All You Need to Know About Bunion Surgery

Surprisingly, I get way more questions about this than any other topic on my Instagram, Blog or any other social platforms. So, let me answer any and all questions you have about bunion surgery. I have had a total of 4 bunion surgeries and I am only 20 years old. I think I can tell you a thing or two about the surgery, heck, I could probably perform the surgery at this point.

MY STORY: Let me start by telling you a little bit about my bunion story. I played competitive volleyball for more about 9 years and at the beginning of high school, I noticed my feet aching after long practices or after conditioning. My foot definitely didn’t look normal, you could tell there was something wrong with my big toe and how it connects to my foot.

I went to the doctor and he looked at my X-Ray’s of my feet, walked in the room and said, “Oh my goodness, I thought you would be in your 50s after looking at those X-Ray’s.”

They suggested that I got a bunion removal surgery that year. 6 months after that surgery, they checked my other foot and insisted it needed surgery too.

Fast forward 4 years, my pinky toes started cramping, and surprise, both feet needed bunionette surgery too less than 6 months apart!

Now, I’m 20 years old, and bunion free with 4 screws in my feet!

But now for what you’ve been waiting for:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT MY BUNION SURGERY!

Q: What was your surgery like?

A: So it’s hard to remember much about the actual surgery haha, but they gave me an IV and put me under anesthesia. During the surgery, basically what they did was break my toe and shave part of the bone off. Then they screwed my bone back together to make my toe straight.

Q: How long were you on bed rest?

A: I was only on complete bed rest for 2-3 days. During those days, I was still able to get around if I needed to on my scooter and in my boot, but couldn’t put any pressure on the boot.

Q: Were you in a lot of pain? For how long?

A: The first night, once the numbness wears off on the foot, is awful. But the doctor prescribed my hydrocodone and taking one that first night was enough. After the first 3 days, there’s no excruciating pain, if you don’t hit it on anything or no one steps on your bare foot .

Q: What is the recovery like? How long were you in a boot?

A: I was given a boot by my doctor, and also was suggested to purchase a knee scooter! Some are pretty expensive, but you can find a cheaper one on Amazon that works well. I couldn’t find mine on Amazon, but here is a good one! I was in a boot and on a scooter for 6 weeks, I was able to do everything normally except sports and working out basically! After that 6 weeks, I was able to wear normal shoes and walk as normal, just for the next 6 weeks I couldn’t run or jump. Then after that, I could do anything I wanted without any pain at all!

Q: Do your feet feel better now?

A: A MILLION TIMES YES! The surgery was definitely worth it. I’m never in pain anymore, the scars are minimal and my toes are straight! They fit in slim shoes now! If you’re debating it, you need to do it (especially if your doctor suggests it).

Here are photos below for everyone wanting to see. (WARNING GROSS)

The first photos are each my 2 feet before surgery, then my right foot’s x-rays before and after surgery, then my feet today!

So yes, if you’re looking for confirmation of if you should get your bunions repaired… YES!

If you have any more questions, DM me on IG @sparkleacates or email me at taryn@taryncates.com!