Just wondering how bad it hurts! I had surgery on 12/27 (a Weil Osteotomy) and surgery for one hammertoe. I still have this pin sticking out of the end of my second toe (yikes:eek: )

I want the real story: how bad is it going to hurt to remove the pin? He said it was about 3" long:dizzy:

Polly59918

Hi Polly - I had bunion surgery on Oct 18th and had one external pin sticking out through the top of my foot. It was removed at 6 weeks and honestly I didn't feel anything and it also had to be about 3" long. The dr told me to turn my head and he was talking to me - when I turned back he was still turning it and it was coming out - then he said I would feel a little tug (I didn't feel anything) and he took it out. It bled a little - they put a bandaid on it and told me I could get it wet after 48 hours.

Maybe someone else can add something but I found it to be a breeze.

Good luck.

Mary

Hi. I was very squeemish about having the pin taken out. I went into the doctor's office ready to tell him to numb my foot but he promised it wouldn't hurt (surgeons always say that!).
Sure enough, it was out before I knew it and all I felt was a tug.
Good luck.

Thanks for the feedback. I'm counting on having your experience!:)

Polly

No it doesn't hurt! People told me horror stories and the truth is that I couldn't feel it and I had five of them! When I first saw them on an Xray I thought I'd pass out! I think my nerves were still dead- it was 4 weeks after my surgery and he wiggled them out. I didn't feel it.

OK, guys my pin is out of my toe (second toe). I guess I am the HUGE weenie of this group because I wanted to jump:eek: off the table when he was pulling that pin out of my toe! It really, really hurt.

A few years ago, I had bunionectomy surgery and had a pin in the top of my foot and that didn't hurt at all when it came out but this time was different. Oh well, I'll stop whining:nono:

It's over!

I am new to this board and so I have been reading through all the different posts. I just had to make a comment on this particular subject because of my unusual experience with pin removal. I had bunion correction surgery 7 weeks ago and had 2 pins in the top of my foot for 2 weeks. My surgeon is located in the city, a 5 hour commute, so I elected to have my family dr. remove the pins. It's like he had never done this before. The pain was pretty intense. My partner, who was there with me, couldn't believe that I didn't scream! The nurse even kept commenting on how brave I was. The dr. didn't seem to know to wiggle them a bit to loosen them, but instead just ripped them right out using all of his might! After that I had obvious concerns, so I talked to my surgeon and he ordered an x-ray on my foot at the local hospital. The x-ray technician told me that my bone was broken and all out of alignment and that I better have it fixed right away or it would fuse together that way and not to walk on it. We rushed down to my surgeon and when he saw the x-ray and examined my foot, he said that everything was fine, just as we left it. What a shock and a big relief! But I am certainly not pleased with my family dr. or the x-ray technician to say the least. If and when I have my other foot done, I will definitely go back to my surgeon to have the pins removed, without a doubt!:eek:

Easy Breezy, Lemon Squeezy...

In all honesty, I was like you, scared and nervous because there was a 3" pin sticking out of the top of my foot. I had a hard time believing everyone else who had the same bunion surgery that removing the pin was no problem at all.

I had it removed at my Doc's office and just looked away as they took it out, expecting to be in some form of pain (6 weeks post-op). Honestly, I felt a tug, and it just slid out within a few seconds and then it kinda popped out. I bled a little bit, but they just put a bandaid on it and told me not to get it wet for 48 hours so it would heal properly. I'm now 11 weeks post-op and I still have some scar tissue in the area where the pin was. I'm walking in normal shoes, but no heels just yet. I'm waiting a few more months and more stretching of the toe before I brave that one.

Best of luck to you, you will be great!

I have had pins removed from my toes through various surgeries with my toes...a total of 8 pins. The pins being removed from my second toe has always been the most painful. The last time they took me in the outpatient to take it out because it was in my foot really deep. When the pins were removed from my 3rd toe and big toe they never hurt then. But....the 2nd toe was always an issue and I had a total of 4 surgeries with that one.
Janie

I read about pin removal and was prepared for no big deal...I was way wrong...I had two in each big toe and they all were very difficult for the doc to remove...I have an average pain tolerance I'd say and I was biting my fist hard. After two I had to tell him to give me a minute and something for pain. He twisted torqued and pulled and it was not fun. Even the easiest one was much harder to pull out than what everyone else I had read about experienced...it still took about 20 sec of twisting and pulling.

So...just in case if I were you I'd take a pain pill before going...can't hurt.

I wish you one of the "before I knew it they were out" experiences most people seem to have.

Good luck!