Post the First

This post is to introduce my blog and explain what I'll be doing on it over the next few weeks.

I have recently had bilateral 1st MTP joint arthrodesis and forefoot arthroplasty. This means that I have had my two bunions straightened and those joints stiffened and also had work done on the joints of all my other toes to combat deformity that had developed over several years.

The cause for the deformities in my forefoot (forefeet?) is that I have suffered with Rheumatoid Arthritis since the age of eight. Originally, my diagnosis was Juvenile Chronic Arthritis and it was painful for many years. More recently, my medication manages the arthritic pain and stiffness very well but the deformities in my feet were causing me quite a lot of pain and so, during a routine check up with the Rheumatology department, it was suggested that I may wish to meet with a surgeon to look into my options. Obviously, I did and eventually, after much thinking and debating with myself, I decided to go ahead with the surgery.

In this blog I will be sharing what the process has entailed for me, mainly because when I was trying to research the surgery I found very little information online about the procedure that I could access easily (i.e. that was not written in medical jargon) and I thought I would try to put some information online to help other people.