Oh, My Aching Toes

I FINALLY got to see a new Orthopedist this morning, one who specializes in feet as well as those other body parts Orthopedists like to operate on.   My regular - and favoritest - Orthopedist is just not that into feet.  Can you blame him?  I'd seen a Podiatrist too some time back for this same problem, but his only advice included a pair of $700 orthotics.  If I thought $700 orthotics would fix the problem, I'd have gone for it, but I've had orthotics in the past and they just didn't work for me.

Xrays were taken.  They revealed some damn fine looking feet.  My feet were clearly ready for their close-up.  News sometimes comes in see-through-able form.

So, my problem is manifold.  Of course, it's never simple, is it?  It's my right foot, second and third toes, and it hurts like Hades during much of my walking and dancing and even some times at rest.  I broke one of those toes just over 3 years ago - but that wasn't the problem.  Turns out that the bunion I have which does not bother me is forcing the offending toes into positions they do not favor, causing friction between them, producing corns - big, red, painful corns.

The solution?  Well, there's the surgical option where Dr. Orthopedist opens up the knuckles and shaves off the edges of the condyles.  Now, doesn't that sound like fun?  Then 7-10 days in a big, fluffy (his words) boot.  Then, 2-3 more weeks of healing before resuming normal activities.

Yikes!  Not only would that put me off my regular walking and dancing - but also driving as it's my right foot.  If I get to stay home from work for 7-10 days, I want to be able to walk and dance.  You see the problem, right? 

Or, I could just try this little spongy thing that is about the shape of a painter's easel that he fit between my toes.  Ahhhhhhh.  Instant relief!  I wore the little spongy thing the rest of the day today which included a walk of about 4 miles.  I could feel it, but NO PAIN!

Dr. Orthopedist suggested this might not be the permanent fix as the extra width produced by the insertion of the spongy thing (don't know its name) could cause rubbing elsewhere.  But, until that happens, I'm sticking with the spongy thing.  There's also a silicone sleeve I can purchase for one or both toes that will offer the same pain relief, said Dr.O.Will check those out, too.

So, if your feet hurt, go get help.  Don't wait almost 3 years like it did.  Maybe the fix isn't as easy as this one.  I'd be willing to have the surgery if the spongy thing didn't work.  I'm not giving up on my walking and dancing as long as I can stand!


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