Week 4 post op - right foot

   I have been doing my assigned exercises per my surgeon's orders and have really noticed a difference in pain and flexibility compared to my other foot at 4 weeks post-op. The other thing I have noticed is that I have almost no numbness to any area of my foot near the scar. My last surgery, I experienced numbness between the big toe and 2nd toe, on top of my scar, and below my big toe. It has improved over the past year but some of it is still there. Nerves grow very slowly if they are damaged. You never know if they will truly heal to their original capabilities or if there will be permanent damage. So it's a waiting game.

   I still ice my foot about 1-2x per day or more if I am up for a long time or out for awhile. It helps tremendously with swelling and it just feels fantastic. I'm not experiencing much pain. I just take Ibuprofen if my foot is sore. If I know I'm going to be out for awhile with my foot down, I take Ibuprofen before activity to help cut down on swelling and inflammatory pain.

  At my week 4 visit my surgeon gave me permission to manipulate my toe back and forth to help stretch it. It is very painful! However, I just try to think about the fact that the more I do this, the more flexibility I will gain back in my toe! I've continued to shower with the boot off but not weight bearing yet. My steristrips did come off.

   You can see where the steri strips were. Lots of dry dead skin ready to be sloughed off. Gross I know. I'm interested to see how the scar will look. Once all of the black stuff sloughs off, I will start using the scar product I bought. I decided to try a different one this time to see how it works compared to the Scarguard. 

   Having done this whole operation twice now, I have to say, one of the things that bothers me most is the hassle of the boot. I can take it off when I am sleeping and showering but I cannot weight-bear on the affected foot without it on. So it's just a hassle to take it off in bed. I spend a lot of time in bed anyway, keeping my foot elevated to help with swelling and healing. You can see in the above pictures I haven't had that much swelling. 

  Will report back in 2 weeks!

Week 2 Post op - Right foot

   I am surprised how well I am feeling now at week 2. I guess after having done one foot it gets a little easier and less stressful the second time around. I have been very diligent about keeping my foot elevated as much as possible. I also do my leg exercises in bed to help prevent blood clots - per my doctor's orders. I have ventured out this past week to restaurants and the movies a couple times. I made sure to sit in the seats that are right next to the railing so I can keep my foot up. My knee-rider is a life-saver for getting around. While my foot doesn't hurt actively, if I keep it down for over 20-30 minutes it starts to ache. I am also still icing my foot, every couple hours when I am in bed. I stopped taking pain medication after the first week. Now I just use Motrin if it's bothering me. The biggest irritation is sleeping with the boot on. I am just stuck on my back and the weight of the boot is uncomfortable. During the first week I planned my pain medication so that I would take the last dose right before bed because I would fall asleep easier even with the annoying boot.

   Here is my first picture of my foot out of all the post op wrapping! It isn't a pretty site but there isn't a lot of swelling, so yay!

   As mentioned before, the gap between my toes will close in a couple weeks. Something I worried about the first time around;) At this point my doctor said I can start showering with the boot off, just avoid soaking the foot in water (for sanitary reasons). Do not remove steri strips - let them fall off by themselves. Do not scrub the area vigorously, but ok to gently clean around surgical site and rinse off. I am also allowed to start stretching my toes back and forth and doing range-of-motion exercises with my ankles. Continue to keep foot elevated when possible - doesn't have to be majority of day, but just when resting.

   My foot is VERY stiff. Just stretching the big toe is quite painful. However, the more I stretch it the less it hurts. I'm also still elevating the foot. At this point last time, I was spending more time on my feet, walking around. This time I'm spending about 6-8 hours on my feet and about 6 hours in bed with my foot elevated. I know it's hard to spend so much time doing nothing and keeping your foot up but, trust me, it makes such a big difference! It also helps the surgical site heal better.
   Oh, and I am also allowed to sleep without the boot. However, I've noticed that just the pressure of my blankets on top of my foot hurts my big toe. Rather than continue to wear the boot for a few days like I did last time I just went with it. It was totally worth it, so much easier to sleep without the boot! I still keep my foot propped on several pillows though. Also, it really helps to keep an additional pillow between your propped pillows and your body. It's a lot more comfortable for propping up your leg. It's a method we use in the hospital for elevating patient's feet to reduce swelling and it works fantastically!

   

Second foot surgery - Right foot

   Well I took the dive and just got my right foot done as well. Bye bye last bunion! Had my surgery on Tuesday and it is now Friday. No real pictures interesting pictures to show as the wrapping is still on for the next two weeks.

The "no" is to prevent accidental surgery on wrong foot:D, not a tattoo

   However I do have some major toe swelling as you can see above. I am taking Norco this time instead of Percocet, which I like a lot better because I don't get a nauseated. I am taking it about every 5-6 hours while awake. I haven't gotten up much, just to use the bathroom and grab food. I've been icing my foot as much as possible. It's a lot easier this time around since I already know what to expect.













  I wasn't sure I would even bother about blogging this foot but I

thought it might be a good idea in case anything is different this time around. To prep for this surgery I did the same things as in my first blog posts. However, this time I did get a shower with a removable handle and an actual shower seat. Worth the splurge, let me tell you. Getting down into a tub with your boot sticking out really tests your core ab abilities. After laying in bed for a week, you won't have great abs anymore. Or like me, you never did in the first place.

   I am really restless this time around. I would definitely be going out of the house today if sheer pain didn't stop me.

6 Months post-surgery

   I can't believe it's already been 6 months since my bunionectomy! Now I'm about to dive into surgery on the other foot. Regretfully so:( Would rather not go through that experience again but if there is one thing that I have learned from this surgery it's that you should do it while you are young! It's a long recovery process which is made much easier by my age. Here are some pictures of my left foot before and now at 6 months:

    I really don't have any pain physically or neurologically. The numb areas have mostly gone away except for over the scarred area. Every so often if I exercise a lot or I've been on my feet all day I notice that my big toe feels like all the blood has just rushed there, a painful sort of pressure. Other than that, great results. My toe is just as flexible as it was pre-surgery. A lot of my anxiety before surgery was regarding long-term results. I'm pleased to say that I really don't have any negative long-term outcomes - except for the scar;).

   Regarding shoes - I kind of gave up on looking at specialty shops. Plus a pair of shoes will cost about $150 on average! I have found that Famous Footwear tends to carry the largest selection of wide shoes. I bought some orthotic inserts from Foot Solutions and place them in all my shoes. I can't bring myself to not wear sandals, even though they are bad for my feet. My over pronation and flat feet are what have caused my bunions. To correct it, I use an orthotic device that has a high arch and a metatarsal support (a pad that is just below the toes). I have even run several miles with these orthotics and am happy to report my feet don't hurt afterwards. Eventually I will probably get an orthotic insert from a podiatrist but this is just a way to save money for now.

Week 12

   I have spent a lot of time looking for wide-fitting shoes with arch support...this is no easy task. Wide shoes are just ridiculously hard to find. When I do find a wide shoe, it is often just plain ugly. I have bought and returned probably half a dozen shoes in the past 4 weeks. The shoe will fit ok in the store and then I'll walk around for a day and realize it's just too tight! I think that as the swelling improves more shoes will fit.
   I am determined to keep my feet in good shape and follow the advice of my orthopedic surgeon. But man, it is making my shoe-buying experience stressful. DSW had one pair of saucony shoes that were a wide in my size so I snatched those babies up. I also bought some flip flops from the walking company that have a medium arch. My orthopedic surgeon said flip flops are a no-no but how can I live in Arizona and not have flip flops! He also said not to walk around the house with bare feet because that also contributes to bunion formation since my arches just collapse and it puts a lot of stress on my feet.
   If I had known the mechanics behind my bunion formation I would have maybe just gone with orthotics to prevent my bunions from getting any worse. But now I've already done my left foot so I'm contemplating whether or not to do the right foot. These past 12 weeks have been hard. Feet just don't heel as quickly because of gravity and because they have to carry all of my body weight everywhere!
   Oh I wanted to provide an update on that nerve pain I was talking about in week 5. So it is still there, just between my big toe and second toe base. The nerve has continued to heel and the pain has decreased a lot, which I am very happy about. The numbness on the left side of my big toe and right side of my second toe and on top of my scar is still there and will probably always be there.
 
Here are my feet at week 12:

I have been using a toe spacer called Visco-Gel. It is very comfortable! I got it on Amazon for less than $10. I have also been using pedicure toe separators at night to help stretch out my toes after a long day in shoes. No matter what shoes I wear they always push my toes together a little bit so it feels good to separate them for awhile.

   From the above pictures you can also see that the scar is improving. The ScarGuard is great. The only issue I have with it is that it peels off sometimes and doesn't last the whole day.

Week 7 and 8

   I was unable to make my 6 week appointment so I got to wear my beautiful boot for an extra week! I've been continuing to stretch my big toe both passively (using my hand) and actively. There is a lot of stiffness in it and it definitely is sore when I exercise it. Sleeping without the boot feels wonderful! My toe isn't so sensitive anymore so the sheets and blanket don't bother me.
  At my week 7 appointment I was given the go ahead by my doctor to start weening off the boot. First for an hour a day and then increase an hour each day. I did this for a week and then completely took off the boot week 8. My foot is somewhat sore when I walk but it feels so good to walk normally. Because of the muscle atrophy in my calf and foot it feels like my leg is going to give out when I walk on it so I'm limping a little bit. I tried standing on my tip toes to test myself and was unable to do so with my left foot, too much pain and stiffness. My foot does swell mildly so I have had trouble finding any new shoes that fit. The surgery increased my shoe size from an 8.5 to a 9.
   I am trying to find shoes that have arch support as my doctor said the biggest reason I have bunions is from flat feet. I have been on the hunt for shoes that will support my foot and prevent pronating. With all the swelling, I've been unable to find a dress shoe for work. I'm limited to sneakers and sandals right now.

         

Did a bit of research to find the best scar minimizing solution. I've been applying this solution twice a day and am supposed to continue for 3-4 months. Will continue to post pictures and see if it really helps!

I was hoping that I wouldn't have any trace of a bunion on my left foot but as you can see from the pictures above, there is still a bump there. Not only that but my big toe has shifted over quite a bit, which I also don't like. From the many other blogs I have read, a lot of people have the same results. My doctor told me he left a slight bend in the toe so that it wouldn't be stick straight and then none of my shoes would fit. Makes sense so I'm ok with it.

Week 5

   Since my week 4 post was so long I decided to talk about one last topic this week instead. I noticed that the anterior side of my big toe (below my nail bed) and the right side of my second toe are numb. Also, when I put pressure on the sole of my foot just below where my second toe is, a sharp nerve sensation shoots up my second toe. I was told by my doc that the numbness is not permanent and will resolve but may take 6 months to a year. I didn't know about the nerve pain until I was massaging my foot in the shower. I'll have to ask him about that as well.

   I'm sure some people are concerned about permanent nerve pain/damage so I thought I'd post my experience. My doctor did say that the area just over the incision may have a permanent numbness to it because of the trauma of a surgical procedure in that area. That's not a big deal to me. When I prick the area near my incision with my nail it feels very dull but when I put pressure on it with my finger I can definitely feel it. So there is some minor sensation that is lost. To me it is a small price to pay for getting rid of that bunion.

   Oh and I just wanted to say I have never been so jealous of people walking. I absolutely miss walking and running and jumping. And I am still sad about watching my poor calf wither away. I am crossing my fingers that at my 6 week check up my doc gives me the go-ahead to take my boot off!

   One more week folks!