Cooly:
What are you having done?
I have not had any foot surgery, but at some point I may need to. I
hope someone can give you the info you need.
    Rose   @}>->--
    Being educated means that rather than fearing the unknown, one seeks to understand it. RB

    Please remove "Ima" to reply.

My foot surgery

http://users.pandora.be/gaetan.michiels1/hallux-valgus.htm

Toes correction was a hospitalisation of 3 days and a recovery of  8 weeks
foor each foot.
The infection was a month hospitalisation and a month recovery

Wil

Been there, done that, got the t-shirt.  <g>

Seriously, I've had 5 surgeries on my feet.  KJ runs away when I even
threaten to take my shoes off.  Here's what I've learned.

1. DON'T try to do "minor" surgeries to avoid the Clayton procedure (MT head
resection with fusion of the 1st MT).  Wait until you can't stand it then
have the MT heads removed all at once.  The reason is that feet grow scar
tissue - lots of it.  The more surgeries you have, the more scar tissue
you'll have.

2. DO use a wheelchair with leg extension for the first 6 to 8 weeks.  Keep
off your feet and keep them elevated to avoid scar tissue.

3. DO start PT as quickly as possible.  At first, all they will do is wound
care.  This reduces scar tissue (do you see a trend here?).  Then they will
start working the joints to break up the scar tissue and prevent adhesions.
(Yes, it hurts as much as it sounds like it will hurt.)

4. DO plan on buying all new shoes once you're on you feet.  Your old shoes
and old orthotics will no longer fit.

5. DON'T think your pain will all go away.  A post-surgical foot should be
better, but it won't be a lot better.  OTOH, it also should stop getting
worse.

6. And most importantly, DON'T use a surgeon who doesn't whittle on feet on
a weekly basis.  Feet are unlike any other area of the body and you need
someone with a lot of experience to do it right.

Oh, and BTW, your surgeon is only correct about continued damage IF your RA
is still out of control.  IMHO, you should not be considering this surgery
if your RA isn't being properly controlled.

And if you have young kids around the house, please remember that there will
be a ton of pins sticking out of your toes that little ones think need to be
played with.

Feel free to ask any questions you like.

Walt

Hi Cooly,

I had bunionectomies on both feet at the same time about 30 years ago,
when I was young and healthy. I was made to get up and walk the same
day, but with those big Frankenstein monster boots. I used a cane to
help me walk sometimes, and I quickly found that I could get around
better with just soft slippers, rather than the clumsy boots. I'm sure
they've got something much better these days.

I got orthotics and new shoes after the swelling went down, and I've
never really been able to wear "feminine" shoes again (pointy toes,
high heels). But the bunion pain totally went away after I recovered
from the surgery. I was able to jog, dance, hike, all of the things I
loved to do back then.

The only thing I notice nowadays is that my toes have spread
out--farther apart than they used to be--and my feet tend to cramp up
if I wear shoes without good support (see the "feminine" reference
again).

As I said, it was a long time ago, and I didn't have arthritis then,
much less RA, so I don't know if it's relevant to your case at all. But
it's always good to hear as many personal accounts as you can, to get a
broad spectrum.

I hope your surgery is as big a relief for you as it was for me.

Cheers,

Evelyn

Don't put it off.  My orthopedic surgeon said the sooner the better with "RA
feet".
Where are you from Cooly?

Barb C.