Hi I'm thinking about having bunion surgery on both of my feet at the same time during my winter break in january and i was wondering if anyone has had both feet done at the same time before. I was also wondering if anyone can tell me how much it would all cost. Thank you so Much.
Lynda

I am interested to read responses from those who have had surgery on both feet. I have read on this board that people do have surgery on both feet at the same time and I have wondered how they are able to walk at all after their surgery. I had bunion surgery on my right foot three weeks ago and from day two I have been hobbling around by putting weight on the side of my foot and heel only. My ankle is so swollen right now (and a bit sore) and I think it's because of the stress that I have put on my ankle from bearing weight on the side of the foot. My surgeon told me that he never does both feet at the same time because it is difficult for people to move around afterwards. The recovery period is about six weeks minimum and even then I understand that it can take up to six months for people to start feeling "normal". As to the cost, I haven't received my bills yet from the surgeon, anesthesiologist, surgeon's assistant, etc. The doctor's office have me a "guesstimate" of $9,000 - $12,000 per foot.

Bunion surgery takes a long process to return you to normal. My bunions were severe and I had my double bunionectomy on 8/28/03. I thought by Thanksgiving I would be walking normal like nothing had happened. But it wasn't until 4 to 5 months post op that I began to walk close to normal. Now at 10 months post op, I am 99.8 %. I can now wear dress shoes comfortably even though I would not want to wear shoes with heels over 1 inch. Here is the recap of my recovery process if anyone is interested:

Post op: 3 days -on pain medication.
5 days -was mobile on hands and butt for bathroom trips; it was more stable than crutches.
4 weeks- was told by doctor that I could walk but couldn't even stand up
8 weeks- started walking with walker
9.5 week- resumed driving
3 months- physical therapy, ankles hurting
4 months- resumed daily walk to the park
6 months to 10 months- more improvement each day
12 months- marathon....just kidding.

It is my option to do one foot or both at the same time. In my opinion it is well worth doing both feet at the same time. I had great help from my husband during recovery. I did not have small children to take care of; my youngest is 15. I borrowed a wheelchair for going out--post op appointments, restaurant, etc. My insurance was billed for $23000 but only paid $20k.

In doing my research on bunionectomies, I found statistics indicating that people having double bunionectomies have proportionately more complications than those who operate on one foot at a time. For that reason many surgeons do not recommend having both feet done at the same time.

I also do not know how I would have managed with both feet operated on at the same time...I could hobble around within days of the surgery, and was walking around normally w/o crutches, w/o pain, in less than a week. However, I can't quite imagine how I would have dealt with two sore, stiff, unstable feet. You place yourself at an increased risk of falling and reinjuring yourself this way, and at the same time if you stay off both feet until they are fully healed you miss out on the rehabilitation of using them partially with the support of the non-operated upon foot.

My insurance covered the surgery in full. I take it you do not have any insurance? At $9,000 - $12,000 per foot, It seems like it would be much cheaper for you to buy individual insurance for a few months than to pay out of pocket.

Hi! I had both feet done in January. I am glad that I had both feet done at the same time, but I wouldn't do it again! I could not walk at all for 3 days. i couldn't stand the blood rushing to my feet. My husband carried me everywhere for the first three days, with my feet straight out! I am talking to the bathroom, to the couch, to the chair, to bed...everywhere. Taking a bath was another story! Imagine having two feet that cannot get wet! I had a stool in the tub and my husband put me in the tub with my feet on the stool. I couldn't get in or out by myself for about 5 days. It was extremely hard to walk after the three days, and i used crutches for balance. I moved slower than a turtle. I would say that it was about 4 weeks before I could move around at all without the crutches. My balance was gone! My feet are still not 100%, and they are achy and sore at times. I can walk normal again, but if I walk long distances they still swell and are sore. As far as the cost, it seems like my total for surgery was around $8,000 for both, and insurance paid all but $200.00 of it. Let me know if you have any questions!

Hi
I had a pretty good bunion experience and am opting to do the other foot in January. I cannot imagine doing both at once. It is a difficult and frustrating recovery in the beginning. I am three and a half months post op and and feel like I am back to normal minus the stiffness in the morning. I am back to working twelve hour shifts on my foot. MY bunion was moderate and it cost around $12,000 with the surgery, xrays, dressings, boot, etc. My insurance covered all. I'm not sure if i just had a great surgeon, but my experience has been overall pretty good. There are risks that you have to consider, including infection, bone not healing, etc. Good luck, I'll look for ya in January!
Chezlux

HI thankyou so much for your quick responses It really helped me out alot. I do have health insurance but its for emergency hospital visits only. Can you tell me what kind of insurance you guys have so that i can maybe upgrade mines. Thanks

My doctor will not do a double surgery -- only one at a time. If you want both at once he'll send you elsewhere. I will be having my first one this winter and the estimated cost is $8000. Of that I will be paying the $15 co-pay for anestesia and the copay for prescriptions. A pretty good deal, I think ;-) I have CareFirst insurance under (I THINK) a PPO type plan.