Advice for the bunionectomy-bound

And by bunionectomy, I mean those of you who will be having your bones broken and put back together using screws or pins or some other form of hardware. If you're just having the bunions shaved -- lucky you! You don't need advice, just common sense. And a pair of shoes with a thick sole, such as clogs, Crocs, or athletic shoes, to balance with the walking boot (everyone will need those eventually).

For the rest of us, these are things I wish I had known in advance: 

If you live alone, you must have someone come to stay with you for the first week, and preferably two, until you are out of the splint and into the walking boot. I could not have managed without my husband -- and I lived alone until I was nearly 50. There are things you cannot do while on crutches, such as carry a cup of coffee or an ice bag, but of greater concern is the danger of falling and no one there to help you get up.

If you don't have a breakfast tray, this is the time to invest in one. It not only holds food -- it holds a laptop computer at just the right height. And even the weight of the laptop will be too much for your leg at first (yes, your entire leg will hurt for a while).

Gel-pacs. At least two. You'll be given an ice bag, but gel stays colder longer. It also takes a while to freeze, so either buy two so you can trade off, or plan to use an ice bag while the gel is freezing. The ones I have came with covers and velcro straps that hold them in place. Cold is your friend. It will take the swelling down as well as numb your foot


Request a walker rather than crutches. Let me be blunt -- I don't care how young you are, unless you have grab bars installed in your bathroom, you need something to hold on to in order to get up off of the toilet. Don't believe me? Try it. Sit down, then try to get up with only one foot on the floor. Unlike the bed, the couch, an armchair, there is nothing to push against. It can be managed with crutches, but why take the risk of falling? Or install a toilet safety rail.

Even better, if you have the funds or can borrow one, a knee-walker increases your mobility and independence many times over. You may need to experiment with using it in some situations. Add a removable bicycle basket and you'll be able to carry that coffee -- in a travel mug.

Place a chair, stool, egg crate, box -- something stable in front of the bathroom sink so that you have some place to rest your knee while brushing your teeth, etc.


 Buy a shower seat. Measure your tub or shower to get one that will fit. Your doctor will tell you that you can stand, balanced on your heel, but why risk slipping and falling, if you don't have to? One with a cut-out for a hand-held shower is ideal.

Install a hand-held shower. They're also great for rinsing the tub down after scrubbing it, when you're back in action. The one I got turns off at the shower head, so it also saves water. Although, really, forget about showering or bathing the first week, at least on a daily basis. It's not worth the hassles and the risk. You're just sitting in bed anyway; how dirty can you be? Use antiseptic wipes (stock up in advance) on all of the important places as necessary and change your underwear and pajamas daily. You'll feel better, but without the risk of falling.

Buy cast covers for when you do shower. I used the Curad and they work wonderfully. You will need help to get it over the splint, unless you're very flexible. The opening is very narrow, but it will stretch to go over the splint.-

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Plan to spend the first week in or on the bed, going no farther than the bathroom. I say "on" the bed because of the splint. Mine had a foam rubber cover, which caught on bedding. I discovered that the most comfortable method was to strip the bed of all but the bottom sheet, then place the pillows I was elevate my foot in the appropriate place. I used throw as a cover at night and folded it at the foot of the bed during the day. Otherwise, the bedding would bunch up.

Expect to spend at least the first three days sleeping between pain pills -- which you will probably be taking every 4 hours. As the codeine would wear off, my foot felt as if there were a tight band around the base of my toes for several days, then just around my big toe. It felt as if the band were getting tighter and tighter, and also as if there were something thin, hard and sharp between my big toe and the next one. The ball of my foot would swell until it felt as if it would pop. When the splint and bandages were removed, I discovered that the "band" was my skin.

Elastic-waisted pants -- pajama pants, sweats, gym shorts -- are much easier to deal with. Trust me. And since you'll be sleeping so much at first, invest in a few extra pairs of pajamas.

After the first two or three days, the codeine (Lortabs or Vicodin or generic) will make you feel as if you can get right up and resume at least some of your normal activities. It is lying to you, as you will discover the first time you lose your balance and fall. If you're lucky, you'll do what I did and fall onto the couch.

And it will make you constipated. According to everything I read, do not take a laxative without discussing it with your doctor; you have to take the right kind, or it can make the problem worse. Drink a lot of water; increase fiber in your diet (yep, prunes and bran cereal). If it lasts more than 3 of 4 days, call  your doctor. It pretty much clears up as soon as you stop taking the codeine every 4 hours.

Naproxen. What can I say? It will make you belch uncontrollably for the first week. Also, well, pass it in the other direction. But you must take it as directed. It is what will take down the swelling. After a while, your body adapts.