FOUR months POST-surgery (RIGHT foot)

Hello!

It's been four months since my RIGHT foot surgery and I can feel a big difference in my foot. If you haven't read my previous posts, I had a treatment called LAPIDUS BUNIONECTOMY on my right foot and was non-weight bearing for 6-8 weeks. 

So I was able to start walking at 7 weeks post surgery with a walking boot. I had some difficulty and discomfort with walking and trying to balance my ankle while making steps. It was like learning how to walk again since there was no physical activity for 7 weeks. I started walking with one crutch to prevent putting too much pressure on the right foot and taking short walks around the neighborhood. After a couple of weeks, I was able walk up and down the stairs and take longer walks. There was a lot going with my life at this period of time so to be honest, I was neglecting proper care for my foot. I made several trips to SoCal and walked all over the beaches with flats and sandals for a long period of time. I felt pain and pressure while walking with flats and sandals. My Dr. had suggested VIONIC sandals and SUPERFEET sole inserts for shoes to keep my foot at the right arch. These products are quite expensive but they really work! 

I also started going to physical therapy and had major improvements with my foot. With proper care and treatment, I am able to bend and flex my right toe while applying pressure on it. My toe is still quite stiff but will be able to gain more physical strength and flexibility with time and practice. Overall, I am happy with the result and most importantly, I am very satisfied with the surgical treatment. 

Pros and cons....

The best thing I got going through this surgery is there is NO MORE PAIN and no more bunion. My foot is not straight but as long as the pain is gone, I can't complain. 

The downside of this surgical treatment is the permanent scar and time needed to completely heal (normally 6 months to a year). 

Well that's it...

I just recently moved into a smaller condo and it's single story so my next foot surgery will be a smoother ride. Yass.. no more stairs....

Before and 4 months post surgery

Below are the two foot products I currently have. 

Superfeet Insole to place inside shoes

Vionic sandals 

Life with bunions before surgery...

My life with bunions...

I cannot recall exactly when I started having bunions. All I remember was after coming home from middle school one day, my feet were aching. It all began when I noticed a bump at the corner of my big toe from both feet and I was embarrassed to show anyone. Overtime, I began to feel more uncomfortable whenever I wore shoes, especially after PE (physical education) when I had to run miles. 

I used to get jealous of how straight other girls' feet are comparing to mines and how nice their feet would look with sandals. Who looks at people's feet right? Well when your toes are crooked then maybe you might start staring at other people's toes .... just saying.. or maybe I was just too insecured...

I did not care so much for the appearance of my feet until I started high school. I became more insecured and embarrassed to wear sandals in public because I was afraid that people would notice the bumps on my toes. My friends told me no one looks at people's feet but hellooo..... I saw those eyeballs rolling whenever they walk by or standing next to me, haha. It was definitely not a good feeling, especially when you are a teenager. 

Anyway, I must say the hardest part of having bunions is buying shoes that fit! On top of that is PAIN!! I bought everything WIDE or half size bigger. Flats were not my friends simply because my bunions stick out and you can totally see it. Plus my bunions would rub against the side of any footwear and cause pain. 

So.. years later I did some research and realized that bunions are hereditary and that I shouldn't be ashamed of my genes. I can do something about it. There are treatments for bunions. I did not tell my parents about how I felt about my bunions because I didn't want them to worry for me. I wanted to deal with it on my own. 

In my first blog I did mentioned seeking treatment for my bunions when I was 18 years old but was denied due to cheap insurance. I finally have a career now that enables me to afford my own medical insurance and get treatment for my bunions. 

Let's pass it forward....

Going into this surgery I knew that I had to be mentally prepared for a long recovery process. I knew that only one foot can be treated at a time and that I won't be able to walk on it for at least 6-8 weeks. I had everything planned out with work and insurance. I also planned to have both feet done before returning to work, so literally I will be on medical leave for about 6 months and hopefully not any longer. 

Alright guys... so far things are going well with my right foot post surgery. I cannot wait to start walking again. I feel truly blessed for finally making this happen and I hope that I will heal fast and that I don't have to deal with this pain anymore. 

Also, I did have a very bad financial experience with my insurance at the beginning and I paid a lot of money out of pocket but..... LESSON LEARNED....

Oh one more thing. People questioned me and said that I shouldn't put myself through surgery at this age when I should be out enjoying life instead of being stuck at home and hopping around on one foot... well after seeing my friend's dad at 60 years old with bunions (that were not as bad as mines) walking in pain during the cold weather, I couldn't wait any longer to do something about mines. I don't want to wait until I'm older and take longer to heal... I'd rather lay low for half of a year now and be able to enjoy the rest of my life later ... 

BUT THAT'S JUST  ME THOUGH....

TWO WEEK post-op

TWO WEEK post surgery

Just had my two week post op with the podiatrist and everything went very well. He removed the bandages and took off the ends of the dissoluble stitches. New medical tapes were placed on the surgical site to keep the skin intact. I don't have the splint on anymore so my foot feels so much lighter now. I still have a lot of inflammation around my right foot and still have to keep the foot elevated the majority of the day. I don't feel as much pressure on my foot as I did last week but my foot is really swollen. 

I don't have as much pain around the surgical site and can easily manage pain with Motrin, especially at night. I have been laying low, relaxing at home most of the day. I do try to take my kid to the park sometimes using crutches. I have been eating out a lot lately and cannot wait to be able to get active again. I'd probably gained about 2-3 pounds in weight within the last couple of weeks but it's not a big deal right? :)

I can get in and out of the shower on my own now since my foot can get wet! Yass..

Sleeping has been much better...that's pretty much it... 

New medical tape. I'm wearing a spacer in between the big and second toes. The white cream is Neosporin. 

You can see the swelling on the right foot 

Post-Op Lapidus bunionectomy - ONE WEEK

If you haven't read my previous blog, I had a surgical procedure called LAPIDUS BUNIONECTOMY on my RIGHT foot on June 1, 2016. You can find information on my pre-op appointment and what happened during the day of the surgery from my last blog. 
In this blog I will be talking about my first post op visit with my podiatrist and the recovery process during the first week after surgery. Enjoy! 

ONE WEEK POST-OP 

So for the past one week since surgery I have been using crutches to get around. I stayed home most of the week and only went out to the stores when I needed something. I literally sat around most of the time because it was quite difficult to get around hopping with one foot. I live in a tri-level condo at the moment so as you can imagine, going up and down the stairs can be a bit challenging but is manageable. Nothing has changed much during this first week since my splint was still on. I felt a lot of pressure on my foot and had to constantly keep it elevated. I was taking Norco (pain med) for the first few days and was freaking CONSTIPATED!! I did not have much appetite to consume food because I wasn't able to use the restroom for the first week. I also had a tough time with sleeping due to the constant throbbing pain from the surgical site of the foot. Don't worry, the pain did eventually subside and was definitely not the biggest issue. ;)

Here's more...

I wasn't able to shower standing up so I got a prescription for a shower chair. I know it sounds like I'm an 80 year old woman but trust me, the shower chair was freaking awesome! You would need to keep the foot DRY so I recommend buying a seal-tight cast protector to prevent the foot from getting wet, which can lead to an infection if you don't keep it dry. Just saying... 

As mentioned in my last blog, I had to inject blood thinner in my abdomen everyday for FOURTEEN days. Below are some photos of the syringe.

The HARDEST part about this surgery is going from being active to being INACTIVE. You have to be mentally ready before going into surgery knowing that you will not be able to put any weight on the foot. What you need the most out of this whole healing process is a good SUPPORT SYSTEM. You will need someone to help you get around, especially the first couple of days after surgery because you will be in quite some pain and discomfort. You will need help with almost everything including cooking, grabbing stuff, going to places, even getting in and out of the shower...well it all depends on the situation since everyone is different. I was very fortunate to have the support that I needed throughout this whole experience. 

P.S. Since there will be a lot of sitting around.....a little weight gain is OK! ;)

Of course you won't be able to drive if you're having surgery on the right foot. Trust me, I've tried to drive with my left foot and the farthest I've gone was in and out of my garage and to the mailbox.. haha

At my one week post op appointment with my podiatrist, he removed the splint and re-wrapped my foot with new gauze and bandages.  I had new X-rays taken on my foot prior to the appointment. My podiatrist went over the x-rays and showed me the differences comparing to my x-rays before surgery. Part of my cartilage was removed and screws were placed to fuse the TMT joint. He said to continue to keep the foot dry and elevated for another week. Everything went WELL!

 

This photo was taken right after the splint was taken out 

New gauze and bandages were placed

My podiatrist also put me on this protected footwear until my next appointment. This is definitely much LIGHTER (in weight) than the splint!

Well that's a wrap! I hope you enjoyed reading my blog and learned something from it. Hopefully this blog will help you prepare for your surgery or at least give you ideas on what to expect if you were to go through the same type of procedure. I will be writing about my two week post op on my next blog! 

"What you do TODAY can improve all your 

TOMORROWS" 

Pre-Op LAPIDUS Bunionectomy and SURGERY

Hello..

Welcome to my blog!

This is my very FIRST blog on my experience with bunion surgery. If you have any question or concern, feel free to leave any comment below!

One week prior to June of 2016, I had a pre-op appointment with my podiatrist to go over some instructions and expectations of the bunion surgery. I was informed that I will not be walking or putting any weight on my RIGHT foot for at least 6-8 weeks. CAN YOU IMAGINE THAT? :)

The podiatrist went over the types of prescription drugs that I would need to be on after surgery to aid with the recovery process and post-op pain/discomfort. He mentioned several types of conditions that can be expected after surgery such as numbness and tingling, sensitivity, and of course pain. He also went over the time and site of the outpatient center and so on. Really nothing much besides keeping my foot elevated and rest well after surgery. 

So...now let's begin...

2016 One day before surgery...

ONE DAY before my bunion surgery......Aaaahhh I am sooooo nervous for tomorrow! I am having a procedure called LAPIDUS BUNIONECTOMY.  Basically, this procedure will relocate the ENTIRE 1st metatarsal bone back to its original (native) position of the foot. Let me EXPLAIN...

I have been battling with this genetic condition since I was a kid. I began to realize that I have BUNIONS in middle school when my feet would hurt after taking off my shoes coming home from school. The corner of my first toes on both feet would be flaming red and would ache for hours. So when I turned eighteen, I took myself to a medical clinic in central San Diego and asked over 3 different general doctors if they could help me with treatment for my bunions. All three doctors turned me down because my medical insurance would not pay for it. They had suggested botox treatment, orthopedic shoes, and bunion surgery as the last resort.

As years go by, my bunions began to cause more pain and discomfort! I had difficulty finding shoes that would fit. You've gotta understand how difficult it is to be a WOMAN! haha. Anyway, sometimes I would wake up in the middle of the night with THROBBING pain shooting from my bunions. Weird right?

FINALLY... eight years later, I got a job with PPO insurance and was able to arrange the bunion surgery. I moved to Sacramento and got a referral to a PODIATRIST (foot doctor). My podiatrist recommended LAPIDUS BUNIONECTOMY for me. However, only ONE foot can be treated at a time. BUMMER!!!

For years I have been searching all over the Internet and watching many YouTube videos about bunions, its causes, and treatments. Let me break it down.....

HALLUX VALGUS is the medical term for a bunion. There are OVER 100 types of bunion surgeries! OMG! Don't get me started LOL...

LAPIDUS bunionectomy = FUSION of the 1st TMT joint. You can read about this type of surgery if you are interested because I can go on and on about it. This type of surgery is OUTPATIENT, takes about 2 hours under general anesthesia, and you will be on pain medications for as long as needed. This surgery is for moderate to severe bunions. Lapidus bunionectomy has the lowest risk of RECURRENT bunions, meaning bunions are less likely to come back after treatment.

So...since today is one day before my surgery, I made sure my belly was happy before I went to bed! By the way, I had to stop eating and drinking by 9:30 PM since my surgery is scheduled for 7:30 AM the next day. 

The picture below was taken the morning of the surgery. I had to remove my toe nail polish prior to surgery. Most doctors won't make you remove the nail polish unless the polish is made of certain material. Don't judge! 

By the way, my bunions were not this bad when I was in middle school. The bunions gradually became worse over the years due to playing sports and dancing...(volleyball, belly dancing, hip hop, wearing heels, etc)

June...2016

This is IT! I am having my RIGHT foot treated today. I checked in at 5:30AM at the outpatient surgery center. The nurses and staffs were wonderful and made me feel very comfortable. IV was done with little discomfort. I met my ANESTHESIOLOGIST and he was so NICE and explained EVERYTHING so clear. My podiatrist greeted me, went over my medical history, and marked the foot he's going to perform surgery on. I was READY!

A little past 7 AM, an OR (operating room) nurse came and transferred me to the operating room...

And then....the next thing I know....I woke up in the outpatient bed. I was NUMB, nauseous, and HANGRY! LOL

Around noon, a male nurse wheel-chaired me to the Exit door and helped me get in my car. Of course I didn't drive to the hospital or back home. 

I was prescribed with NORCO (Hydrocodon-acetaminophen) for pain, and had to inject blood thinner ONCE a day for 14 days (at the same time everyday) into my abdomen to prevent blood clot. This injection is called ENOXAPARIN sodium injection. This blood thinner is definitely NOT my favorite!

Throughout the rest of the day, I did not have the appetite to consume any food although I was hungry. I literally threw up right after I ate rice porridge. So for the rest of the night I was in bed and slept like a panda bear! LOL.. The only time I got up was to use the restroom. I forgot to mention that my anesthesiologist gave me a BLOCK injection during the surgery to keep my foot numbed for 24 hours. This block really helps with postoperative pain.

Well, I will continue blogging about my recovery process in the next blog so make sure to tune in for more!! I will also post more pictures on my next blog. I will be doing a 2 week POST-OP, 6 weeks, etc. I promise the pictures will be more clear in the next blog as well. 

I hope this blog gives you the information you needed. Good luck if you are going through the same thing right now! 

Oh don't forget... KEEP YOUR FOOT ELEVATED!!!

"Every new day is another chance to change your life."