Bunion Surgery and the 2 Weeks After

So I googled for a surgeon with a great reputation, and after reading some forums I stumbled across an orthopaedic surgeon who specialises in foot and ankle procedures, and has had extensive experience working with professional athletes and dancers. I made an initial appointment to consult with the surgeon about my feet and he agreed to perform a bilateral Scarf/Akin osteotomy.

The operation was performed through two incisions. One of the tight ligaments on the opposite side of the bunion was released. Then the bunion was shaved. Following this the metatarsal bone was cut and adjusted to narrow the foot and realign the joint. A small screw was placed in the bone to provide fixation. A fine wedge of bone was then removed from the bone to straighten the toe and a small staple wasused to hold the bone in place.



When I first woke up from surgery I had no pain at all due to a sciatic nerve block that had been administered behind the knee. I was moved to my hospital bed and the dead weight of my legs was elevated. The feeling in my feet began to return around 12 hours later. It was a gradual return in sensation; tingling, like pins and needles. The nurses at the hospital advised that I start taking the pain medication straight away to avoid experiencing any severe pain. I was alternating taking two Digesic tablets and two Ibuprofen tables every two hours. There was a small amount of bleeding after a trip to the bathroom so my bandages were changed on the first day post op. I stayed at the hospital for two nights, and by the time I was checked out I was able to walk small distances on the heels of my feet, using crutches for support.

For the first three nights out of hospital I stayed planted to the sofa bed, only moving to go to the bathroom. My mother and husband were on food and drink duty! There was no way that I could have prepared any meals for myself, or even carried any drinks while supporting myself on crutches. Luckily for me I had seasons 1 and 2 of Dexter on DVD and although I had never seen an episode I managed to get through 24 hours of Dexter within one weekend.

On day five after surgery I had my first post-op appointment with the surgeon. He was very happy with my progress and said he could tell I had been a good girl, doing absolutely nothing. The clinic's nurse redressed my wounds and they booked me in for an eight week post-op review.



The next ten days were spent doing much of the same... Absolutely nothing. There are only so many tv box sets and movies a person can watch during one day. My daily activity increased to having a bath (feet still elevated, protected by plastic bags), going to the toilet and surfing the internet... Thank god for the internet!!!