Having bunion & hammer toe surgery Thursday. Does it hurt much afterwards?

Question

I'm having my bunion and hammer toe corrected this week. The bunion doesn't give me much pain now - it used to but now it just looks really awful. I'm really self conscious about it. My hammer toe though is a different matter. I find it excruciating some times but very painful always. If I could cut my foot off I would do when the pain is really bad. I can't wait to get it seen to so I can walk properly, be pain free and be able to buy shoes & sandals which fit properly. I'm naturally a little anxious about having them corrected and wondered if anyone has gone through this already and what sort of level of pain I can expect, especially after surgery. Is it bearable? I have quite a high pain threshold, so maybe it will be OK for me. Has anyone got any info to share with me please?

Answer 1

Your surgeon will probably recommend a surgical shoe for at least several weeks to protect the surgical site. Some people find that pain during recovery is not as bad as the hammertoe!

You must ask for pain medications if you need them, as every person's perception of pain is different, and your surgeon cannot know how much pain you're in unless you tell hir.

I have read of some people who experienced no significant pain after the first day or two, and others who complained of more. Again, though, work with your surgeon, following hir instructions carefully, and ask for adequate pain relief as necessary.

Average recovery time is 4-6 weeks, but improvement will be seen each day.

Good luck!