| Author |
Topic: Morton's Neuroma ARGH! |
ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
 posted Sep-23-2007 02:11 PM
   
Granolagal-I know it may seem trivial to other people, but to us it is very painful and aggravating. I feel guilty when I am able to walk into the pod office, and other people coming in can't walk without the help of a walker or wheelchair. At least all of us here can feel each other's pain and treatment!------------------
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Baby Blue
Member |
posted Sep-23-2007 11:14 PM
I haven't checked the site out for awhile, but I'm back.After 1 year of MN pain in the right foot, 3 cortisone shots, and 7 alcohol injections, it's time to schedule surgery for the MN and bunion. I have both on the left foot, too, but the bunion doesn't bother me on that foot. I have only had 6 alcohol shots in my left foot, and will probably go for #7, just in the slight chance that it will do enough good to avoid surgery. Mr dr won't do surgery on both feet at the same time. The alcohol did give me bit of numbness in both feet, but not much. I know that I will have no feeling after the surgery, and one lady that I know that had the surgery done said that it is hard for her to balance now and also hard to ride a bike because of the numbness. She said that she would never do it again. I don't know about the rest of you, but I welcome the numbness right now, just so I won't feel that awful feeling of walking on glass that is charged with electricity!! If you don't know that feeling, feel fortunate! I'm pretty jealous of you guys that talk about running with the MN! I have gotten to the point where I can hardly walk. The mornings are the worst. I'm usually a really optimistic person, but I have to admit that the pain is wearing me down. Please...... anyone with tips on how to cope with the down time while healing, please share them. I'm worried about getting around during the day for the first couple of weeks after surgery. Mr dr said that I have to be off my foot completely for 2-3 weeks, and no driving for at least 4 weeks. What types of things make the process easier? Elevating the foot? Mr dr said that staying off of the foot is crucial to its healing correctly, so I don't wnat to mess this up. Thanks!!
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-24-2007 06:47 AM
I had two weeks off of work following surgery. The first week I didn't do much except lay on the couch with my foot elevated. I iced my foot several times per day. The second week I was more mobile and was able to get around by hopping and putting a very small amount of weight on my foot. I used crutches for two weeks and the doc told me to pitch the crutches at the two week post-op visit. I was in the surgical bootie for three weeks and then was told I could return to regular footwear. None of my shoes fit my foot so I purchased a pair of sneakers that were about 1 or 1 1/2 sizes bigger than my normal size and wider too. I spent a couple of weeks in those shoes, then a couple of weeks in a pair 1/2 size bigger than normal. To me, being able to elevate my foot and ice it was very important. Even after I returned to work, I would elevate it and ice mid day for about 1/2 hour and then again at night. I slept with my foot propped up on one or two pillows at night. It's been almost 4 months since surgery and I would still consider myself in the recovery phase although I am a lot better off then I was prior to surgery. Numbness is present but not on the bottom of my foot, just on the top near the incision and between my toes (3rd/4th). Surgery on my other foot is most likely in my future. In preparation for the surgery I would recommend that you have a pair of sneakers on hand, 1/2 or 1 size up, lots of books and magazines to read, and nothing important scheduled for a couple of weeks following surgery. Recovery is definitely an individual thing. My doc spoke of "adhesions" present in my foot that she had to deal with when removing the nerve. I suspect this was related to the 2 or 3 cortisone and 7 alcohol shots I had recieved in the past. There was an excellent post recently with links to that describe the different kinds of cortisone and alcohol shots. ------------------
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Baby Blue
Member |
posted Sep-24-2007 09:18 PM
Thanks, foxy! I'm feeling a little better. I guess that I won't schedule a golf vacation for January, though.  My dr told me that I will have to come in once a week to have my incision checked out and to have the bandages changed. I started wondering about showering. I'm sure the my dr will give me instructions, but I'm wondering if there is something that I should get beforehand, like a shower chair or something like that. ?? Thanks for the idea of getting the larger shoes ahead of time, too!
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-25-2007 04:34 AM
Question to alcohol injection patients-Since my 6th injection, my toe has been hurting even to touch the skin. Have any of you experienced this? It's still swollen. I've been using moist heat and elevating. Yesterday I had a manicure w/foot massage. I'm still taking ibrupropen for the swelling. I also put some icy hot on it last night, but it still hurts.
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bboywannabe
Member |
posted Sep-25-2007 04:53 AM
Baby Bluebefore you go for conventional surgery, did you check out the previous posts on cryosurgery? you should consider the option, especially if you can avoid the permanent numbness
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-25-2007 05:49 AM
Baby Blue - I purchased a waterproof "cast guard" made by Sealtight ahead of time. This can be used when showering or bathing to keep your foot dry. I couldn't get mine wet for two weeks so the cover came in very handy. A shower chair would be helpful but you'll only need it for a week or two. I just took showers while sitting down. Once I was able to ditch the surgical bootie and comfortably put some weight on my foot while barefoot, I stood with my foot on a wash cloth while in the shower just to provide a bit of padding. Make sure that you have some larger socks to wear during your recovery time as well. Cheers, Pat ------------------
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Barbie
Member |
posted Sep-25-2007 10:22 AM
Got my second set of alcohol injections yesterday. I had a little numbness in my right foot following the injection but basically the second set of shots was much easier. I was able to walk for an hour that evening. With the first set of shots, I had numbness for about three days. I hear the shots become easier and easier as time goes on.
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GranolaGal
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-25-2007 09:21 PM
I got my second shot today. My MN is in my left foot. My foot has been really sore, but I don't know if it's the shot or that I'm favoring my other foot which has a torn tendon. Does anyone else's foot get too sore to walk on after the alcohol shot? Please let me know. I'm starting to think that I've done something bad to my left foot as well.Thanks.
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Baby Blue
Member |
posted Sep-25-2007 10:29 PM
Thanks bboy! I'll ask my dr about the cryo when I go in on Monday.And thanks foxy about the cast guard tip! Shelly and gran, I've had some very bad reactions to both the cortisone and the alcohol. I never know from one shot to the next whether I will have one of the bad reactions. With a good shot, I am basically off my feet completely for 2-3 days. With one of the bad ones, I was out of commission for a week and a half...practically just in time to get the next one! Since I had so many bad reactions, my dr asked me several times throughout the process if I just wanted to scrap them or go slower, but I wanted to push through in case they worked. My right foot is always very sensitive after the shots. The skin on the top of my foot is so dry now, too. We are keeping an eye on it, since necrosis is a possible side effect. My dr said that the tenderness is ok (and so is the swelling). The thing to be careful of is when the pain starts shooting to the sides of the foot, since that's where the nerve branches go. I found that out since I had severe shooting pain to the sides after one shot, but it turned out to be the trauma of the shot itself, rather than any other problem. But my dr kept a close eye on it for awhile. If you haven't guessed, my feet really tried to fight off the shots! Sorry for the rambling, but those are some of the problems that my dr told me about related to the sensitive feelings and the swelling. Good luck.
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-26-2007 04:55 AM
Baby-Thanks so much for your post! I don't have the shooting pains on the side of my foot, so this just must be the reaction to the shot. I go again next Wed., I may ask him not to give me the shot and wait another couple of weeks.I can't imagine trying to walk or run after a shot. Actually, I did try and the doc got very upset with me. Please be careful and lay low on the walking and running while going through this.
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Sep-30-2007 06:57 AM
I have just about decided to surgery for the neuroma and bunion. I am going to ask dr. to let me know what my out of pocket expenses would be. That will be the deciding factor for me. I can get it done over the Christmas holiday, since I work at a school and am out for 2 weeks. I just can't take this pain anymore.
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Baby Blue
Member |
posted Oct-01-2007 12:26 AM
Shelley, I can relate. I'm at the same point. After awhile, the pain just got to be too much. It is completely wearing me down.... patience getting shorter, etc.I'm scheduled for surgery in 3 weeks now. I'm lucky that I will be able to do a lot of work from home. Then, when one foot is healed, I can do it again with the other one. yipee But, the good news is that the success rate for neuroma and bunion surgery is really high. And everyone that I know that has had bunion surgery doesn't regret it a bit. And with the neuroma pain, the bunion is really the least of my worries. I have a feeling that in a few months from now, we will both be gald that we went through with the surgery. 
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-01-2007 05:11 AM
Baby-Is your insurance covering most of your surgery?
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-01-2007 09:56 AM
I paid about $300 out of pocket for my neuroma surgery in May. Everyone I know who has had bunion surgery and neuroma surgery has been happy with the results. I put up with the pain for a long time but finally reached the point where I couldn't stand it anymore and scheduled the neuroma surgery. I will probably also require surgery on my other foot sometime in the future. ------------------
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Baby Blue
Member |
posted Oct-01-2007 04:08 PM
I'm really lucky to have great insurance, so the cost isn't really a factor for me. I think that my only out-of-pocket costs will just be the co-payments on any prescription drugs that I'll need after the surgery. There may be some misc costs.Have they gotten back to you yet on your cost, Shelley? I sure hope that yours is completely covered. Foxy, was yours a co-payment? It really sucks that all insurances don't have to pay 100% for surgical procedures.
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-01-2007 05:21 PM
The $300 was for the amount insurance didn't cover. I got a bill a few weeks after surgery. The only co-payments I had were for the pre-op visits. I had one from my general physician and one from the podiatrist. The podiatrist told me that insurance covers the co-payments for post-op visits for up to 90 days following surgery. The only cost after surgery was for the vicodin and two pairs of sneakers, one about one full size bigger and one one half sizer bigger than my normal size. Crutches and surgical bootie were free.------------------
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chicahuss
Member |
posted Oct-01-2007 10:30 PM
babyblue and Shelley,I wanted you to know that I will be right there with you on the surgery. I get my 4th alcohol shot next week in my right foot, and unless I get some relief (which I am highly doubtful about), I will also be getting surgery. My doctor has promised he'll find a spot for me in November. Then unless my left one gets better, I'll be following with that in the next couple months. babyblue, you have to promise to fill us in on everything when you get your surgery in 3 weeks. foxyw, I want to thank you for letting us know more about the surgery. I know it hasn't been an easy road for you, but at least it sounds like you don't regret it. It seems like every other story on the internet is a horror story, so it is good to hear something that is a success. You said that you still consider yourself in the recovery stage: Does that mean that you just can't run yet, or do you still have pain when taking walks, doing everyday tasks, lifting things, etc? I don't know about you guys, but I feel like MN has taken over my life. I'm soooo ready to get it back.
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foxyw
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-02-2007 06:13 PM
The pain from the neuroma is gone following surgery, however, the swelling took a long time to come down in my foot. The swelling near the surgery area extended to either side of the incision and to the ball of my foot directly underneath. Even a slight amount of swelling changed the way my foot moved when walking. That often put pressure on parts that wouldn't normally feel it. Mostly it caused me to pronate more than normal and caused quite a bit of pain at the ball of my foot near by big toe (bunion area). My doc says I have "thin" feet and not a lot of natural padding so I suspect I feel small changes more than others. So, most of the issues I have had are not directly from the surgical area but from the effect of the swelling in the nearby areas. I'm very happy that the cooler weather has arrived (I live in the northeast) and the amount of swelling I was experiencing during the day has greatly decreased. ------------------
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RunTimRun
Member |
posted Oct-02-2007 06:21 PM
A lot of us are tracking together. Looks like I'm going under the knife too. Because my pod. wants to do additional surgery to position the first met. ray, I'm first going to get a 2nd opinion from an orthopedist who teaches in the foot and ankle clinic at the Univ. of Ark. Medical Center. That may delay me a bit, but I hope to get the surgery in before the end of the year. Have good insurance too but would have to meet my deductible again if after Jan 1.
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motherof4
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-03-2007 11:48 AM
Babyblue,
I had the sugery on Jan. 4th of last year. The first 2 weeks tough and you feel like an invalid. It gets better, faster after that. By 6 weeks I started spinning and 8 weeks I was running. Back to 8 mile runs at 10 weeks.The biggest issue is the shower which I taped a grocery bag to my leg (Really tight and all the way around, used a lot of tape) and it did alright. I would go with the plastic cast or waterproof thing someone mentioned. But truthfully the shower was hard for the first few weeks so they were far between. Truly, within 3 months I had a great scar and couldn't believe I waited so long. Now 10 months later no one can see my scar - you have to really look for it. The numbness is nominal and not worth the talk. Once in a while at night it does ache a bit after a lot of tennis. Although my tennis shoes suck and probably should get new ones. I also started doing crew (sculling) as a great cross training. No pounding on the body. Look long term. In a year you will laugh that this was ever a issue. Good Luck!
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ShelleyM
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-04-2007 04:33 AM
Looks like the trip to the pod yesterday shows now that my nerve is dead, but the joint has a problem. He took an xray and the joint looks a bit different from the others. He shot some antibiotic into the joint and I'll be waiting 3 weeks before I go back this time. He prefers not to do surgery at all costs. He says good shoes and time. We'll see. I'm not sold on that yet. My foot does feel better after the shot, although the swelling hasn't gone down any.------------------
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chicahuss
Member |
posted Oct-04-2007 05:13 PM
Shelley, Well, first of all, I just figured out I have been also communicating with you on the healthcommunities website. I just read your post on that, and realized you are the same person. I like this site better though because it is a bit more positive; the other one seems like mostly horror stories. Anyway, congratulations! It looks like you might have gotten rid of your nueroma. That would be wonderful. I do hope the antibiotic shots help with the joint and inflammation. (Those docs sure have a lot of shots). You mentioned on the other site that it took you six shots to kill the nerve. Did you think that happened gradually or all at once? I'm just wondering because I get my 4th shot next week, and I've had no improvement. I've been told you usually will know if the shots will help by the 4th shot. If that is the case, I'd like to just get the surgery on the calendar. But if you felt like your neuroma got better all of the sudden after the 6th shot, I might opt to try a couple more. Uggh--I hate all this guessing at the best treatments. Marcy
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mlarson1283
Cool Runner |
posted Oct-04-2007 11:15 PM
Hi everyone, I haven't posted for awhile. I had some relief from my neuroma with custom orthotics, until I started to increase my mileage. Suddenly the "bump" on the orthotics that takes the pressure off the neuroma gave me a bruise on the bottom of my foot. So I tried running without the orthotics, and neuroma is as bad as ever. I'm so frustrated. I have been in denial about starting the alcohol injections, but am getting my first one next week. My question is this, the cortisone shot I had for my neuroma hurt SO BAD, I am literally terrified of the pain involved in the series of alcohol injections. My podiatrist did use a numbing spray, but yikes. Please tell me how bad it is.
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chicahuss
Member |
posted Oct-04-2007 11:24 PM
These shots are strange. I have to say I have felt no pain from either of my cortisone shots or any of my three alcohol injections. But I'm also not getting any better.I'm seriously starting to wonder if my podiatrist is hitting the right spot when he gives the shots. Do the rest of you always feel pain?
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