Samastitihi: Equal Standing

Yoga again.  Is it worth it at this point?  It's right around 12 weeks after surgery. I decide to give it a try, in my living room.  Courtesy of yogatoday.com.  Downward Dog is doctor-approved; though Plank Pose is not.  Transitions are tough (I skip the transtions that common sense tells me are a bad idea). 

My Word, I've become so weak.  How is it that I've become so weak, with all of the Pilates floor exercises I continued from like 5 days post-surgery?  With all of the tread-milling and stationary biking and weight-lifting I've been carrying on for the past month?  Though the scale says I've lost a few lbs (muscle, for sure); my body feels heavy moving through the poses. 

"Equal Standing" is taking on a revolutionary new feeling in my "new feet."  Without thinking, I snug the left foot right up next to the right foot and stand tall.  Scar-to-scar.  Kinda gives me the heebiejeebies.

Comments

[Andrea Packard]

Thank you for your honesty, Lynn. You have given me some things to think about. I actually think I am going to get a third opinion. I have only been to two different doctors and I didn't discuss procedures with the first. The second seems to think that I need a lapidus fusion, but that may very well just be his opinion. I emailed another doctor that's close to Philadelphia and he told me, "Most surgeons have their favorite procedure for bunions, depending on severity. I've done more closing base wedge osteotomies than either of the procedures you mentioned, but can perform any of the 3, depending on the circumstance. I would need to see both x- rays and your feet to be able to determine which would be appropriate. Then you could decide whether to proceed." I am going to try to get a hold of my x-rays and send them over and see what he thinks. This guy is a travel for me but he seems more experienced as far as his credentials. He is board certified by the American Board of Podiatric Surgery, a Diplomate of the American Board of Podiatric Medicine and a Fellow of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons. So he seems pretty qualified. How did you evaluate and choose your surgeon to make sure he was qualified? Sorry, about the enormous amount of questions but surgery is a really big deal and I have no one else I can relate to that has actually undergone surgery and knows anything about procedures and stuff. My mom and sister have the bunions too but neither has looked into undergoing surgery. I have spoken to three people that I do know who have undergone surgery and none of them seem to be very informed on the topic. It's surprising how many people actually go through with these types of surgeries without having knowledge of the procedure they are having done and what's involved. People seem dumbfounded when I ask them what procedure they had done. It's frightening.

[Claire]

Wow, I am 31 years old and I have some 'scary looking feet' too, I can relate to most of what you have put on this blog. My husband recently saw a podiatrist that came higly reccommended to us and he did a bone spur removal, I like this guy and thought "what the heck, I'll have him take a look at my feet", so obviously I know the only answer is surgery, I'm not sure the angle of my feet but he did say as far as severity goes on a scale of 1-10 my feet are about a 7. Aside from the bunion the rest of my toes are considered hammer toes and all the bones in my foot are angled, not just the 1st. The doctor took x-rays and was very nice, he went over all of the procedures he could do (austin/chevron, scarf, lapidus and the newer tightrope)and recommeds the lapidus for permamance based on my x-rays. I'm still deciding. Reading this blog and other websites I have so many more questions to go back and ask, my main concern is that strangley enough I really don't have any pain in my feet, just occasional discomfort like the tops of my toes rubbing on shoes, obviuosly I am not wearing any high fashion shoes and am usually found in either crocs or tennis shoes. Is it worth considering surgery if I currently do not have any pain in favor of preventing something from becoming worse? my main concern is that the results of surgery will create pain that was not there before. Thanks for a great journal of your surgery. Looking for advice. Claire

[Lynn]

Hi Claire -
Well, thanks for your comments. It's fun to see other people reading. Right now I'm 5 months post-surgery. I am DEFINITELY not having any "new" pain that was not there before. Yes, that IS a concern, with any surgical procedure.

I suppose you could ask the doctor(s) how they feel about your postponing bunion surgery. However, none of them will explicitly tell you what to do. It is a personal choice. The thing to realize is that it is not going to get any BETTER; the only thing a bunion will do without intervention is continue to get worse. So, the question becomes, "not if, but WHEN to have bunion surgery?"

If you're really going to have a Lapidus, then you're looking at a good 6 to 8 weeks in a cast, to do the first foot. Then you'd wait a while, and do the second foot. A large part of your decision would be simply how to strategically pick a time to get it done where it's not too taxing on the rest of your lifestyle.

I myself feel that I put it off maybe 10 years longer than I should have. Since you are around 31, perhaps one big consideration would be your family. For instance, if you already HAVE all the children you're planning to have, then that's not a consideration. But if you're planning to have kids soon, then it might make sense to wait and have surgery when they are off to kindergarden, if your doctor thinks surgery can be delayed 5 to 7 years. Conversely, If you are planning to wait a few years to have kids, then maybe it would make more sense to have surgery now.

Children, your activies, your job, your husband's job, your support system of who you have around you that can help you get through the surgery process.....those are really the main deciding factors to consider. In reality, if you have a 7-out-of-10 bunion problem (and hammertoes) right now at age 31, do you *really* want to even SEE how they're going to be when you're 50? I've seen my 91-year-old Granny's bunion-hammertoe-condition, and it's not easy for her to live with!

Speaking from personal experience, the longer you let it go, the closer you get to the point of irreparable damage to your feet. My big toes have lost sensation on the inside edge during the past 3 years. Perhaps that'll come back after surgery, perhaps not. Sorry, not trying to scare you! Please subscribe, and keep in touch about what you end up choosing to do!