It only took me 6 years to do it "right"...

the last photo of my right foot, one hour before surgery... 

On October 20, 2020 I had my 3rd bunionectomy. With my last experience(s) in 2014 being a disaster, it took me years to get up the courage to do the surgery on my right side. My bunion on my right foot had really progressed in that time. My big toe was pushing pretty strong on my other toes and was starting to cause quite a bit of discomfort. The dull pain had begun to shift to the right side of my right foot, underneath my smaller toes. This is a result of my gait shifting to accomodate the bunion. Knowing full well that this would turn into a much bigger issue and certainly a more extensive surgery - I made the appointment for the procedure back in 2019. 

My feelings going into this surgery differed greatly from my first two. Firstly, I had 100% faith in the ability of my surgeon. Although this eased a bit of my anxiety, I knew the right foot would be much more difficult to recover from- even though I sustained two surgeries on my left foot as a result of a botched first surgery. I was absolutely correct. This surgery has been a test to my mental and physical well being in so many ways. On top of the uncertainty and abnormal year we have had already, this was the cherry on my sundae. This is my adventure with a full Lapidus procedure on my right foot. I have documented everything with photos and journals, all for you to read and see...

Maybe It's Growing On Me

I have yet to have surgery on my right foot. I'm 43, very active and I just cannot bear to think about doing my other foot and potentially having complications like my first surgery. My issues have become that of balance and proper gait.

I do quite a bit of running, strength training and hiking. I was a swimmer and water polo player in my younger life - which would be so much better for my feet, but the havoc chlorine wreaked on my skin and my hair no longer entices me. I pay entirely too much to keep those things in great shape and I'd like to keep it that way.

 When I strength train or do yoga especially, my balance is almost completely shifted off my surgery location - still. I don't have pain there, other than the occasional arthritic bother. It's more like I'm just used to keeping weight off that part of my foot after all the trauma and so it has remained that way. This causes quite a bit of imbalance when I'm doing any sort of balance activity and my concern is that over time this will cause significant issues with my lower back, spine and overall stability.

I'm not sure that a surgery on my right foot would remedy this. I've begun to think it's just par for the course... speaking of, my weight shift in golf is greatly affected as well. My solution to this has just been to continue wearing my favorite Birkenstocks or my Vionic flip-flops. I don't wear heels often, since I'm 5'10", so that's good. I have considered more of a minimalist shoe for working out or running, like Xero shoes or something similar. 

I'm curious if any of you have tried these and have input on them. One day I will get around to fixing the other foot. It will be dependent on finding a doctor here in San Diego that I trust and who has a LOT of experience. After all, they're just "practicing" surgeons. 

long awaited update...

It's been a long time since I last posted my adventures in bunions. This is because after two grueling surgeries on the same foot, I have yet to schedule my right foot. My first surgery (done by a podiatrist) was a complete and utter disaster. After it had not healed completely for more than 15 weeks of nearly no pressure - my hardware was pushing through the top of my foot. As it turned out, he had put in a 2inch plate and 6 screws to fuse my foot. My bunion was still showing and began to be more pronounced week after week. I went to see an OS to have the second surgery done just two weeks after full recovery. She removed all hardware, shaved more of the bone and inserted two simple screws. Had I gone to her in the first place, I would have been very pleased and most likely would have already gone through with the surgery on my right foot. I plan to have my 3rd surgery (right foot) done at the end of this summer.

WEEK 6

Two more weeks in my boot... yay! I had a setback at 4 weeks when my bandages were removed. A good portion of my lower incision was moist and not healing well. Dr. Dreeben was quick to get me on another round of antibiotics, to avoid any sort of infection. The oozing had me a bit worried, but at my last check in this past week - healing was great.

This surgery recovery has been tremendously different than my first awful experience. Firstly,  I have been able to put weight on my foot in a surgical boot from nearly day one. This has made a big improvement in my overall morale and activity level. Although I am still limited to floor exercises, stationary bike (boring), abs and arms - I feel generally more active just being able to walk. Dr. Dreeben has also been very different about incision healing. My bandages are still on. She changes them every week and cleans my foot, before re-wrapping and taping my foot.

I asked her when the bandages come off and she does not take them off until completely healed. I have to say, my incisions look much lighter and much better than my previous incisions. I think keeping them covered has been great for the healing process. Last surgery I had my bandages off much sooner and was getting my foot wet, even with part of the crust still intact (gross).

8 weeks is ideal time for bone healing. This is the magic number for bone surgery... sometimes longer, usually not less. Once my boot is off at 8 weeks, I will go directly into a normal shoe. This could be a running shoe or a wedge - depending on what my comfort level is. Much to my husband's dismay - this will probably mean a Birkenstock.

The Unveiling - graphic image

Hoorah! My bandages were changed yesterday and I was able to see my foot. I had to have my husband take a photo and show me after we left the office, so as not to faint.

If you see closely there are 3 incisions. One is directly on top of my previous incision, where my surgeon went in and correctly repaired the bunion and removed the hardware. The second is below the main incision - where she rotated the bone and properly aligned it before inserting ONE screw. The third incision is between my big toe and the toe next to it, this is where she cut the tendon that pulls constantly on my big toe. Because of the strength of that tendon, it should have been severed in my first surgery - but my less than competent surgeon Dr. Keenan Carreiro, never even mentioned it.

Overall there are more cuts this time, but the swelling is almost non-existent. I am almost 100% off my crutches, except for at night if I have been on my feet all day - I will use one crutch to take some pressure off. My recovery has been like night and day. It is so obvious to me now, that my first surgery was a complete and utter fail.

One more week and I will have another check up and another x-ray. So far, I could not be happier.

xo

how to mange parenting and a puppy on one leg and percocet...

I forgot how fun this was! My surgery was on Monday. My husband took me in at 12:30 and my surgery began at 3:15pm. One of the most difficult parts was not being able to drink or eat anything from midnight on. I am a habitual water drinker, even in them middle of the night - so this was torture. The rest went as expected. Anesthesia went seamlessly, and I was pretty coherent and back home by 5:30. The first evening is always a blur. My Mom was here to help us, and I had sent my boys to their Grandpa's house for one night so I could just rest and not worry about keeping them in line.

Tuesday morning was a whole different story. My Dad, who rarely has the kids alone - dropped off both boys at 10am. My husband was at work, girls were not out of bed yet and the boys come running through the house. My Dad sees my condition and hands me a bag with the two small pills that my Asperger's/ADHD 8 year old must take upon waking up each morning and says... "he didn't want to take them." Really?

For the next half an hour until his medicine begins to work, both boys are bouncing off the walls and it's a near panic situation. My foot was throbbing and I was in sweats from my percocet. Kindle to the rescue.

We have such issues with rules in regards to video games in our home. I am very strict about the amount of time they are allowed to play. Part of this is just making sure that they remain able to socialize with people and have manners and self-control. The other part is because of the detachment issues associated with my son's Asperger's. He has an extremely hard time with transition. This is normal Aspergers behavior and sometimes common with kids, period. Often when he is too involved in a game and we ask him to stop - it's meltdown mode. His reaction can fluctuate between calmly handing over the remote, or throwing it at your head.

On a morning like this one, I was willing to let him play until his eyes bled.

My surgeon removed all the hardware that was put in from my surgery last January. I had a large plate and 3 screws. One of the screws was already backing out and causing pressure and bruising. It was very close to coming through the skin. She cleaned up the mess made by  Dr. Carreiro and left me with a smaller incision area, one screw and hopefully a much cleaner and smaller scar (she mentioned that he had done a hack job to begin with.) I feel so thankful to have a good surgeon. I should have gone with her in the first place, but hindsight...

This time around I received an orthopedic shoe. My husband thinks it looks like a 4x4 Teva. I despise Teva shoes, but I do agree this is more sporty than the astro-boot I had to wear last time. I am using crutches sparingly to get around and I am already putting pressure on my heel... as opposed to having to wait 6 weeks to do so before. Everything about this surgery feels better. By my next surgery on the right foot, I will be a seasoned professional.

My dressing will come off on Monday, one week from my surgery date. I cannot change the dressing or get it wet at all. I have managed to take two showers on my own and have found that dry shampoo, as awesome as it is... will never take the place of a good hot shower - even with a bag on your foot.

until Monday, when I can reveal the goods...

b.

Goodbye Again

The beauty of insurance requirements has pushed my 2nd surgery on my left foot up to December 29th. Within the last few months my hardware has given me a significant amount of difficulty. The bottom screw has backed it's way out and is putting pressure on my skin, causing a bruise. Although I am managing to get some occasional runs in, there is noticeable pain and discomfort. Not to mention I still have a fat bunion.

My hardware removal and 2nd bunionectomy attempt are with a new surgeon (duh), who has operated on my Mom multiple times, and is highly regarded in her field. I made a huge mistake by not going to her in the first place, but I have faith she will get these two feet where they need to be.

My husband is looking forward to me wearing shoes other than Birkenstocks and Asics... until next week, when my percocet induced posts begin!

cheers and Merry Christmas
xo