#14 ~ 6 Month Update

August 2017

It has been a bit over 6 months since I had bunion surgery, and I am sharing a quick update about my progress, and my decision to have my other foot done.

Current [6-month post-op] condition

My foot and toe have healed for the most part, although there are a few lingering things that have not totally healed yet.  

Ankle still a bit swollen 6 months post-op

Swelling and pain

The top of my foot and my ankle are still a bit swollen. I can tell this is the case every time I remove a shoe that has covered the top of my foot, and my ankle gets quite sore when I walk. I have been doing a lot of walking, hiking, bicycling, and yoga, so I have resumed all my usual activities. I tried to get a photo with both my ankles together so you could see the size difference; however, those pictures did not turn out well. From the research I did online, it does not sound like my experience is unusual. 

Shoes that give me toe pain

I am not able to wear shoes with much of a heel for very long. I have a pair of soft Skecher sandals with a 2" heel (or less), which I have been wearing around the house and yard for short periods to try and get my toe used to flexing in different directions. I frequently feel pain in my big toe when I step down in these shoes. It is tolerable pain, although it does make me gasp sometimes. This also happens with flat shoes occasionally. It seems like I have needed to wear excellent support shoes since having the surgery. I have one pair of flat sandals that I can no longer wear because my toe hurts when I walk in them. I guess they have low quality support. And, they are kind of old, as well.

Every morning when I get out of bed, or after I have been sitting for any length of time, I feel mild discomfort in my entire foot and ankle until after I walk for a bit and my muscles loosen up (maybe that is just a sign of old age!).

I am surprised by how tender the top of my foot is when I shower or walk in water against the current. The pain I was feeling from the screws had gone away a few weeks ago, and then last night that area started to feel uncomfortable/irritated again. If it gets red or worsens, I guess I will be scheduling a visit with my doctor.

Range of motion

I still have less range of motion on the surgical side of my body. My leg and knee on that side do not move nearly as far as the other side of my body in different yoga positions.

Click on photo to enlarge it and read 

My big toe does not bend as far forward as I feel it should, and it still does not feel like it touches the ground like it should. My second toe (first one next to my big toe) bends very oddly when I try to press my foot and big toe on the floor. This does not hurt, although it does feel a bit strange.

I have read about many patients that were prescribed physical therapy after this surgery, which I think would be very beneficial; especially, if you do not have a lot of self-discipline. 

Overall, and thoughts for future surgery

My existing bunion has begun to get red and calloused when I walk a lot, so it seems it was just a matter of time for me before I would definitely have had to have them taken care of. The top of my foot next to the bunion frequently looks like it is bruised (visible in photo above), which I never experienced before. As I said in one of my earlier posts, I am glad my doctor suggested I have this surgery done now, because I cannot imagine going through this when I am 70.

I was initially going to have my other foot done this fall, and have decided to wait until February (the same time of year I had my first foot done). I am still very outdoor active in the fall, and do not want to interfere with that. Additionally, I think it is a good idea to get my surgical foot and ankle even stronger before going through this again.

I recently found a writeup by Podiatry Today, which states that recovery is quicker when the patient starts weight-bearing as soon as possible. I plan to talk with my doctor more about the whole cast situation before I have my next foot done.

Please comment below if you have any questions or experiences to share. Thank you, all!