Wanted to find out what the differences or similarities were out there.

Could you list the:
1) type of surgery you had and if you had screws placed
2) if you were placed in a cast or boot and for how long w or w/o weight bearing during that time, and
3) how much time you took off before you went back to work - esp if you had minimal walking and a desk job
(did you continue to elevate at work?).

Thanks in advance - Annette :)

I had a bunion removed from my right foot the end of July. The bone was cut; toe realigned; permanent screw put in & spur cut off the top joint. I was minimal weight bearing for the first 2 weeks. I had a surgical shoe on and was permitted to put weight on my foot and walk. At 4 weeks, I started wearing sneakers. Returned to work at 5 weeks. Right now, I am 8 weeks out and wear regular shoes at work (I am a teacher and am on my feet all day). I am back on the treadmill as instructed to do so by my podiatrist. I do have swelling around the top of the foot and ankles each day and minimal range of motion in my toes. I also have pain in my foot when walking. Hopefully, this will all fix itself in due time. I return to my podiatrist in 2 weeks.

To Roz5: My surgery sounds similar so similar to yours, with the exception of the spur removal. My bunionectomy was August 4th and I too, returned to work at 5 weeks. Fortunately, I have an office job where I can prop my foot up most of the day. However, since being out of the boot, (for just 2 days now), I continue to have the swelling, limited range of motion, and tenderness when I walk. I still definitely have a "limp". I try to do the exercises as recommended by my surgeon, but you can only bend that joint so far!! She keeps telling me I'll regret it if I don't continue religiously to do the bending, that my joint will always be stiff. Someday, we'll both say this is all worth it!!! Sooner than later I hope!!!!

To JannR-
I hear you about being able to bend your toe joint only so far! Mine will not budge and I am trying to keep flexing it! I go back to my podiatrist in 2 weeks and we'll see what gives. I'm also taking my 11 year old son there next week for his "toeing in" problem, so maybe I will ask about the progress of my foot.
Good luck to both of us!

Not sure if any of this will help- I had my bunion removed, toe broken in two places, a wedge of bone removed, two screws put in the lower joint, ligaments retied (I guess you would say) and a pin put through the whole foot to hold it together as it healed. I was in a cast with no weight bearing for six weeks, then an aircast/boot with crutches for four weeks and go back tomorrow to see what's next. Most likely surgical shoe. I took two weeks off of work and have a sitting job so when I went back, kept it elevated as much as possible. Found I really had to with the swelling. Swelling is still present, but not as bad as it was in the beginning. I still wonder if I'll ever wear a normal shoe again. I do the toe exercises and find that, each day, the range of motion gets better. I think the main problem preventing complete ROM is the swelling- hard to bend the toe when foot is swollen. Told that as the foot heels more, the swelling subsides.

I had an Austin bunionectomy last October. I had a pin, no screw, which was removed at 6 months. I wore the velcro shoe for 24 days, then a sneaker, then a loose shoe. Back to regular shoes in a couple months. I went back to the gym - treadmill walking - at 8 weeks.

I have a deskjob and I went back to work on the 10th day. I did elevate it at work. You can use an upside down trash can with a little cushion if you want.

I am having the other one done next month. Hope it will be as easy, MD says it will.

Jane

I had double bunionectomies (both feet) with permanant screws, no cast, just a velcro shoe (ugly), no weight bearing for the first 2 weeks. Used a walker the first week then crutches until 8 weeks post op. Currently 9 1/2 weeks post op and still swell/hurt, not a lot of rom in the right toe and practically none in the left toe. I'm doing PT once per week but don't see where it's doing much good yet. Back to work at 5 weeks (new job), still limp which is causing ankles, knees, lower back and shoulders to hurt. PT said all the hurt is from my body getting out of allignment from all the limping and leaning and not walking properly. It's a slow process but hopefully will be worth it.

I had a Lapidus bunionectomy on June 27th (3 months post op).

I had the first metatarsal joint fused with two permanent screws and I had the big toe joint cut and repositioned with two pins which were removed at 7 weeks.

I was non weight bearing for seven weeks (hard cast and crutches) and was out of work for the first three weeks (I had a desk job). After seven weeks I got a walking cast which I wore for another month. I'm now wearing only sneakers.

I started PT at 6 weeks and am still seeing the therapist to get strength back on my ankle and calf, which withered away while I was NWB. I'm also working on toe bending to get the joint loose enough to walk normally. I still have a small limp and trouble walking down stairs three months out.

(I knew that I was having one of the most complicated bunion surgeries and that the recovery would be long, but just how long I never imagined, especially after hearing all the other stories about walking around after just 2, 3, or 4 weeks. SLow and steady wins the race...)