Bunion Surgery

Hi A., I don't see the reason for the surgery if it is not causing you pain. If it should begin to cause pain, you could be approved for surgery through your insurance and the hospital could have you scheduled in a weeks time. There is no shortage of hospitals here.

I had the surgery done on both feet, but I was in pain. My feet were very irritated. As well, one foot was swelling so bad I would begin to lose circulation with shoes on. I had both feet done, against the doctors wishes.

Something I learned about podiatrists, is that they are often not certified. I used doctor Hansen Loren K DPM‎- Ste 1080, 3885 South Decatur Boulevard, Las Vegas, NV‎ - ###-###-####‎. He was good, but not certified. I check for doctor certification at https://www.abms.org/. I have never heard of doctor Henry.

As for crutches for 2 months, not even my 66 year old mother used crutches for 2 months. Dr. Hansen has you on your feet right after surgery. I traveled to Arizona with the doctors permission after 2 weeks of surgery.

It seems a doctor doing surgery as a preventative maintenance is being a little pushy. I would get a second opinion or wait for the pain.

My aunt had bunion surgery when she was in her 50's. They also shortened her big toe during the surgery. The surgery went well. She only had one foot done because the bunion on the other foot wasn't causing her pain. She lived into her 80's. If she had arthritis, it was minor.

I don't remember that she had to use crutches for 2 months. If you would have to use crutches for that long, doing it now would be impossible, I agree. I'd first try to find a way to make your feet more comfortable.

I suggest that you go to a shoe store that provides orthopedic shoes and appliances and ask what they can do to help you protect your bunion joints so that you have less pain. My aunt had and I have a genital condition called Morton's toe, in which the second metatarsal bone is longer. This results in the joint being out of line with the rest of the joints. My parents took me to a podiatrist when I was young. I learned early what I needed to do to prevent bunions.

Perhaps if you try some of these things you can reduce your pain. Be sure the toe box of your shoe is wide enough so that your toes can lie flat and not be forced to point towards the center. Wear low heeled shoes. I have to wear a shoe with some heel, no more than an inch high for everyday, because my foot needs some arch support. While in my youth, I wore a custom fitted arch support. But I was able to strengthen my arch muscles enough, with exercise, that I now have a natural arch. For bunion, I think you'll need to wear a supportive shoe most of the time to keep your arch supported. The podiatrist and/or the specialty shoe store may be able to give you more info.

They will definitely be able to fit you with shoes that will provide you with more comfort than other shoes. You may have to try out different shoes, wearing them for 30 minutes or so, in the show room.

My mother had bunions because she went barefoot or wore flip flops for much of her life. She never felt that she had enough pain to have surgery. Once she had the bunions she began wearing low heeled shoes with boxy toes. She also had some relief with putting foam cushions between her big toe and the second one. The end of her big toe rested where most people's third toe points. She walked until close to the end of her life at 86.

Here is a web site that might be helpful. http://www.footankle.com/bunions.htm

Here is a site that describes various types of surgery. One example said that the woman only had to be off her feet for a couple of weeks. How long you're off your feet depends on your bunion and the type of surgery used.
http://www.allnaturalcures.net/Bunions.htm

There are several more sites that I didn't look at.

I've had both bunions removed - both before I was 30 years-old. I was 19 when I had the first (the bunion developed when I was 8), and the second when I was 28.

In one case, it was causing me a lot of problems because the leather on shoes wouldn't stretch over it.

I was teaching gymnastics at the time and was on crutches for a week.
The second time, about 6 years ago, I was told I didn't need crutches. I took them because getting me to sit down and not do things for myself is near impossible. I was at the mall and Costco the next day.

I'd agree that if you don't need it, don't do it. I also have arthritis in both feet and control it with orthotics that the podiatrist made. My first surgery was done by an Orthopedic surgeon, and the other was done by a podiatrist. The one done by the podiatrist has healed better and was a generally better surgery.

I'd get another opinion and not rush into it. Learning to walk appropriately again is hard. Showering is hard. You have a lot going on. I don't see any reason to rush it currently.

My mom waited to get surgery until her bunion was making it hard to wear any shoe comfortably. She was in her 60's by then. A bunion on her other foot has never become too problematic, and she's now mid-80's. I think I'd be inclined to wait until a less-inconvenient time – maybe you'll never get much worse.

I've had both feet done and it all went really well. I was NOT on crutches for two months; maybe a couple of weeks? I've hear wide-ranging results, however; everyone is different. If it's not really bothering you, I'd wait until you're out of school.