I absolutely hate feet. Just in general, I think they’re gross and ugly, but me having bunions makes my feet hatred even stronger. In case you don’t know, a bunion is a foot deformity where the big toe starts to deviate in the direction of the other toes. It is a displacement of the big toe causing an enlargement of the first joint. It’s actually pretty common, however I’ve only ever seen one person other than myself have them.
I’ve had bunions on both of my feet since I was little. I basically grew up with them. They’ve caused me a lot of pain and frustration throughout the years. People always told me to not let them get in the way of enjoying life, and to be thankful that I have feet that enable me to walk and run, but you know what, I can’t enjoy life when I can’t do just that. I mean, obviously I can walk, but I can’t be on my feet for long periods of time, not even for just an hour. I can’t wear heels. I currently only have two pairs of shoes that I can wear comfortably. Plus they’re very unsightly. I hate looking at them and I don’t want anyone else seeing them. Not even family members because even they make fun of me sometimes. My bunions have stopped me from wearing flip flops in the summer, and going to the beach when we travel to California. I feel like people will just stare at my feet and not me as a person. My bunions are honestly my biggest insecurity and I hate seeing them.
I’ve just had a lot of problems with them and it’s time to get them fixed. On Monday February 18th, I went for a consultation to see my doctor and discuss what needed to be done and had x-rays taken.
My doctor told me that I have very large bunions for such a young person. She told me a lot of things, things that freaked me out. Instead of the normal bunion surgeries I’ve been watching on YouTube, she explained that she will be performing a different surgery. Which, unfortunately, has a longer down time. Instead of the usual 6-8 weeks to heal, it will take 3 months for each foot to heal doing the surgery she explained. That’s 6 months! Half a freaking year of my life will have to be put on hold because of my stupid deformity. So basically, for the first few weeks, I can’t put any pressure on it at all, and then eventually I get a cast or a boot or something so I can start moving around again. But I don’t know, I feel like I can forget about that job I want cause I won’t be able to get around anyway.
I’m not nervous about the surgery at all, I’m happy I’m having it done. I’ve wanted this for YEARS. What freaks me out is the recovery afterwards. Having to be home everyday is gonna suck. Just knowing how long it’s gonna take makes me upset, but it has to be done. I wonder if I can just sleep the entire 6 months while they’re healing…
MEET ME IN MY DREAMS TONIGHT 
May 8th, 2013 at 11:48 am
Hi there! I stumbled on your Instagram and came here to see your bunion story. I go on July 10 for my bunionectomy on my right foot. After years of delay I’m finally biting the bullet. My mom had the surgery when I was much younger and I remember terrible things about her recovery, swelling and the ugly pin. Luckily I have the same dr who was incredible with her, but my procedure will be different. It’s called a Chevron something and ill have two screws permenately. Which totally kills my love of Chevron patterns. But I was wondering that’s what you had done and if you have any pre-op advice 🙂
May 8th, 2013 at 1:26 pm
Hello! And thank you for stopping by my blog!(: I’m not quite sure what the proper name for my bunionectomy was called, I just know that it was a bunionectomy with osteotomy and I have three permanent screws in my right foot. My doc says that if they ever happen to bother me that she could always remove one of them but I don’t see that happening.
Pain wise, for any kind of surgery, will of course be different for everyone depending on pain tolerance. I was kinda freaked because I had read that everyone that had this done was in so much pain afterward, and now that I’ve had it done, I don’t see what they were talking about. I didn’t have any pain at all and actually stopped taking my pain meds because I didn’t need them. I was just annoyed by the splint for a few days because it was digging into my skin.
For pre op, it may differ depending on what medical center you’ll be having your surgery at, but your doctor should give you papers regarding everything pre and post op.
Pre op for me included: being done eating solid foods by 7pm, no liquids after midnight, no greasy or fried foods the day before surgery, (my surgery was at 7am), no makeup, nail polish, or any kind of jewelry on day of surgery. Wear loose comfotable clothing. I just wore a loose pair of denim shorts and a hoodie.
You should also get together everything you might need to entertain yourself for awhile like your phone, laptop, chargers, books, etc.
I also really recommend investing in a knee walker instead of crutches. Knee walkers may be a little hard to find but if your insurance covers it, they can provide you with a list of places in your town that you can get one at. Having a knee walker makes it so much easier to get around if you need to.
That’s all I can think of for pre op at the moment, but if you have any more questions feel free to ask! And good luck with your surgery!