9 Year Foot-aversary

It seems as though the last time I posted about my feet was seven years ago for my two year foot-aversary. Whoops!

I generally don't think about my feet very often as they are still so much better than before my operation. Plus work and life keep me busy and we also moved house last year. I usually commemorate the foot-aversary on Facebook but that's about it!

So, the update... My feet have been so much better since the surgery, it really was life changing and I often say to my husband that it is the best thing I ever did. We have had some brilliant holidays and my new feet have walked me around Disney World, San Diego Zoo, along trails at the Grand Canyon, Zion, and Yosemite National Parks among many other things which I could not have imagined doing before the surgery. I do still get a bit of hard skin build up, especially under my fourth toes but I try to keep on top of it with filing, foot cream and visits to the podiatrist. The big toe nail on my right foot has also never really grown properly since the surgery. I can see I mentioned it seven years ago and in the previous post and it is still growing extremely thick and kind of gross looking! However, it very rarely causes me pain (only sometimes if a shoe is a bit tight on it) so I don't really mind.

My feet today, nine years post surgery

Recently, I have found some pain and stiffness in the fourth toe on my right foot, along with an increased build up of hard skin underneath it. As mentioned above, the hard skin never really went away but it was definitely getting worse. The toe itself seems to have lost the 'floppiness' that the toes have since the operation and no longer really moves. This stiffness has also made the second and third toes drift and they often push underneath the big toe. I showed my rheumatologist last time I saw her (last summer) and though she agreed with my suggestion that maybe the toe has re-fused, I first had to have X-rays and an ultrasound prior to a referral to my original surgeon.

I was very excited when I got the referral letter through finally and also excited when I realised the appointment fell on my nine year foot-aversary! I was looking forward to seeing my surgeon again after so long and excited about having this dodgy toe fixed (though, admittedly also slightly anxious at the prospect of more surgery).

And then of course came the Coronavirus. I received my shielding letter and so am advised to stay at home until 15th June. Even before I'd received that, I'd had a letter saying my appointment was cancelled (along with a cancellation letter for my rheumatology appointment earlier in April). So, as I don't get the chance to speak to my surgeon about this today, I'm posting it here instead. I will update again when I get to see her again (whenever that may be!). I hope anyone reading this is coping OK in this strange time that we find ourselves in.

2 Year Foot-aversary

Today marks two years since I had my foot surgery! I am so pleased with my feet, it has made a dramatic difference to my life. Since having the surgery I have:

• Lost 3 and a half stone (50lb)
• Walked around Chicago and New York with no forefoot pain
• Bought new shoes without it being a total disaster and rediscovered old shoes that I can now wear pain-free!
• Been able to walk barefoot and also been able to go swimming again
• Started Pilates classes

I am so pleased with my new feet and the new things they have allowed me to do. My feet are currently looking like this:

You might notice that the right foot toe nail, which I mentioned last time was growing strangely and very thick, has now partly fallen off! I saw a different podiatrist, who filed across the face of the nail and about a week later, the top section just fell off! I was a little disturbed by this but it seems as though the nail is doing quite well and that top section wasn't really connected to the live nail anyway. I am continuing with my tea-tree oil and it seems to be growing through a bit healthier. The scars are fading but still visible (which I'm quite pleased about actually - I want proof of what I went through!) and the toes are much less wobbly and floppy now - the joints seem to have stiffened up a bit. Here are the bunion wounds:

 

You can see they look great too. Even though the bunion bone does protrude a little bit it has not caused me any pain so I'm totally happy.

When you compare them to my old feet, you can really see the difference:

 



Overall, it's been a great two years and I am so pleased that I made the decision to have the operation.

20 Months Update

I obviously failed to update again after the removal of the screws from my big toes! Since May, my feet have continued to improve and I very rarely get pain in my forefeet. My fourth toes on each foot are slightly lower and I do have to take extra care of the skin to prevent hard skin developing again but it's very manageable.

In July, my husband and I went on holiday to Chicago and NYC. It was amazing! Here are a couple of pictures of my feet enjoying Chicago!


SkyDeck in Willis Tower (Sears Tower). Note the new purple Nikes!

Enjoying the beach on the shore of Lake Michigan

In both locations, we really noticed how good my feet were. I managed to walk around both cities without my feet hurting! In New York particularly, I noticed how much of an improvement there was. When I visited New York in 2010, I couldn't walk from Macy's to Times Square (a distance of eight blocks) without stopping a LOT but this time I walked that distance easily. It was a great holiday and really made me realise how much my foot pain had affected me previously.

I have been back at work since the end of August and my feet are also doing much better there. The latest issue is my left hand fingers don't straighten on their own but this blog isn't called Gwen's Hands!

Here are the latest photos of my feet. I was a little concerned that there are still slight protrusions by my big toes and they were slightly sore when I started wearing my new school shoes. After a couple of months, though, the leather stretched and they don't hurt anymore!

 



 

You can see that my feet look really good. The scars have continued to fade and my feet don't swell up anymore either. My big toe nail on my right foot is a bit strange, with different layers growing through underneath each other. My podiatrist suggested using tea tree oil daily for three months, He said if it made a difference, continue and if not then abandon it. I've been doing it for about six weeks and I think it's helping but it's difficult to judge yet.

These pictures show the 'bunion' areas and where I had the screws removed in May. You can see that the skin has fully healed and looks great!
Overall, 2012 has been a very good year for my feet. It has been great to get the screws out and start to enjoy my new, pain free feet!



Stitch Trimming

As today is my tenth day after having my screws removed, I had to go to my GP surgery to have the stitches trimmed. They used dissolvable stitches to suture the wounds but the parts which are not under the skin wouldn't dissolve so they needed to be trimmed off. I was feeling quite apprehensive about it as having the stitches removed last time was pretty sore. I just hoped that as the stitches were only being trimmed it would be better. The amount of blood that we saw through the plasters when we removed the bandages was also making me feel nervous.

When I got into the Treatment Room and met the Practice Nurse, I was glad to see that she had received the letter explaining what the surgeon wanted her to do. She asked me a few questions about what I'd had done and checked that we both had the same understanding of what needed to be done. She then removed the plasters. They actually came off really easily and it didn't hurt! I was also really, really pleased with how my feet looked underneath. The incisions were really small and look like they're healing well.

You can see the loops of the stitches in these photos too. The nurse had to pull them up slightly to trim off the ends but it didn't really hurt. I was very relieved! She said they looked like they were healing well and were not infected at all. She didn't clean them up at all because she said she wanted to allow them to continue to heal a bit more. She decided to put another plaster over each toe for another couple of days. On Wednesday, I can remove the plasters and wash my feet or have a shower. After that, I can apply more plasters if I want to. She said if it helps them feel more comfortable when wearing shoes it's probably a good idea.

I'm really pleased with how well they are healing and how they feel. It feels like they have been cleaned even though they haven't. I guess that's just from having the dressing changed. The next challenge will be to try wearing shoes. I haven't worn any since the operation and as I'm returning to work next week I'd better start seeing how I get on wearing them again! I think it might be a bit sore so I'll probably have to build up how long I wear them for each day. I'll post more pictures once my feet are all clean later in the week.

Removal of screws

On Friday, 4th May (Star Wars Day!) I returned to hospital to have the screws removed. I checked in early and waited to have all the pre-surgery meetings. A nurse came over pretty quickly and went through all my paperwork with me. I asked her whether they knew when I'd be going into surgery and she told me that I was second on my surgeon's list. I was pleased to hear that I wouldn't be last like last time! Next, the anaesthetist came over and discussed the anaesthetic with me. I asked him whether I'd be having local or general and he said it would be general. I was a bit worried about this, as I'd felt quite sick last time so I told him that the surgeon had said it could be done with a local. He said he'd discuss it with her. After a little while, my surgeon came and had a look at my feet. When I told her that all four of the screws have been causing me pain and discomfort, she marked my feet up and then asked me to sign the consent form. I again raised the issue of anaesthetic with her and she explained that as all four screws were being removed, it would be best to have a general. I was a bit disappointed but when she explained it would take quite a while to do all four, I was happier to be asleep!

Not too long after that, I was taken through to surgery and given the anaesthetic. Next thing I knew, I was waking up in recovery and then I was wheeled back to the ward. It was an hour and a half from leaving the ward to returning. My husband came back to wait with me before they discharged me. I had some toast and a yoghurt to eat and luckily didn't feel sick this time. I guess that last time I'd had to have much more anaesthetic as the operation was much longer. Then I had to meet with a physio before we could leave. I was given some more blue shoes (but much smaller this time) and crutches to use. My feet were bandaged quite securely with thick dressings.

I kept my feet elevated for the first 24 hours and had them up a bit yesterday as well. I did manage to go out yesterday to see my nephew on his birthday and was pleased to be able to walk pretty normally without actually needing my crutches.

Today we had to remove the thick bandaging until we revealed plasters stuck over the wounds themselves. The plasters need to stay in place until next Monday when I have to go to the GP so the Practise Nurse can trim the stitches and check that they are healing OK. It was a bit of a shock when we removed the bandages because my feet had bled quite a bit and my husband had to pull quite hard at times because the blood had dried and stuck the bandages to the plaster. I was a bit freaked out but my husband reassured me that it was all fine and the blood was all dry. He was also pleased that the area was cool so we're pretty confident that they're not infected. Here's how they looked:

The nurse had given us some extra plasters to stick over in case they were curling up or anything so we decided to stick an extra one over each foot. It feels nice to have my feet out in the open again - the left foot particularly had been bandaged quite tightly! Here's how they look now with the fresh plasters over the top:

I'm slightly apprehensive about next Monday and how removing the plasters and trimming the stitches will go but I'm sure it will be fine. I'll update with more pictures after that appointment.

Week Fifty-Three

Wow, I totally didn't update after my February appointment. I didn't see my surgeon but I did see another doctor and they agreed that I could have the screws removed from my feet. I went to my pre-operation assessment a month ago and it went much better than the first pre-op assessment. Unfortunately though, I didn't get to see the surgeon again and I was still unclear what type of anaesthetic I would be having. I was able to email her and she told me that they will give me a local anaesthetic but if I'm experiencing a lot of pain they might transfer to general. I'm pretty hopeful that I'll be able to cope with any discomfort so fingers crossed! I also didn't get to ask her my multitude of other questions but I'll be able to talk to her tomorrow as I have to sign the consent form before going for surgery. I'm not so nervous this time - my attitude is that whatever happens, it will be better and more manageable than last time!

Onto some photos.

As you can see, they look pretty fantastic. I'm so pleased with them and get barely any pain from my dropped toes. I'm still working on my routine to keep the hard skin under control but it's pretty manageable. I found a great podiatrist near my in-laws' and can go there to get the hard skin fully removed if necessary and they also cut my toenails beautifully.

Here are the shots which show off the screws the best. They are pretty visible and do protrude quite a lot now. I've noticed that they do rub and feel sore reasonably regularly, especially in the mornings.

I am looking forward to going in tomorrow and getting the screws out. I will update with the details afterwards, but I may not have good photos for a while as I was told they would have 'heavy bandaging' for when I come out.

Just as a last comparison, here is what my feet looked like a little over a year ago and today:

I can't quite believe the difference! Can't wait to see how good they are once the screws are gone!

New Year Photo Update

Looking through my last post has made me realise that there have been some more changes to my feet over the last couple of months so I thought I would document them here.

Update photos:

As you can see, my feet are looking really good. I am very pleased with them. I no longer have to pay particular attention to them at work and can get along well. If I stand for long periods, I do feel them but that is partly my ankles too which have nothing to do with the operation!

I have noticed when comparing these photos to the previous ones that my little toe on my right foot has moved a little and is no longer standing up straight. The bone is a little prominent at the bottom of this joint, like a mini bunion but it is not causing me any pain so I’m not worried about it.

You can see in the following photos that the screws (which I was concerned about following my last appointment) do protrude quite visibly. I have noticed some pain from them, particularly if it is very cold and I have sometimes felt them rubbing a little even in my trainers. I do think that they may well have to be removed but we shall see what the consultant thinks when I go for my appointment. The date has been pushed back a couple of times and it is now going to be in early February.

There is very little other news really. I have been very busy with work and that’s about it! I will be sure to update again after the appointment in February.

Weeks 18-24 Update!

Wow, I've really neglected my blog recently. Since term started I've not really had much energy or time to do it and it has rather fallen off my to-do list! It is now the half term break so I thought I'd do another update.

Following my last appointment at the hospital, I was a bit concerned about the prospect of possibly having to have a further procedure to remove the screws. I emailed my consultant about this and she reassured me that the procedure was a minor one, would only require about one week's recuperation and was only carried out if the screws were causing pain or interfering with footwear. She also explained that they would be removed approximately one year after the initial operation and the bones would be fully fused and so the lack of screws would not lead to a recurrence of the bunions. I felt very reassured and returned to work at the end of August happily.

The first week or so at work was quite hard and my feet did become sore and quite swollen over the course of the day. I became aware of them feeling particularly swollen and sore on my drive home from work in the evenings. I was trying to find a balance between resting my feet and moving around and I actually found that moving more led to less pain and swelling. Over the course of the half term, I have become less and less aware of them and they give me very little pain any more.

One thing which I noticed from the start was that even when my feet were sore at the end of a day at work they stopped hurting really quickly if I put them up when I got home. Before the operation, if my feet were sore they'd pretty much be sore all night.

Here are some update photos:

I took these one morning when they weren't at all swollen. I think they look great! The toes look very long and thin and the scar tissue looks pretty good too.

Here are the big toe scars. They are also healing well. I can walk barefoot now without pain and am very very pleased with my feet. I have developed a bit of hard skin on the balls of my feet but I am filing and moisturising that which is dealing with it quite well.

When I wear my trainers, I feel no pain or problems with the screws. I recently tried on some smarter shoes which I was hoping to wear to a party and the right lower screw was quite painful then. I'm going to have to buy new shoes to wear and this does also make me think that the screw might need to be removed. Here's a photo that shows how prominent the screw is. As you can see, it is quite visible and now that it has caused a problem with shoes, I'm not so confident that it will be able to stay in. We'll see what the consultant thinks in January!

I'm not sure when I'll update next but if any one finds this blog and wants to ask me any questions, just comment on any post and I'll try to answer them for you!

Week 17 Roundup and August Appointment

My feet have been continuing to improve over the last two weeks and I am really pleased with them. I can walk barefoot now with no pain and the scarring is looking much better. I have been back into school a couple of times and finished getting my classroom ready for the new term (which starts next week!) and I've been getting out and about quite a bit more, including going down to London with my parents to visit family, which was lovely. I was pleased with how my feet coped with being down for that length of time and it was fun to show off my new feet!

Here are some recent photos. I managed to take some when my feet were not swollen so you can see the really good shape of them.

I think they look really good and if you look closely around the big toe area you can actually see the screws a bit. I quite enjoy that and have had fun getting people to touch them and freaking them out!

You can see the screw on the right foot even more clearly here!

The other main thing that happened this week was returning to the hospital for my check-up with the surgeon. Unfortunately, I was not able to see the surgeon and instead had to meet the registrar. He looked at my feet and asked me to walk up and down. He didn't seem very pleased with how I was walking and commented that I was bearing a lot of weight on my heels. I found this a bit rude really, especially considering how I used to walk barefoot! Then he mentioned, very casually, that if the screws protrude they sometimes need to be removed with a second surgical procedure. This was news to us and a bit of a shock. As my feet were a little puffy at the time, he couldn't see the screws when he said this but I told him that they were visible when my feet were not swollen. My husband and I asked a few follow up questions and he seemed quite reticent to answer, saying that we shouldn't think about it at the moment. We managed to get out of him that I would probably need a week or two off work to recover and about one in five people have to have the screws removed. He referred me to come back in January for a further check-up where I would have an X-ray and they could assess the situation with the screws.

I was not very impressed with the consultation and found his manner quite disconcerting. I was also disappointed not to see my surgeon. As I still had some worries and questions based on his comments, I emailed my surgeon to ask her about the possibility of having to have the screws removed. Hopefully she will be able to reply and explain the situation a bit better. An unfortunate recurring theme in this process is that meeting with anyone other than the surgeon will lead to me feeling a bit worried and unsure! Hopefully, when I go back in January I will see my surgeon and I will feel confident about the outcome of the consultation. In the meantime, I am looking forward to returning to work and hopeful that it will not be too much of a shock to the system!

Week 15 Roundup

Since the last roundup I have been into work, bought new trainers and started using my Wii Fit again. I only have three weeks left before I am back in the swing of things at work so need to get working up to that! I'm pretty sure that when I start work it will be tiring and my legs and feet will get sore (they normally do after the summer holiday anyway, let alone after have four months of very little activity and foot surgery!) but I'm trying to build up so that it's less of a shock to the system!

I was very pleased with my new trainers. I actually went up a size from size six to seven. I tried some size six shoes on and my feet did fit in but the trainers were tight across the top of my foot so we went with the sevens. I'm not sure whether once the swelling is gone I might be a six again but we'll see.

My feet are coping very well with more walking and going out and about. I drove yesterday and plan to do more driving over the next couple of weeks too, including driving to work which is quite a long journey. I have found my legs have started aching before my feet get sore when I've been doing some Wii Fit but I suppose that's a result of having done so little for so long. I have been able to do the Wii Fit with bare feet which I couldn't do before as my dropped toes caused too much pain, so I'm really pleased with my feet really. Now I just need to get the rest of my body up to speed!

Here are the weekly photos. They look quite swollen again but this is because I've used them quite a lot and I'm also having them elevated much less now. This morning I did have them up for a while when I was watching television and they weren't at all swollen and looked great. I should have taken a photo then!

The scars are still pretty visible on the right foot but the ones on the left foot are fading quite nicely now. I think my feet look great and if I wear sandals that cover the scarring they look pretty normal. They are a bit swollen but nothing too bad and I think that they look great!



The scars from the bunions are fading even better than the rest, I think. It is quite fun to show people that you can actually see the screws a little bit next to the bunions. They show up much better when my feet aren't swollen and you can feel them too. I'll try to take less swollen pictures next week to show the screws!

Weeks 13 and 14 Roundup

Last week, my husband and I went away on holiday to Spain. We stayed in a lovely hotel which was on a golf resort and had a really relaxing time. My feet were slightly more swollen than they have been back at home, due to the heat there, and that did restrict us going out very much but it was a lovely break anyway.

I wore flight socks on the flights to prevent too much swelling and they seemed to work pretty well. They were a challenge to get on though as they were so tight!

While there, we did manage to get to the beach one day and I also swam in the pool. Some photos of my feet enjoying these activities follow!

I especially enjoyed going in the pool as I used to love swimming but walking around barefoot was so uncomfortable I haven't done it for ages. It was also a great way to cool down!

My new sandals weren't quite as comfy as I'd hoped and I didn't end up wearing them that much. I think they need wearing in a bit first. I'm going to try and persevere with them but I was a bit disappointed.

This week I've been trying to get back into the swing of being at home and also trying to increase the amount of time I spend on my feet. I only have a month now before I return to work so I feel like I need to be building my strength ready for that. I might try doing some Wii Fit to try and achieve this.

Here are the weekly photos for this week:

They are looking and feeling pretty good. I feel like the scars are fading more and more all the time and my feet feel pretty comfortable. I am not having to put them up as much as I was and they are looking slightly swollen as a result but they don't hurt so I feel like that is OK.

The bunion scars are also fading, especially on the right foot. The left foot bunion scar still has some slightly odd dry skin on it but this kind of skin was on the largest scar on my right foot too so I'm not worried about it. My main concern from looking at these photos is the state of my toenails. I think I meed to see the podiatrist and maybe the doctor to see if there's something we can do to make them look less gross!