. Had to have that sorted afterwards too.( a moretons neuroma is more painful than the bunion...its like getting electric shocks across your foot,each time you move it)
Its a real spiralling course of events.

The other thing to consider is that it also affects your knee and hip joints as it changes their alignment.
I would not have had it done if i had known the outcome.