Posted on 10/10/2011 12:25:10 PM PDT by incredulous joe
Turning to my FRiends for some medical guidance. I had a couple of quick questions in advance of seeking medical advice; I have what appear to be budding bunions. Actually my condition came on slow and seems to be advancing very quickly and, currently, it is affecting only one foot.
First some background:
I am 48 years old in and very good health.
About 2 years ago our business ~ a graphic design, web and marketing enterprise that I started with my wife 10 years ago ~ went south with the rest of the economy. We normally had contracts to last us a year and then everything just fell off the table; clients went out of business or stopped paying. Many Americans and FReepers fell int similar straits. I went back to school to acquire a license as a nursing assistant and got a job working at the largest long-term healthcare facility in our region. I work with long-term, dementia, rehab and hospice patients.
I really love my job, but it is very physical, particularly for someone my age. It doesn’t pay near what I used to make, but our business is coming back a bit and we are squeaking by. I have a pretty good health insurance plan and some decent benefits. I work with some awesome people and I serve really great folks, too.
Anyway, about a month ago I noticed some pain and swelling in the bone leading up to my left big toe. This is the foot which I go down onto and bend when I have to get low to assist people putting on clothes, serving up bedpans, emptying caths. In fairness, this is also the knee that I go down onto when I caught baseball for my son’s team, load wood into my fireplace or perform any other type of temporary function that requires hitting one knee. The foot has gotten worse over the last few days and it is pretty swelled up.
For now, I am going down on the opposite foot or not stressing my left foot. While I may not bend the foot, I am still on it a lot of the time, doing otherwise would be impossible.
My family has some other extenuating health issues and the cost to address this with a visit to a podiatrist or through surgery are not particularly good. Not right now. I’d like to try and alleviate the problem as best I can for a few months, if such a thing is possible.
I’ve seen some braces for sale on the web. They are called Wheaton Bunion Braces. Do they work? Can they help?
I wear crocs and always have in the workplace. They are soft and comfortable, but am wondering if I should wear something that would effectively bind and compress the area. Though I suspect the Wheaton brace might do the same thing, I really prefer the comfort of crocs.
I am 6’ 2” and 180. I could drop 7 to 8 pounds in a few weeks. Might that assist in alleviating my condition in the short term?
Long term, I have been told that surgery is the only option. I’m not thrilled by the prospect, but I will be in a better situation in the new year. I will also, hopefully, have a Certification as a Med Tech, which will take a considerable amount of wear and tear off these old bones.
So, in recap, my questions;
The Wheaton Brace? Anybody use it in a pre-surgery situation? Does it help?
Shoes? Stick with the cozy crocs or get into something for the purpose of compression?
Weight? Losing 7 to 8 pounds would that even make a difference?
Thanks in advance for any advice that might be offered.
Joe
86 the Crocs. Go with a nice pair of Red Cross shoes and tell the salesman what is going on.
Call a Toe Truck.
get yourself a giant blue ox and have him lick it for you. the coarse tongue will peel that sucker off in no time...
Outback has very good blooming..
Never mind.
Are you sure its a bunion and not gout?
What about compression socks?
I’m incredulous nobody’s suggested shooting it off your foot with a 30-06.
Seriously, see an orthopod. Even out of pocket, a quick office visit will hurt you a lot less than a painful bunion. Probably a bunion. Maybe not, and a close look from a pro might turn something a bit more dangerous.
See a podiatrist?
Non surgical treatment of bunions:
http://www.footphysicians.com/footankleinfo/bunions.htm
Good luck.
My wife had a bunion removed. It was real surgery. She needed crutches for a month and assistance with a single crutch for another month. At first she had to wear a boot when upright and when lying down she needed an ice pack and elevation of the foot. It took a long time but healed perfectly and is totally normal now. Good luck.
My wife had a bunion removed. It was real surgery. She needed crutches for a month and assistance with a single crutch for another month. At first she had to wear a boot when upright and when lying down she needed an ice pack and elevation of the foot. It took a long time but healed perfectly and is totally normal now. Good luck.
Interesting link.
Other causes of toe/foot pain can be strain or gout.
First, you need to procure a Dremel moto-tool and a coarse sanding drum......
Chuck the Crocs.
You need orthopedic shoes like Dr. Scholls.
They are softer as you land each step.
You are going to be on your feet all day and you need some sort of shock absorption.
If it were me I’d have shock absorption and I would get the best I could buy. Not because I have champagne taste but for durability of my bones, calves and veins.
There is also a very cool rubber insole you can get that is better than the Dr. Scholls and you may even be able to continue wearing your Crocs.
You’ll have to look it up as I running out the door to close a deal.
The longer you wait out the surgery the worse it is going to get. Get the surgery as soon as possible so that the recovery time is the shortest it will be. A cast for six weeks vs. a boot for a couple of weeks. That is your decision. This advise comes from my wife who had the more severe bunion because she waited until I told her to go to a doctor. By then she had to have the Austin Bunionectomy with Internal Fixation - a much more involved procedure.
She has a bunion on the other foot but is no where as severe and should be routine. IF SHE GOES TO THE DOCTOR!
ROTFLMAO
Now that there’s funny. I don’t care who are.
it’s unilateral and occurring on the foot that I which I bend and put the most pressure on.
The Wheaton brace looks like it might do the same thing as compression.
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