A Long Wait (part 1)

I'm now 6 days post op and I thought it would be good to detail the process I've gone through to get to where we are today.

I've had bunions for as long as I can remember.  I cannot remember not having sore feet if I've needed to walk any distance, and I've walked a marathon! (I did the MoonWalk in 2007) They are a delightful genetic inheritance from my Granny Nancy, those and my 'freaky' arms.  I'm double jointed, or as I now know it's referred to as 'hypermobility' of the joints. 

Anyway, I've had bunions for years and their accompanying side effects - sore feet, hard skin, callouses - not to mention the slow change in footwear over the years!  High heels are basically a dim and distant memory (and may still be) and a shift to more 'sensible' shoes has developed over the years.  There's nothing wrong with that but I do miss the ability to just pick up a pair of shoes and buy them without wondering if I'll be able to squeeze my bunion into them.  The last new shoes I bought, a pair of sensible chunky brogues, ended up squeezing my big toes so much I ended up with bruised toe nails which eventually fell off.  Nice eh!

For years I've had various comments about my feet, you can imagine the general tone of the comments.  I've always shrugged them off, I didn't think my feet were that bad and, anyway, if I were to approach the doctor about getting something done about my bunions. surely I was too young?  Then I had a particularly comment at work about 18 months stuck with me for some reason.  It wasn't a nasty comment really, more the tone, 'Oh My God!!! What IS wrong with your feet?'. I thought I'd cut my foot or something but no, it was just the sight of my feet in a pair of ballerina style shoes, bunions bulging out of the sides!

So that got me thinking maybe I should see if something could be done.  I sat on that idea for about a year before going to my GP.  The GP took one look at my feet and announced she would make a referral to the consultant.  I didn't even get a chance to say my bit, I had rehearsed a whole speech but didn't need too.

The same happened when I saw the consultant, Dr De Leeuw, basically one look at my feet and he decided what needed to be done.  A quick x-ray to confirm his thoughts and that was it.  Decision made and name placed on the waiting list.  All I needed to do was wait for the operation date.  I think I was in a state of shock right up to the night before the operation.  It had all been too easy.  No-one had said 'no', no-one had said 'come back in a few years'.