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.