Have you ever had a bunion treated? Tell me about it!

[Financeprincess]

I think I have one. I can't say goodbye to my high heels, I just can't!!

So, rather than submitting to comfy shoes for the rest of my life, who wants to tell me about having their bunions seen to? What happened, did it hurt, what was the recovery time and, most importantly, can you now wear your heels in comfort again??

(I've been wearing impractical shoes for 25 years and don't plan to stop now, aged 42).

I believe that bunions are genetic, shoes just irritate if you have them. I don't have bunions and wear heels. My sister doesn't wear heels and has bunions. I'm sure some kind of orthotics might help?

I had the surgery 4 years ago. I had both feet done at the same time because I just wanted it over and done with. The pain really wasn't that bad and they give you plenty of painkillers to take home. I still have lovely straight painless feet. The surgeon who did mine said the bunions wouldn't come back but my big toes might start turning inwards again over time.

I agree it is genetic. Every woman on my mums side of the family has them. Mine started around nursery/primary school age - definitely wasn't wearing stilettos then!

Make sure you've got someone to look after you post op and lots of books and dvds to keep you entertained during recovery!

hi, I had surgery on both feet in may last year
there are many different types of bunion surgery, but one of the most common ones is called a scarf osteotomy or scarf/akin which is what I had. I had bad bunions from my early teens due to genetics and they became progressively more painful. They looked horrible and were moderate/advanced apparently. I still have bunionettes but these arent bad or paiful enough to require surgery.
as my surgeon put it "small bones, big op" they usually advise 3 months to be fair, 6 months to be good, 9-12 months to be right in terms of recovery so it absolutely isn't something to consider lightly.

Also, there is no guarantee post surgery that you will be able to wear heels in the same way again- stiffness of the toe is one of the risks of surgery. I've had a really good surgical outcome and am at the point of being able to- having said that, I'm feeling rather precious about my pretty new feet and much more careful about what I put them into. I do have good lateral toe movement so the likelihood of any recurrence is very low and worked really hard on getting mobility back during recovery

Financeprincess
You shouldnt need to go to London.
I would strongly advise to ensure that your surgeon is a member of BOFAS www.bofas.org.uk/ so that you get a specialist foot and ankle surgeon.
You can ask your GP for a referral to the surgeon of your choice (through choose and book) if you wish to

Happyhugs - yes keyhole is possible (and on the NHS though only with a small number of surgeons, and the only one I would suggest considering if you are committed to this type is David Redfern) the advice that I was given was that open surgery is preferable (mainly to help avoid the nerve running alongside the bone!!!) Must admit I looked into it from a vanity perspective but was happy to follow the advice of Mr Bendall in this respect and tbh the scars have settled really well and arent really noticeable.