My big toe is a' achin'

March 17, 2008 8:40 AM

Has anyone had bunion surgery? What was it like and how was the recovery?

I have a bunion on my right big toe. It's not even that big, but it hurts like a mo-fo. It's worse at night when I'm in bed - it actually wakes me up. I've never worn pointy shoes or very high heels (2 inches at most, and they're usually Born or something similar). It developed after a stress fracture. My podiatrist says I've got a lot things going for me, but good foot mechanics is not one of them.

I have orthotic inserts, and I'll ask the doctor about less drastic solutions, but I am curious about other people's experiences. Thank you kindly.

posted by Evangeline to health (11 comments total)

My sister had both her feet done at once about 15 years ago. She was in a bit of pain for a few days and had to use a wheelchair a bit for maybe 2 days but seemed to recover pretty quickly and has never regretted having the surgeries.
posted by otherwordlyglow at 9:23 AM on March 17

Mrs. Procrastination had this surgery last year. She also had a child, which she very much preferred in terms of pain and recovery. Bunion surgery was much more painful, and the recovery was tough. She was pretty fine the first day, while the ankle block was in place, but once that wore off there was a lot of pain, enough that oxycontin by itself was not always enough to keep it from hurting. She also had very limited mobility, and that was a problem because our house had lots of stairs, and it would have been really hard if she didn't have anyone to support her for about a week or so.

Sleeping was hard, since she had to keep the foot elevated, and in a protective covering for a few nights. She also couldn't get her foot wet, so it was hard to bathe. We rigged up a seat in the bath so that her foot would stick out and not get wet. Once the bandages came off, she got an ugly frankenstein-like shoe to wear for about a month and a half. She was lucky, and could drive with the shoe, since it was her left foot and she has an automatic transmission. There was also physical therapy a couple of times a week for the same month. All in all, not too easy.

I asked her, and she said to try the inserts first, and to leave the surgery as a last resort. And if you have to have it, make sure you have someone around to take care of you for 4 or 5 days afterwards. Bear in mind it may be hard to drive, depending on which foot it is. Also, get the long-term oxycontin and some other percoset for break through pain. (I am Mrs. Procrastination, and I approved this message).
posted by procrastination at 9:57 AM on March 17

I had bunion surgery when I was in high school (I'm 29 now). Mine sounds like it was a bit more involved than yours would be: I had both the bunion and "bunionette" removed, but the bone for my big toe (the metatarsal?) needed to be straightened as well, so I had some pins put it too.

I didn't have a ton of pain. OTC meds took care of it after the first few days (I can't remember the actual timeframes) and then there was a lot of swelling that had to go down. I had to wear bandages and a splint and was on crutches for six weeks. Again though, this had more to do with the pins than the bunions.

My grandmother had bunions removed as well and had a much shorter/easier recovery time and she was also (obviously) much older than I was when it was done.

I'm glad I did it as I never have that ache anymore in my left foot (I had it done because I injured the foot and because of the bunions, it just didn't seem to want to fully heal and stop hurting). My right foot isn't as bad as the left was and I, someone who rarely ever wears pointy shoes, get those aches still in the bunion there. I probably won't have that one done unless it gets particularly unbearable though.

However, if it's waking you up at night, I think it's definitely an option to consider.
posted by stefnet at 11:13 AM on March 17

Thanks all.

stefnet and procrastination (on behalf of Mrs. Procrastination), besides the ankle block, did you have general anesthesia or twilight?
posted by Evangeline at 12:07 PM on March 17

A friend of mine had this done years ago and said it was the best thing she ever did - partly I suspect because she could legitimately go out and buy a whole new wardrobe of shoes because the old ones no longer fitted ;-)
posted by ceri richard at 12:49 PM on March 17

Mrs. Procrastination had the ankle block and twilight anesthesia. Both worked really well for her. The block kept up for 12 hours or more, and the twilight was like taking a nap, and she actually felt refreshed when she woke up.
posted by procrastination at 12:59 PM on March 17

I had bilateral bunionectomies about 8 years ago. I had twilight sleep and remember the medical team talking about baseball. Yeah, I couldn't walk for a while, but I could slide on my butt from place to place and I used a rolling office chair to help out in some rooms. I'm glad I had it done. I had to wear the big ugly foam shoe for a while but I got a handicapped parking space at the university and that kind of made up for it. And, of course, I walked more than I should and earlier than I should and I was just fine. No physical therapy. The only thing I slightly regret is that I can't bend my big toe (not good for some martial arts and yoga poses) but I would do the surgery over again without question.
posted by aliksd at 1:57 PM on March 17

It's interesting to hear about other people's experiences with twilight. I've had it a few times. Once, during an upper endoscopy, the drugs had no effect. They kept upping the amount, but I was still wide awake and finally they just went ahead. Ugh.

The other times I haven't remembered a thing, and when I've woken up I've been very groggy and FREEZING. It was pretty unpleasant. Given the option, I would probably go for local anesthesia.
posted by Evangeline at 2:21 PM on March 17

Make sure that if you do have the surgery, that you do go through the physical therapy that comes afterward. The PT can be painful, but it doesn't last forever, and it will preserve the range of motion in your toe. Your big toe is important to the mechanics of your gait, and if you don't have full toe motion it could affect your ankles, knees and back in a year or two or ten.
posted by jennyjenny at 5:14 PM on March 17

I had both feet de-bunioned but not at the same time.
It was done under twilight anestheisa (which pretty much knocked me out anyway), and tons of local anesthesia in my feet each time.
On one I had PT afterward and I'm glad I did. On the other it was just my bunionette that was removed so it was not really critical to get PT. But it probably wouldn't have hurt.
Pain after the surgery was controlled by tramadol and Tylenol. You have to rest a lot, eat well and keep your foot propped up. I had some trouble sleeping because of my lack of activity, but nothing a Lunesta couldn't handle. That lasted two or three days.
When I had my right foot done, I was not permitted to drive for about 6 weeks, and then it was only short trips. I worked from home a lot and had to carpool the other times. I had a 35 mile one way commute and did not want to risk dislodging the pin placed in my bones by slamming on the brakes. Once I even did a conference call three days after my surgery which was not a good idea. My colleagues could totally tell I was out of it due to the meds.
Your surgeon should be doing the modern version of the bunionectomy which involves cutting the bone, taking out a piece and then putting it back together with pins/screws. This is not the same as what the operation used to be, which was merely "shaving off" the bony protrusion.
I had my mom come and stay with me for two weeks after the operations each time. I couldn't have done it without her.
Keeping your foot propped up is key. It takes about a year to completely remodel and heal so to this day I still feel better if I keep my most recently operated foot on elevated. But elevation will reduce swelling and even negate the need for pain meds.
The one issue I had with my most recent surgery was my foot was left with some odd feelings like pins and needles or being hot--this was explained to me as the nerves re-connecting. It went away in a few days. I was told to rub my foot on a bag of beans to help stimulate the connections. I didn't have to do that since it went away.
Bathing is a chore but you get used to it. My personal rule was I was not going back into my office until I was able to shower without a plastic bag on my foot.
I don't recommend getting both feet done at once. To me, that would be extremely stressful. It is hard enough sliding around to get up to go to the bathroom, go down stairs, etc. on one foot; imagine two feet disabled.
Overall I am quite pleased with my results.
posted by FergieBelle at 5:35 PM on March 19

Thanks to everyone!
posted by Evangeline at 7:21 PM on March 19