bunion surgery

crazered · ‎04-01-2010

Need some advice on bunion surgery. Recently went to DR and he said I had a wide foot and of coarse I have a bunion on this foot. The bunion only hurts if I wear a tight shoe. I do get a wide toe box. My question is this: If I need to keep wearing a wide shoe then should i do the surgery? Just got over breast cnacer and hate to go thru something else. Anyone out there had this surgery?

Winkk · ‎03-15-2010

I had bunion surgery a long time ago and it worked out well. I guess it depends on how bad the bunion is. When I had mine done my foot was in a cast for about a week or two, then a special shoe (I forget what it was called) and then soft shoes like sneakers.

I had quite a bit of swelling. If it's your right foot you may not be able to drive for awhile. Again, it all depends on how bad it is and how extensive the surgery needs to be. I have another bunion on my other foot but it doesn't hurt so I'm just leaving it alone.

pattypeep · ‎06-06-2011

I had surgery on one foot about 30 years ago. It was more involved than just the bunion. It looked good for several years, then arthritis set in on that foot and now it's a mess. There is no arthritis in the other foot. Small bunion there, but no pain. If I could do it over, I would live with the bunion even though there was some pain.

Women and cats will do as they please, and men and dogs should relax and get used to the idea-Robert A. Heinlein

LilacTree · ‎03-25-2012

I've had a bunion on my left foot since I was a child. I remember my mom making me wear big black oxfords which I hated and eventually stopped wearing. The bunion grew slightly over the years but it has never really bothered me. Now the RA has infiltrated it and it's making my left big toe lean way to the left, but it still doesn't hurt much. Unless I have excruciating pain in it, which I don't expect, I plan to do nothing about it. I do always have to wear wide shoes though.

Formerly Ford1224
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Elie Wiesel 1986

Lacey1 · ‎03-09-2010

If you can get shoes, so that the bunion doesn't hurt-skip the surgery. You've been through enough.

151949 · ‎03-09-2010

So basically you are saying you are only interested in doing this because you don't like wearing a wide shoe? This is a real big surgery for what is basically vanity reason. plus - if you just underwent BC treatment you have a diminished immune system and you are taking a real chance of infection. I would vote a huge NO.

editted to add - eventually this would also probably become arthritic where you have the surgery - as others have said. A lot of pain just to not wear wide shoes.

Suzy Q from PA · ‎04-18-2010

I ignored my bunion until pain became overwhelming. My toe next to the big toe really hurt- dr. says it was doing work it was not equipped to do. Anyway I ended up with bigtime surgery because I waited too long. Big toe was fused and screwed and second toe had to be realigned. Now big toe does not move and is about 1/2 inch off ground- so I can walk. Recovery was very painful at first, but by third week it mellowed quite a bit. Outcome....no more pain in toes, but I cannot go barefoot and need to wear shoes that have a lot of padding in footbed. Ryka sneaker Dash has been my best friend!

chrystaltree · ‎05-10-2010

Well, I opted not to have bunion surgery. I don't have wide feet but I do buy wide width shoes to accommodate my bunions. Mine only hurt in particular shoes. I had surgery scheduled 3 years ago. I was going to have one foot done and six months later, the other foot. I cancelled the surgery after talking to 5 or 6 people who had bunion surgery. Only one of the 6 was happy and did not regret having the surgery. And that was my brother. One woman (a former ballet dancer) said that her feet looked better after surgery but she still had pain. Another said the pins they used in her big toe protruded through the skin and she had to have two additonal surgeries and she still has pain. Another developed a bone infection after her bunion surgery. I only wanted to surgery so that I could once again wear heels and cute, sassy shoes. I decided to leave well enough alone. I don't have any trouble finding shoes that work for my feet and I wear sandals in the summer anyway. If my bunions were causing me pain (like my sister's) I would have had the surgery.

Donnalona · ‎03-09-2010

I agree with other poster, you've been through enough. Unless it's REALLY altering your lifestyle leave it alone. I'm sick and tired of Drs pushing the surgery button.