Hi All,

In April I am scheduled for surgery, but I'm still trying to decide whether or not to have both feet done at the same time. I have moderate bunions with my big toes pushing into my second toe a bit. Occasionally I have arthritis (which sucks!.. and is also my main motivator for surgery).

I'm prepared to take about 2 weeks off from work.. but I wonder what my actual healing timeline would be like with both feet in surgical shoes??? I'm very confident in my surgeon, and he recommends I get both done, but I'm still hesitant.

Any stories from women who've had both feet done would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Megan

If you have both done, I seriously doubt you will be ready to go back to work in 2 weeks. I had both done last January and it was tough. My husband had to carry me EVERYWHERE for 3 days. I COULD NOT stand let alone walk on my feet at all, and once I could...I was turtle slow for several more days. You will have to have help 24 hours a day for a while. Good luck in making your decision!!

I had both done as well (twice---but that's another story). I wouldn't do it any other way because my preference was to get it over with and not have to do rounds of recovery. Ask your doc what is required in terms of recovery. There are some who say you cannot bear any weight at all, though that was not my experience. For the first two weeks, I was able to put enough weight on my heals after surgery to do the basics (go to the bathroom and bathe essentially) but that was all. Otherwise, I was told to stay elevated and iced. After two weeks, I was able to do more, pretty much to my limit of tolerance. I agree that you will need more than two weeks off work. I couldnt' drive until I was out of the temporary shoes (5-6 weeks) but I work from home so not too big of a deal. Finally, be prepared to have someone around to help you those first few weeks (meal prep, etc). Still think double is the way to go but it's a very personal choice.

Good luck!

Hi Megan - just joined the board and saw your post.
I had a double bunionectomy on Jan 2nd, so I'm a month post op now. It was not pleasant, but nor was it as bad as I anticipated.
I was able to return to a desk job after 10 days. As my toes have been in splints the entire month walking has been a real challenge, so keep that in mind - essentially I've spent the month in my apt, in a taxi or in the office.
As long as things turn out okay (the bunions stay away!), I will be a big advocate of getting both done at once. I wouldn't want the inconvenience twice.
Having both done, you lose all independence for about a week at least. I had someone taking care of me completely, food, ice packs etc. I was also able to ignore all of my other responsibilities for that week. That was really important.

Best of luck with whatever you decide,
Bothatonce

hi Bothatonce,

Thanks for your post. I'm amazed at how many of the posts here are negative and fear-based, so it was nice to geta more positive post! I'd love to hear how you're doing now. When were you able to wear sneakers?

I am going ahead with my double bunionectomy April 6, 2 days from now. Overall, I feel very prepared and just looking forward to getting it over with so I can begin to recover. Like you, I have a desk job where I can elevate my feet- so going back to work in 2 weeks might happen, might not- I'm certainly not going to push it and risk a set-back. I have a live-in boyfriend who works from home and several girlfriends who are going to visit me, so I should be okay as far as help goes.

A part of is actually looking forward to my surgery. Afterall, it's awesome that this surgery exists, and I feel confident that my long-term results will be worth the inconvenience. A few weeks of rest, movies, reading, doing art work, and visiting with friends... I can think of many far worse ways to spend my time!

Megan

Hi All,

In April I am scheduled for surgery, but I'm still trying to decide whether or not to have both feet done at the same time. I have moderate bunions with my big toes pushing into my second toe a bit. Occasionally I have arthritis (which sucks!.. and is also my main motivator for surgery).

I'm prepared to take about 2 weeks off from work.. but I wonder what my actual healing timeline would be like with both feet in surgical shoes??? I'm very confident in my surgeon, and he recommends I get both done, but I'm still hesitant.

Any stories from women who've had both feet done would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks in advance,
Megan

Megan,
Are you still feeling like you could go back to work after 2 weeks? Just courious to see how you were feeling and what your Dr said now that it is over.
Sue :angel:

hi sue,

i doubt i'l be back to work in 2 weeks, but maybe 3... or maybe closer to 4.. I'm not going back till I'm ready. originally i was concerned about how my work would take the news, but they're being very supportive and everyone know what's going on. I have walked around my office in socks for years now, (so it's no secret that I've gpot foot issues:)) and I explained that this surgery will help. I said I'd be gone a minimum of 2 weeks, maybe more depending on pain and swelling. I am very blessed in that my company has a "unlimited sick leave" policy- so I'm actually getting paid while i sit on my butt.

i'm not rushing anything, especially becuase I don't have too! I really am in a fortunate position to have had the surgery done.

i've discovered that useing crutches without one good foot is really extremely hard.. and I'm a strong woman.. but I won't be doing much hobbling around till I can at least put some weight on my feet. some things can't be rushed!!!

I think it was a comfort to me though, to entertain the idea that it might only be 2 weeks off work- made me less scared to commit to the healing process.

megan

Hi Megan, glad to hear things are going good for you! I am (was - still might be) planning on having foot #2 done within 4 weeks - but think I will change it to a least 5. Now that foot #1 was done 10 days ago, I can see how hard it would be without 1 good foot.

My first week was really not too bad, however, I am finding the last few days harder and more painful than the first 7 days. Not sure why!!! I can see where it would be pretty hard for anyone, whether 1 foot or 2 to return to work within 2 weeks.

All in all though, I'm glad I went ahead and did both feet. I can't imagine going through this twice.

I guess it really depends on your personality. I'd rather have my recovery more intense, maybe more difficult in some ways- but then over with!! i think that if I had only done one foot, I would have probably waited a year or more to do the other one.

all of the activities that I'm looking forward to returning to: dancing, hiking, yoga, walking- really require 2 functional feet. I realize I have a long wait till I'm ready for those activities, but I guess I like knowing that both my feet are on the same page.

i Totally respect and support your decision.. I just think there are pros and cons on both sides:)

what about the last few days has been hard for you? physical pain & discomfort.. or general loss of sanity? :dizzy: (it truly seems like the emotional health is just as important with a recovery like this!!)

let us know how you;re doing & good luck to you!
megan

It definitely goes up and down. I was in my second week and though bored out of my skull, I didn't have a lot of pain, then a week later I'd feel something new. Weeks 7-8 were great, then I started "walking" and this part's the hardest.

I originally wanted to do my second foot after 4 weeks, and now, at week 11, I still have to wait - there's no way I could be on crutches again at this point with my left foot not 100%. I didn't realize how important physical therapy was going to be. But I just want to get the other foot over with as soon as possible!

Hi all. Megan, my foot is feeling some better otday, but the previous 3 days it just plain hurt more, and MUCH more in the first few minutes I got up and about. It would actually stop me from moving it hurt so bad. Hopefully, today will continue to get better, and tomorrow is my doctors appointment, otherwise I would have called him because of the change in pain I was feeling.

I totally understand your decision on doing both. That was my exact thoughts, however, my doctor would not do both, unless I really, really pushed. So I decided to do what he felt was best. He has told me he would do foot 2 in 4 weeks... so I do have to make a decison, but like Joll43, now I am not sure if 4 weeks will be long enough... but my thinking is to at least merge the recovery thing together, and not months apart.

Just my 2 cents here.You don't want to injure the first foot . Take your time.Just think if you injure the first foot you will be out even longer than if you had waited!
Sue :angel:

Hi! I just joined this group and I have to say I am so glad that I found it! I was originally scheduled las Friday for a double bunioectomy. I ended up getting strep throat, so the surgery has been posponed until this Friday. I was sure that I wanted to have both feet done, but now that I have had time to read all of these posts and think about it, I am not so sure now. My doctor said that I will be able to walk right after surgery, but now I am wondering how that will be possible. I was wondering how hard it is to maneuver stairs. My bedroom is up a flight of stairs, and I am thinking my sofoa will be my bed for awhile.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Good Grief!! Your doctor sounds scarey to me! You WILL NOT be walking right after surgery. I had a bunionectomy on January 25th and have only been walking and carefully I might add, for about a month. He is not telling you the truth! If I were you I would get a second opinion! YIKES. My friend had a double bunionectomy and was in a wheel chair for SEVERAL WEEKS!!!! Read all these boards again. There are some old threads you should read as well i.e. Please Help Im so scared. My bedroom is upstairs as well and I camped out in the guest room downstairs for 6 weeks! YOu will need atleast 2 weeks of help from someone and after that you will still need a good support network! This is a serious surgery and recovery is LONG!!!!!
Sharon

Hi tromom, I only had one foot done, and was told I could walk on it right away, no crutches needed, and I did indeed walk out of surgery with my "wedge boot". Of course, my foot was numb, however, I would say it was at least 4 days before I felt comfortable to "walk" (more like hobble) on the shoe. I am now 11 days post-op, and I am "walking" (still hobbling) without crutches. It is slow... and very limited before my foot starts to pound and throb.

I also have stairs.. and these are tricky. I first started to scoot down on my butt, and now graduated to using the rails as crutches, and going up.. I usually crawl on both knees, and getting back into a standing position is also tricky. I really limit my stairs to a couple times a day at the most!

I REALLY, REALLY wanted both done at once, but don't regret that I only had one done as everything would have been double hard - if not impossible. I NEED that first foot to stand back up straight once I get to the top of the stairs..

hi tromom,

well, i'm only at day 6 post-op for my double bunionectomy- so i can't report beyond that, but i agree with all the others in that you will not be walking right after surgery. I find that I can "balance" just fine for a while on my heels, (like while brushing my teeth) but walking is just too scary cuz i don't want to risk falling over. the only physical activity i'm getting is when i sit on my butt and do some ab work or yoga streches.. but anything standing is still way out of the question.

what kind of help do you have? you will need someone there 24/7, for at least the first few weeks. some people are able to do this surgery without fulltime help- but i wouldn't wish that on anyone except as a last resort. i'm able to scoot to the bathroom/ or go on my knees- but that's exhausting so usually i'll have my boyfriend carry me. bless him! :angel:

and the stair factor would def intimidate me.. is there anyway you can sleep downstairs for the first few weeks?

also, about your doctor, do you feel you've really checked him out well enough? before my surgery, some questions i asked were;
can I speak with some of your past patients as references? (he happily gave me 3 phone #'s I could call)
how many bunionectomies do you perform per year? (it should be well over 200, i believe)
are you board certified? (this should be a definite YES)
what kind of recovery timeline can i expect? (you want your dr to be realistic, so if he says you'll be doing much of anything aside from ice and elevation the first few weeks, he may not be the best choice)

i'll keep sharing my experience as i go along. tomorrow I get to see my feet without the bandages for the first time, yippee!!
megan

Greetings Tromom,
My opinion is it really depends on the severity of your bunionectomy procedures. I asked and my doc said no way in my situation. Its hard enough to do one at a time but it is definitely easy to understand why anyone would not want to endure this more than once. My doc advised scheduling 3 months apart or until my first foot could handle all my weight (2nd surgery was nwb). I was told to not put any weight on the front of my first foot for 4 weeks but I could use my heel to balance after a week.

Frankly, I would be concerned with any doctor tellling me I could walk in two surgical shoes immediately with a double bunionectomy. I had double neuroma surgery in 98 and I couldn't put weight on that foot for weeks and no bones were touched in that procedure.

Keep us posted Megan and be extra careful, ok?

Hi all!
Thanks for all of your replies! It is nice to talk with others who are going through what I am about to do on Friday.
I do have a good support system. The only day I am a little worried about is Friday. My husband could not get the night off (he works nights) because of the short notice. I will have my 2 sons at home. They are 8 and 10 and can really be a big help. My mom is keeping my 4 yr old daughter for the night. There is no way I could take care of her. She offered to keep the boys as well, but they want to stay with me. My husband will then be with me until Tuesday night.
Anyway, I have some more questions.
How long after surgery were you able to drive? My doctor told me about 4 weeks, but it seems like some have been driving much sooner.
Do your feet look more normal after the surgery? The main reason that I am having surgery is the pain of course, but I also am hoping that my feet will look more normal.
What about the scars? Do they fade at all?
I am getting very nervous!! When my surgery was cancelled last Friday, I had already been prepped for surgery. They were just starting to sedate me and roll me into the operating room when they decided to cancel. I think seeing all of that has made me more nervous. The anesthesiologist told me that I would only be asleep when they numbed my feet. He said after that I would be awake during the surgery. He also said I might hear the instruments they use to break the bones, but that I would be so drugged I wouldn't even care. Now I am wondering if I should just have them knock me out!!!

tromom,
I just want to put in my 2 cents.I did not have double bunionectomy but have had many foot surgeries.Is there any way that your mom could stay with you at your house? I do believe that you will need more help.I know the kids will be of much help but this is a big thing you are doing and you will need help! I don't mean to frighten you but I think you should think about it.I wish you good luck and prayers on Friday,
Sue :angel:

Hi tromom,

how are you going to get to the BATHROOM without your husband there to help? It will be difficult... and even in surgery walking shoes/boots... your balance will be awkward. Maybe your mom could stay there for the first night.. I really need someone to help you.

Driving... not till your foot is out of the surgery shoe/boot or cast. I will be in it a total of 6 weeks.. so no driving by myself for that period of time. And I wouldn't risk using the foot before than anyways.. I want a good outcome of the surgery.

I am just 12 days post-op with my first foot. Stitches were removed today, and it is puffy & swollen - but looks GOOD. It looks way more normal than it did prior to surgery. Even though I didn't even think about the cosmetic issue.. it's a nice bonus to me. I like what I see! :)

I don't think the scars will be too bad.. they are pretty small 3 inches or less. How do your other scars that you have look? That will be an indication of how you heal. All my past surgeries... scars healed nice, so I think my feet will too.

Awake during surgery!! :eek: Scary, but I was! I was sadated, felt like I had heavy eyes, and heard the saw.. I was nervous, but quickly realized I couldn't feel a thing, and it didn't bother me.

It is a bit scary - but relax! The hardest part is staying off your feet AFTER surgery. I was really, really looking forward to my time off.. laying around relaxing, reading, watching TV... but you'll quickly get tired of it!

We'll all be thinking of you on Friday - best wishes!

Tromom,
My surgery was 4/4/05 and I was awake the whole surgery with very little sedation and a spinal block because the drugs make me deathly ill. This was my third foot surgery and 11th overall and I was fine. I could hear all the equipment, talk with the docs, hear the surgery telling the assistants what he was doing and even see some of it in the overhead lights. The equipment is no worse than the sound of a dentist drill truly and all you can feel is pressure but no pain.

I agree with Sue--you need your Mom to stay at your house. With one foot I can hardly get around and I have older kids to help (21 and 17). Don't risk injury. I couldn't drive until I could wear a regular shoe on my right foot which was close to 2 months. I don't mean to discourage you, but your insurance will give you problems if you are in an accident with a cast or boot on your foot.

I'll be thinking of you on Friday. Recovery is tough but its wonderful to have the surgery behind you!!!! Good luck, Linda

I am having my surgery tomorrow. I am SOOO nervous!!!

My mom can't stay with me. She has to take care of my dad (ms), so I am lucky to get her to watch my 4 yr old. I have taken all of your advice though. My friends are going to take turns "babysitting" me tomorrow night. My surgery is scheduled for 1:30 PM, and I can't eat or drink anything after midnight tonight!!! I am the type of person who eats several small meals during the day-I have no idea how I am going to make it that long without food!!!:dizzy:

Okay, I have some more questions. How long should I expect my feet to stay numb after surgery? Did any of you guys actually sleep the first night? One more....How soon after surgery were you able to wear a normal shoe?

Well, first of all GOOD LUCK! I think my feet were numb for 12 hrs.? Don't really remember though.Just take your pain meds on time even if you have to set an alarm to take them.Take them even if you have no pain.Take them before the pain starts.Very,very important! It is easier to keep ahead of your pain instead of waiting for pain to start! As long as you take your meds. and elevate your foot you should sleep.
Do NOT eat anything not even a sip of coffee. With one of my surgeries they were going to use local so I had a few sips of coffee in the morning.When I got there they decided that they were going to sedate me.So I had to wait another 6 hrs.
Shoes..........at least 6 weeks.Then you will need to buy x-large/wide to wear for a little while.
PS.make sure you go potty and get everything you will might need for the night and put it by where ever you are sleeping.Do NOT try and get up to get anything.I will be thing about you with happy thoughts and prayers and when you are feeling up to it let us know how you are feeling and how everything went:)
Sue :angel:

Good luck tromom, please let us know how everything went for you.

I had a local, and I was not allowed to drink but I was allowed to eat a light lunch before my 1:00 PM surgery time.

My foot stayed numb for at least 12 hours I would say. I did take the pain medication as directed, and elevated & iced all day & night my first week, and I honestly was really pain free, and felt only a little "break through" pain (more discomfort & throbbing, NOT excruciating pain).

Shoes - others will have to tell you, since I am only 2 weeks post op and have no ides! :rolleyes: Doctor did tell me I will wear the surgical wedge boot for at least a total of 6 weeks. So at least 4 more weeks for me on the right foot, and in 5 weeks I am scheduled for foot number 2, so I'll start everything all over again! :eek:

I'll be thinking and praying for you Tromom. Try to keep your mind occupied today by keeping busy. I really don't understand why midnight is the cutoff for surgery. Mine was at 7:30 a.m. and if your's isn't until 1:30 p.m., it seems you could eat later. I thought you had to be without food or drink for only 6 hours. It might be worth asking your doctor.

If your doctor gives you a local block at the end of surgery (and I think most do), your foot should be numb for about 12 hours. If not, it will wake up sooner. I had a spinal with my last surgery and my foot "came alive" after 6 hours. Keep ahead of the pain by taking your meds. I had horrible constipation from mine so be sure to take a stool softener, psyillium husks or something similiar to keep things going. You want to get all that medicine out of your system. I slept the first night but set my alarm to take my pain meds. On my nightstand I had a bottle of water, crackers to take with meds, phone, glasses, etc. Sue is right about going to the bathroom and making sure you can get to everything you need at night. I had a bag to carry all these things plus my reading material back and forth from the sofa to my bedroom. Get all the remotes together, some movies, magazines, etc. I thought I'd read lots of books at first but about all I did the first week was watch movies, tv, read email/foot board, etc., and flip though magazines. In week 2 I'm reading more. For shoes, it depends on your type of surgery (how invasive it was) and how you heal. My first surgery was 6-7 weeks and I really didn't want to put the street shoe on because it hurt much more than my surgical shoe but I really wanted to drive again (right foot) and so I forced myself. I couldn't wear a street shoe all day for about 2 weeks. I'd switch back and forth.

Relax as much as you can and keep that foot iced and elevated above your heart to help with swelling. We will all be waiting to hear from you and I wish you the best. It is wonderful to have the surgery behind you!!
Linda

tromom,
How are you? I hope everything is going good for you.(as to be expected)Please let us know how you are doing as soon as you are able.
Sue :angel:

Hi all!!
Well here I am 4 days post op. I had my bandages changed yesterday and everything looked good. I ended up staying in the hospital until Saturday night. I had a bad reaction to the antibiotic the gave me in my IV. They had to put me completely under during surgery, and I reacted badly to this also. The 1st 24 hours are a blur to me. I stopped taking the vicodin yesterday, but I am still keeping it handy, just in case. I am getting around pretty good. I can walk up the stairs, but I am afraid to come down walking. I just scoot down on my butt. I actually went outside and watched my husband do yard work today. I was going kind of stir crazy sitting in the house. My friends have been bringing meals to us every night, it has been really nice! Tomorrow night will be my first night by myself.
I can't wait to get the stitches out-they are itchy!!!
Also, it is nice to be able to wiggle my toes-even with the pins sticking out of them! I haven't been able to do that for a long time! Once the healing is done, I think I am going to be very pleased with the results. :)