1 day post-op for bunions - Foot Problems Message Board

Pitpat · 07-11-2006, 05:25 PM

Hi folks.

I havn't been here in a few months, but now that I'm post-op I thought I'd check in. I had a double scarf bunionectomy yesterday. The nerve blocks are still working, so I'm not in any pain yet, but I think tomorrow I'll start to feel it. They gave me celebrex and darvocet. I have a follow-up appointment and physical therapy next Monday. I assume that's when they'll take the bandages off. I have those surgical shoes, and so far I have been good about wearing them, which is something I know is important from reading the threads on this board. I have a 2-year-old and have help with him for 3 solid weeks, so I shouldn't have to do much there. I am set up with my laptop, ipod, and books, so I am pretty much ensconced in my bedroom for now. I'm not too worried about bedrest b/c I was on it for 3 months when pregnant (pre-term labor), and I figure that if I could do it for that long in 2003, I should manage this shorter bedrest period fine.

Well, that's it for me at the moment. Hope all are well or at least on the road to health.

Oh, I forgot to mention 2 things. My podiatrist (Lowell Weil, Jr) is the team podiatrist for the Chicago White Sox. Also, the scarf bunionectomy was pioneered at his practice. I believe his father, who founded the practice, created the scarf with another doctor. My doc said he has done it 1000s of times. So I feel very confident in my choice. I had it done in their surgical center instead of a hospital, which my DH wasn't crazy about. Of course, he didn't tell me that until AFTER the surgery. But I think the chance of getting an infection is greater in a hospital. Also, I had a bad experience when I had my gall bladder removed in 2004 and am not currently too keen on hospitals (although my pregnancy treatment & birth of my son went well). Oh, they also put me under with twilight sedation. Did anyone else have that? It didn't leave me groggy, the way general anesthesia has, and I only had a little bit of nausea the first few minutes coming out if it. I went from slowly opening my eyes to wide awake and alert in about 15 minutes. I liked it!

Sotadragon · 07-12-2006, 09:36 AM

Hi! I'm new (obviously), but I have read most of the other Double Bunionectomy thread. I'm glad your surgery went well and that you're not in pain right now.

What is a "scarf bunionectomy"? I have my double scheduled for August 22nd and I'm already nervous about it. I think they want to do a block and sedation with me as well, instead of general anesthetic, which makes me a bit more nervous! What is that like? Do you remember anything are or you, for all intents and purposes, unconscious? My doctor (orthopaedic surgion specializing in foot and anke reconstruction) says my bunions are what they call "friendly" still, so the surgery is relatively simple and recovery time is short. I'll only have to be out of work for a week and he said I'd be weight-bearing (heels only) in that time. But I'm still nervous.

evelyn_g · 07-12-2006, 01:21 PM

I had the block and what I think they call "MAC" anesthesia. (I think it is the same as the twilight sleep.)

I had told the anesthesiologist that I did not want to hear anything or be aware of anything. I remember the surgeon saying "I'll be ready in ten seconds." It seemed like a split second later when the nurse had her hand on my shoulder and said "we're all finished."

I was grateful for the sedation but I might have paid for it later on that night when I was violently ill for about 6-8 hours. At first I thought maybe it was the percoset that made me so sick but now I wonder if it was the anesthesia. I was so sick I couldn't keep pain pills down but believe me the nausea was much worse than the pain from surgery.

I can't be sure it was the heavier dose of anesthesia that made me sick but you might want to inquire with your anesthesiolgist.

Good luck!

Sotadragon · 07-13-2006, 06:52 AM

evelyn - thanks for the tip! I'll be sure to ask about the anesthesia and nausea. Although I really really hate being sick, I think I'd rather deal with that than be aware of bones in my feet being sawed through.

I saw a picture of a foot partway through surgery last night while googling "chevron osteotomy" and it made me feel woozy. Bleah. And I'm not usually all that squeamish either.
I called my doctor's assistant yesterday to ask about exactly what they were going to do to my feet and it's a chevron osteotomy. So I guess I will have screws in my feet, at least for a while. They have screws now that they don't have to remove because your body absorbs them. The assistant said that's what they prefer to use, especially on someone with young, healthy bones (I'm 27). But he did also say they'll use regular steel screws if they don't think the absorbable ones will hold well enough. I guess I'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Pitpat · 07-13-2006, 12:35 PM

Hi!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sotadragon

What is a "scarf bunionectomy"?

My understanding of a scarf is this: they cut off the "bony prominence" (I love that term), do a soft tissue release, make a Z cut into the bone, remove another piece of bone, realign the joint, and screw it together. It's supposed to have a shorter and easier recovery than some of the other procedures.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Sotadragon

I have my double scheduled for August 22nd and I'm already nervous about it. I think they want to do a block and sedation with me as well, instead of general anesthetic, which makes me a bit more nervous! What is that like? Do you remember anything are or you, for all intents and purposes, unconscious? :

The twilight sedation was great. I don't remember anything. Well, I *do* have one hazy image in my mind of the Dr looking at an Xray, but it may have been a dream. They say twilight is like sleeping, a lighter sedation than general. If that's what your Dr wants to do, I would go with it. I had general when my gall bladder was removed 2 years ago, and I remember it took quite a while to come out of it, plus it made me throw up. The twilight was so simple.

Good luck!