Bunion Blog 1

So yesterday I spent 1 1/2 hours at the podiatrist to have a 5 minute visit and for her to tell me that I can't have my surgery until March 18th because she just found out she has to go to a podiatry convention. And I need to have a physical, bloodwork and another visit with her before surgery. Bummer. This stinks, and not just because it's feet we're talking about here. We already had moved some upcoming events around to accomodate surgery sooner and now, being off of my feet for 2 weeks is going to mess up my plan. Yeah, yeah, yeah, I hear it - I said MY plan. At some point I will learn that it's never MY plan. It's GOD'S plan and surely He has a reason for this delay, but I still say "fooey."

I was probably WAY too excited about this surgery anyway, especially when I start thinking about what it entails, but honestly, I really am excited about it. I have been walking with intermittant pain for 10 years and that moved into constant pain for about the past year. So, the sooner I can get the cutting, sawing and stitching done, the better.

While this is not my foot because that would just be gross... it gives you an almost exact replica of what my foot actually looks like.
And that should make you understand why it needs to be fixed.

See the little circle at the base of the big toe joint? In a normal foot position, that should actually be under the joint. When we are born, that is where our big toes are. When we develop bunions, our bones move and ligaments lengthen. I have a bunion on the big toe side of my foot as well as a tailor's bunion on my little toe side, just like the picture. My surgery will entail cutting a v-shaped wedge out of the bone beneath my big toe and straightening the bone. Then she will shave off the boney overgrowth and shorten my tendon on top of my foot. It will all be held into place with 3 screws and a pin. At the little toe, another wedge of bone will be removed and the toe straightened and bone shaved - no pins on that side, just a couple of screws. Exciting stuff, huh?!? And, once again, I'm gonna be awake for surgery! Well, doped up and numbed but awake... I think I'll take my iPod so I don't have to hear that bone saw. I may get brave during these quick chronicles and post some real pics or x-rays if I can convince the doc to share, but I don't want to lose what few readers I have, so I'm still contemplating.