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I have a bunion, and I often feel as if the inside of it -- where my bone is -- is burning. It is very painful, and I stand for 10 hours a day on my job, and not to mention when I come home and have to clean the house. It seems to be getting worse every year. I first noticed it about a year or two ago.

I've endured bunions since high school, now 44. I am a runner and afraid that if I have the surgery that my running days will be over. I've read such mixed comments about the efficiency. Some folks talk about losing flexion in the joint between the toe and metatarsals. Using orthotics has helped with the pain but less so each year. As others have commented finding shoes is really tough, so long super cute stylish shoes, even flats! I find NAOT shoes to be comfortable and cute with lots of support on the metatarsals which seems most important.

I had bunions on both feet, and the surgeon decided to remove them both. It was a day surgery, and with 10 staples on the left foot, and 11 on the right, I was wheel-chaired from the hospital to the car, and was given a pain prescription. The pain was unbearable for the first four days. The pills made me sleep for about an hour, but I had to deal with the pain for three. The fourth day, I was able to walk about - gingerly, and had a "sit shower" with my feet on a stool. Thank goodness for hand held showers! I kept my feet elevated, and had an ice pack on them continuously. After the first week, the wrapping (no cast) came off, new dressings applied, but the staples remained as the incision was still damp. From then on, I changed my dressings daily, applying a bit of polysporin to each side of the incision, and the pain pills were a thing of the past. At the end of the second week, the staples were removed, and I was walking very well. But still had to keep the incisions dry, which I did, and continued the "sit shower" apply ointment and clean dressings. Exactly one month to the day, all the scabbing had come off, but there is still some bruising, and numbness around the incision. I still exercise my toes and it has been over a month and a half. So, except for the first four days of pain, it really hasn't been that bad.

I am a 46 year old woman and I have a bunion on my right foot. It has grown over the years but now it's becoming increasingly painful to walk. Even my sneakers hurt me. My mom had them on both feet and had surgery pretty late in life but it helped her tremendously. I went to a doctor about mine a few years ago and after taking x-rays he said I didn't have “a typical bunion" he showed me many x-rays of patients with "normal bunions" and then showed a film of someone who has my problem. I was told it would be a long recovery (10 weeks of no pressure on my foot) and a full cast up to the knee. I have small children so I could not do it at the time. Now the pain is getting progressively worse everyday. I feel like my second and third toes are broken every time I walk. I can't even wear sneakers anymore. I hate the way my feet look and I never wear any kind of sandals. I've heard people make comments when I'm at the beach about how ugly my foot looks. I've also had extensive back surgery 2 years ago and my question is could my foot make my back worse if I don't get it taken care of? I now walk on the outside of my right foot because I can't put any pressure on my toes without pain. I can put up with the pain for a while but will my back problem return if I don't fix my foot? I'm open to any advice. I also suffer from blisters between my big toe and second toe from rubbing together all this time. Any advice would be appreciated.

I am currently recovering from my second bunion procedure. I have had bunions since I was little, possibly around 6, and dealt with them throughout my teenage years. I've been embarrassed, been to doctors, and dealt with pain. They were pretty severe. So, finally at 19, I had surgery on my left and right foot. Wow, did they look better! There was less pain, and the recovery is nothing and worth it for having a better foot in return. It's been three years, and they slowly crept back. Recently, I went on to schedule two more surgeries, and the process of better feet and no pain will be on its way. The first surgery was more extensive; the second time around it was just a little cleaning up and moving bones around. Oh, and if you have hammer toes, get them taken care of at the same time; the recovery is the same. I am scheduling my final foot surgery for March. However, this time I will be smarter. My advice: Go for the surgery, (insurance usually covers it if there is pain involved) and get orthotics after to prevent them from coming back. This time I am getting the orthotics and protecting my bunions from returning.

Well, I have had bunions for the last 15 years at least. They get worse as I get older, and I am only 25. I am to the point that no shoe fits my foot. I can put my foot into a shoe and immediately have to take it out because as soon as I put my weight on it, the pain is unbearable. Mine is genetic. Almost every woman has had them in my family, but no one has lived with them as long as I have, and believe me I can't figure out why I have lived with it this long. There are day that I go to bed, and the next morning I get up and they still hurt!