Hey all :wave:
I posted a few months back about how to find a podiatrist for my bunions. As someone here suggested, I looked for the team podiatrists for the Chicago pro sports teams, and I think I found a great practice. Well, I guess I won't know that until I go, but they do sound good. The doc I will be seeing is the team pod for the White Sox, and his father (they are in practice together with several other docs) is also with the Sox and was at one point the pod for the Bears. Another guy in the practice is or was the medical director for the Chicago Triathlon for 19 years and is or was the head pod for the Chicago Marathon for 13 years. Think I'm in good hands??
My appointment is Feb 13, and I was wondering what questions I should ask. I am assuming they will recommend surgery (my GP suggested it), although I suppose it is possible that they won't. The only question I can think of is whether they typically prescribe PT during recovery, which I know from the board is super important. What else?
My rather generous sister lives in CA and is a teacher, and she said if I have surgery over the summer, she can come out to help take care of my 2-year-old. My husband would take *some* time off, but I don't know how much he has coming to him. A friend told me Tuesday that she could help too, so I *think* it would be manageable. The thing is, I think I would just have them both done at one time, so as not to have a SUPER long recovery period. I know I would be immobile for a while, but if I can work out care for me and for my son, then I think I will do it this way. We want to start trying for another baby before too long, and we would just have to push that back even more if I got my feet done separately. I will be turning 36 soon (the day of my pod appointment, actually :jester: ), so I don't want to wait too long. The clock is ticking!!
I am a baby about pain, and the thought of bunion surgery scares me. However, my feet hurt every day at this point (sometimes bad, sometimes mild), and my big toes are starting to overlap onto my 2nd toes (or whatever they are called). So I know the bunions are getting worse, so.....if they recommend surgery I will probably do it. Anyone on this board have a c-section? How does the pain compare? I could not believe that they made me get up and sit in a chair just 12 hours after my son was born. I know it is good for recovery and all, but it was excruciating!!! Will my feet hurt that bad? :eek:

Thanks for your help!

That's like asking...does it hurt to have a baby? You open yourself to all the horror stories that people love to tell pregnant people! :eek: Do you want the padded version or the real version? I would imagine you would have several different answers to that question depending on circumstances. With a caesarian, the pain is forgotten with the joy of the baby!! With bunion surgery, the pain is eventually forgotten. :rolleyes: I had an epidural block with the caesarian and I really had no problem. The foot pain with any foot surgery is excruciating if you don't take your meds on time. You have to remember to take meds, elevate and ice! Even the blankets hurt against your toes! But if in the end you are painfree daily because of the surgery, it is always worth it. Don't want to scare you off but if you are in ***pain ***now it is probably worth it.There is always a chance of complications. That HAS to weigh in your decision. (as some people have posted, the result wasn't what they expected) . For me, it was well worth the few days of pain.

Yep - I had C-sections with both of my kids :rolleyes: and have had 3 foot surgeries now - 2 bunion surgeries in college (20+ years ago), and now, more recently, a mid-foot fusion (Lapidus procedure, 2 screws) - to correct splayed 1st metatarsal, along with Wiel osteotomy on 2nd metatarsal (another screw), and bunion shaved, as well as additional (4th) screw placed at base of big toe to prevent bone from curving more again - arthritis "clean-up" too. The bunion surgeries I had in college were relatively easy - they were chevron osteotomies with bunionectomies, I was NWB (non-weight-bearing - on crutches) for just 4-5 days, then had walking cast for 6 weeks. With the surgery I had recently, I was NWB for about 7 weeks, then in boot ("removable cast") that I could walk in for a couple more weeks, then back to shoes (which I'm STILL in a size larger on the surgical foot, as it is still so swollen I can't get my regular shoes on - surgery was 11/12/05). The surgery I just had done was WAYYYYyyy worse than a cesearean, IMO. (But it was probably more extensive than most bunion surgeries - this was recurring bunions, very severe hypermobility of 1st metatarsal and large inter-metatarsal angle, along with too-short 1st metatarsal, probably caused by previous bunion surgery.... It was considered "major reconstructive surgery" :yawn: (And I'm looking at probably needing to have the same things done on the other foot sometime within the next year or so - I'm stalling as long as possible!) I had (and continue to have) real problems with major swelling, which in itself was very, very painful, and found that I had to be either in bed, on couch, or in recliner MOST of the time, with foot elevated, for the first 2-3 weeks. After that I could be "up" for short periods, but would need to elevate foot often - and ice it too. I've had 2 major spinal fusion surgeries, where I was in hospital 4-5 days each, and I'd say this foot surgery was probably at least as bad as either of the fusions. :( (But, again, most people probably don't have quite as much done as I did - if you're looking at a simple bunionectomy, it'll be a piece of cake in comparison. ;) )

What type of bunion surgery your pod recommends will make a big difference as to how your recovery will go... as will the drs normal MO. Some make you be NWB (crutches!) for 6 weeks, some 4, some 8, some let you have walking cast right away, some give you surgical sandals - all depends on how extensive surgery is needed.

If you end up needing to be NWB, I really, really, *really* don't recommend having them both done at once :eek: How on earth would you go to the bathroom? Or take a bath/shower? or get anywhere at all? Now if your doc recommends a surgery where you'll be able to bear weight rather than the whole cast/crutches deal, then doing both at once might be okay - all depends on what exactly you need done. When you go to your appointment, if they recommend surgery, ask him to tell you the precise technical name for the procedure(s) he plans on - write it down and ask him to check spelling - just let him know that you want to research it online. Also ask him to give you a detailed explanation of what he would do, what recovery will be like, if you'll be NWB or can walk, etc... Once you know exactly what surgery you're looking at, we can be more helpful with specific advice.

Good luck at your appointment!
JD

Thanks Sophie and JD,

That's like asking...does it hurt to have a baby? You open yourself to all the horror stories that people love to tell pregnant people! :eek: Do you want the padded version or the real version? I would imagine you would have several different answers to that question depending on circumstances. With a caesarian, the pain is forgotten with the joy of the baby!!
Well, I was certainly joyful, but still so sore! I was so surprised by how many actions involve using your abs. Sheesh - even rolling over in bed hurt. Plus my son had to stay in the hospital for 10 days, so we were doing a lot of running back and forth for visits, pumping, etc. I probably didn't get the amount of rest I should have. Hmmm. With no baby-prize at the end of foot surgery, I'll just have to let the thought of pain-free feet be my prize, it will just take a while.

The foot pain with any foot surgery is excruciating if you don't take your meds on time. You have to remember to take meds, elevate and ice!
Actually, that gives me another question to ask at my appointment - how does the doctor approach pain relief? If I have the surgery, I will want to take my meds on a schedule rather than waiting for the pain to get worse (something else I learned about with my c-section, courtesy of a snotty nurse who tried to go against doctor's orders and make me wait until I was in pain before she would give me something :mad: )


If you end up needing to be NWB, I really, really, *really* don't recommend having them both done at once How on earth would you go to the bathroom? Or take a bath/shower? or get anywhere at all?
Yes, I suppose that's true. Sigh. I guess I will just hope I won't have to be NWB.

When you go to your appointment, if they recommend surgery, ask him to tell you the precise technical name for the procedure(s) he plans on - write it down and ask him to check spelling - just let him know that you want to research it online. Also ask him to give you a detailed explanation of what he would do, what recovery will be like, if you'll be NWB or can walk, etc...
That's a good idea. I'll have to remember to bring some paper with me. Do you suppose they will do X-rays at my first visit? I am hoping to get a lot of info right away, and I think that would help.

Thanks!

Ask him to draw you a picture of exactly what he's going to do. That will help you understand what the proedure is and how it will be done. Ask questions. And since you'll be at home, you administer the pain meds. After my cheilectomy I was on Lortab. Bottle said one every 4-6 hours...I usually took one at about 3-1/2 hours or so. Good luck....looks like you've got a good plan.

I think if they DON'T take x-rays you should plan on seeing a different dr. They really NEED to take x-rays to see exactly how severe the bunion is, and what other mechanical issues may need to be addressed - such as whether or not your 1st metatarsal is splayed out and needs to be corrected (very common among us bunion-folks).

When my pod was telling me what he planned to do, he drew it all out, right on my x-ray. He whipped out a ruler to draw lines to show the angle of 1st metatarsal, marked where the bones would be cut, where the 1st metatarsal would be after the surgery, and where the screws would be. This really made it much easier for me to understand what he was going to do.

Also, once you know the technical name, it's pretty easy to find good pictures/demonstrations of what will be done. I even found a little movie clip for the Lapidus procedure that my pod did (among other things). (By the way, here's the link for that little movie: http://www.physicianwebpages.com/lapidus.html
It's pretty cool to see exactly what is done.)

JD

I think if they DON'T take x-rays you should plan on seeing a different dr. They really NEED to take x-rays to see exactly how severe the bunion is, and what other mechanical issues may need to be addressed
JD

Oh yes, I'm sure they will take X-rays, but I am wondering if they would do that at my 1st appointment. I guess that just depends on the practice. I am hoping they do as much as they can diagnostically on my 1st visit.

I even found a little movie clip for the Lapidus procedure that my pod did (among other things). (By the way, here's the link for that little movie: http://www.physicianwebpages.com/lapidus.html
It's pretty cool to see exactly what is done.)
JD

Yikes! I didn't look at it yet. Is it very detailed? I did look briefly at another site that had pictures, and it was a bit much for me. But I suppose the more information, the better.

Oh - no - not graphic or detailed at all - I should have said more about it - it's kind of like a cartoon animation of the procedure. Starts with foot, then "peels" skin off so you can see bones (animated, not real), etc. ;) Sorry about not being more specific. ;)

JD

Oh - no - not graphic or detailed at all - I should have said more about it - it's kind of like a cartoon animation of the procedure. Starts with foot, then "peels" skin off so you can see bones (animated, not real), etc. ;) Sorry about not being more specific. ;)

JD

Oh, that's kind of cool! I liked it. If only the surgery was as simple as watching the animation, right?!

Hi PitPat :wave:

I had my surgery done by an ortho doc who just does from the ankle down and he was great.

I had alot of pain for the first 2 days and I think that I could have done my pain meds a lot better than I did. I think I needed to take a 10 mg precocet every three hours for those first 2 days and not let the pain get ahead of me.
If you take 2 - 5 mg - percocets, you are getting 650 mg of tylenol instead of just 325 with one 10 mg percocet. They say that 4000 mg of tylenol a day is the maximum dose and it can get lethal at higher amounts. If you take the 2 percocets every three hours, you will be taking too much tylenol.

You can always split the 10 if you need to.

I was NWB on my foot for 3 weeks and mostly laid in bed for 80% of the time icing and elevated. Week 3, he pulled the pin out and stitches and sent me to PT and told me to start exercises the foot. I immediately started to bike ride for circulation back in the foot and build those muscles back up. It is a great post op exercise because you are not pounding. Pt is great and the more you do - and it hurts and that is ok - the better your foot feels. Hurting from PT is different from doing what you are not supposed to do and feeling pain. Also kept icing.

I am now almost 8 weeks post op and I am wearing some of my flat shoes. Of course they were wide to begin with. It is still swollen but not alot.
My doc said last week that I am 50 degrees in my toe (have no idea what that means except he said that was great) and am pretty much pain free. Would more describe that area as sore and still healing.

I agree with everyone else's post.

Good Luck!!