My Bunion Surgery Experience Wasn't as Scary as I Thought

I've had a bunion on my foot for as long as I can remember. For a while, it didn't bother me too much - I just had to pick my shoes a bit more carefully. But lately, I've been noticing that my feet start to ache after long walks, especially in running shoes. Plus, I've been thinking about the aesthetic side of things. I went back and looked at old photos of my bare feet, and I was shocked to see how ugly and crooked my toes looked due to the bunion near my big toe.

My feet before the operation

I also knew that this was an inherited issue, since my dad has similar problems and his mom had severely curved toes in her old age. I figured I'd finally matured enough to consider surgery and do it while I'm still young (I'm 31 years old).

In June 2025, I called the Nizhny Novgorod Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics - now a department at the Privolzhsky Medical Research University - PMRU, and scheduled an appointment with a traumatologist-orthopedist. They booked me for August 18th.

During the appointment, I showed the doctor my feet and told him about the problem and its hereditary nature. He examined my feet, took an X-ray, and immediately suggested I schedule surgery. I agreed, and he told me that I'd receive a call from the hospital's admissions department within a week to discuss possible dates. The operation would be free, since it's covered by the quota system. The doctor also gave me a list of necessary tests.

So, a few days after my initial call, I got a call from the hospital asking if I could schedule my surgery. I was surprised to discover that they had free dates available as early as October 1st. I initially booked my surgery for October 6th, but then I checked my calendar and thought that I might be experiencing my period on that day, which, according to the hospital's guidelines, is not a good time for a woman to undergo surgery. I called back and rescheduled for October 13th.

At the end of September, I visited my primary care physician to schedule all the necessary tests. There were a lot of tests on the list, but most of them were blood work for various parameters, and they could all be done at once. I also had to provide a urine sample and a stool sample, which I had to give closer to the surgery date - I think one of the tests had a 10-day shelf life. I also had to factor in time for my doctor to prepare the referral for hospitalization and get it signed by the hospital administration.

The list also included a separate item for a gynecologist's conclusion. When I went to the women's clinic, I was sent for an ultrasound. There were no appointments available for the next few days, so I had to pay for the ultrasound out of pocket. I also paid for a urine sample, just in case, since my referral was for October 6th, and I was worried that I might start my period on that day, so I gave the sample a few days early at the lab.

On October 10th, I picked up my signed referral from the clinic, and on October 11th, I had to arrive at the hospital by 11 am with all my documents and belongings. No one told me exactly how long I would be staying in the hospital, but they vaguely said that they wouldn't keep me for too long.

I also bought a new pair of Baruks for home on Ozon and one pair from Avito for wearing outside.

I arrived with my stuff right on time. My husband and kids weren't allowed in with me at the reception desk - they said it's fall and they're on a cold and flu prevention mode, so they had to leave and I stayed to get processed. I waited for a bit in the queue at the little window, then they sent me to the doctor's office, where the therapist was super thorough checking all my test results and creating my medical history.

It was around 12 hours before I was put in a ward. The ward was for five people, the renovation wasn't ancient but it wasn't new either - I'm not picky, it was fine. The bathroom was on the same floor but almost right across from my ward, and I was surprised to find that all the toilets were spotlessly clean.

Ward at PIMUThey put a girl in with me right away who was also scheduled for surgery on her foot on the 13th. Then, gradually, three other women joined us.

Soon, we were called one by one to sign the documents and ask about any allergies to the components by the anesthesiologist. After that, the on-duty nurse gathered us near the desk and read out the order in which we'd be going to the operations the next day. I wasn't the first one, there was a girl before me.

It was Monday, October 13 - the day of the surgery. In the morning, we weren't allowed to eat or drink anything, so we just sat there hungry, waiting to be called. First, around 8 am, they took the girl who was lying next to me. About an hour later, the nurse came for me and I was taken downstairs to the basement (while still on my own two feet)

When I arrived, they gave me a disposable gown, just like in the hospital, and these weird sock things. My neighbor was just being wheeled out of the operating room, so they ushered me in and told me to sit down on a recliner for the spinal anesthesia. When I saw the size of the needle, I was totally freaked out, but they reassured me it was 'a tiny, kid-sized needle.'

The actual anesthesia shot wasn't too painful. Next, they told me to lie down and wait for it to kick in. Every now and then, they'd ask me to wiggle my foot. I'm not even sure how long I was lying there. Meanwhile, they inserted a catheter into my left arm and gave me some medication. The nurse said it was a sedative, and it might make my head feel a little woozy, 'like from champagne.' And honestly, for the entire operation, I was in this really weird state: I could see and hear everything, but it was like I was half-asleep or something. I wasn't anxious or anything, but I was just kind of out of it. It wasn't until later that I realized it was sedation.

Meanwhile, the doctor - the same one I'd seen in August - came in, covered my legs with a sheet, and started the operation. I could hear some drilling sounds, but I didn't feel a thing - no incision, no manipulation of my bone, nothing at all. Before I went under, I'd read a ton of reviews about this doctor, and almost everyone had great things to say. They all thanked him for saving their legs, which really gave me hope - I started to believe the best was going to happen!

I'm not even sure how long the operation took. It felt like 20 minutes, but it turned out I was in the operating room for almost an hour. I'm pretty fuzzy on how they moved me to a gurney and took me up to the floor on the elevator, and then helped me transfer to my bed. I think I might have dozed off or was still in that weird half-asleep state. A few hours later, the sedation started to wear off, and I chatted with my neighbors in the room - they'd all just been wheeled in too.

My leg immediately after the operation So, let's get into the nitty-gritty of my first day and the operation itself:

1. Pain. On the day of the operation, at 6 PM and 9 PM, we all got a painkiller shot in the butt (the nurse came by). I have to say, it helped me, and I didn't need to take any extra painkillers. Occasionally, I'd feel some uncomfortable sensations, but I'd just start moving my leg back and forth, and they'd go away.

2. Doctor's examination. Around lunchtime, a whole team came by, including the surgeon, but he just gave the hospital staff a rundown of what he'd done and so on. There wasn't really a thorough examination on the day of the operation, though.

3. Getting around. Now, here's the thing - we had five people in the ward, and three of us had our feet operated on, one had her hand done, and one woman's operation was scheduled for the next day. Having two people who could walk around in the ward really helped, to be honest. I heard that one of the others was already walking around in her Birkenstocks by the evening, but I wasn't that lucky - I put on my boot, but when I tried to take a step, I felt a lot of pain and decided not to risk it. Two of the other women, bless them, helped us out - they'd bring us food, help us with our trays, and even take things to the woman who was stuck in bed.

If we all five had to lie in bed after surgery with our feet, it would've been tough. I think we should consider this when planning and maybe give some money to the nurse so she can check on us more often and help.

My foot in the Baruk boot4. The Bathroom. As I mentioned earlier, I wasn't able to stand up by myself, like two other women with operated feet. We looked at the crutches suspiciously and didn't know how to use them, plus we were worried about making a mess in bed. Luckily, those two amazing women took us to the bathroom on a wheelchair that was parked in the hallway for the first day. In the bathroom itself, it was easier: there's a stall with a handle attached to the wall, you hold onto it with your healthy foot, transfer to the toilet, do your business, and then sit back down in the wheelchair and 'home.' You could also 'pull up' to the sink to wash your face and brush your teeth.

5. The First Night. It went smoothly. I don't remember waking up from pain or any other uncomfortable sensations.

By the second day, I was able to stand up in my Baruk boot and hobble to the bathroom. The pain was still there, but it was manageable. After breakfast, we were all called in for dressing changes. My surgeon did the dressing changes and told me I'd be going home today, but my discharge papers said I was still in the hospital until tomorrow. From then on, I'd need to go to my local clinic for follow-up appointments.

I have to admit, I was a bit surprised. I didn't think the discharge would be so quick, considering the operation was just the day before, but I was eager to get home anyway.

The only issue was that my husband wouldn't have been able to pick me up that day (he works at a military facility with strict access controls, and we had planned for him to take me home the next day), so I had to ask my dad to come and meet me instead. Luckily, he had managed to get a couple of hours off work and was able to pick me up and drive me home.

Another thing to note is that getting from the ward to the reception area is a real trek. You have to walk down a long corridor, take the lift down to the first floor, and then walk along another long corridor. I had a bag with me and asked a nurse to escort me and help me carry it, as walking in these boots was already quite painful. However, I should have asked them to take me to the reception area in a wheelchair instead of walking, and I regretted it while I was walking.

But anyway, that was the end of my hospital stay, and I was finally heading home.

With my Barouka boot, I had to wear it for 6 weeks, followed by a control X-ray and a doctor's appointment to check if the bones had fused.

It's definitely a good idea to have some help at home for the first week or so, at least. I was discharged on a Tuesday, and my husband took the following Wednesday to Friday off work, which left us with a pretty much full week of support.

At first, walking was pretty painful, so my mother-in-law lent me her walking stick, and I used it both at home and when I was out. Gradually, I stopped using it at home and only used it when I was out.

As I work from home, I was able to 'go back to work' after just 3 days. However, the first 2-3 weeks were really tough, as it was hard to sit for long periods of time. My leg would start to swell and hurt, so I'd sit for about 30-40 minutes, then take my laptop and sit on the bed with my legs stretched out and propped up on a pillow.

I got discharged on Tuesday, and my husband took me to the clinic near our place for a follow-up appointment on Wednesday. I finally got to see my leg for the first time. It wasn't exactly a pretty sight.

3 or 4 days after the surgery

3 or 4 days after the surgery. The stitches.It was really inconvenient not having a car. If I had operated on my left leg, I could've driven (we have an automatic transmission), but unfortunately, it was my right leg in the cast, and I had no idea how to press the pedal without feeling pain. I have two kids, who were 4.5 years and almost 6 years old at the time of the surgery, and I take them to some activities in the car. I had to rely on taxis or ask my husband to take them, but he couldn't always do it because of his work schedule.

My husband had to adjust his work schedule for a while to take the kids to daycare in the morning. It's usually a 600-meter walk, and I always used to take them on foot, but for the first 3-4 weeks after the surgery, I physically couldn't make it in my cast: it was too long and uncomfortable (basically, I had to take a step with my operated leg and put my other leg next to it to avoid putting weight on it). So, yes, there were some inconveniences, but a month after the surgery, I could walk longer distances, go to a big store, and after 5 weeks, I got back behind the wheel because I stopped fearing the pain when pressing the pedal.

Two weeks after the surgery, I headed to the doctor's office for a shot of Chronotropin - it was listed in my discharge summary. It's pricey (around 8,000 rubles, plus another 2,000 or so for the injection), but I figured if it was prescribed, I should go for it. Before the injection, I got a painkiller shot (ouch, it hurt!), and then the Chronotropin. The experience wasn't exactly pleasant, but I'm hoping it helped. The doctor who operated on me administered the shot and removed my stitches, saying my foot looked like it was healing normally and that I should keep wearing my boot.

Two weeks after the surgery. The day my stitches were removedWhen my stitches finally scabbed over, I was finally able to take a proper shower. Of course, I still wasn't supposed to submerge my foot in water, but with it in the boot and wrapped up, I had to sit in the bathtub with one foot hanging off the edge and the other in the water, getting myself clean in a weird position. My husband helped me get in and out of the tub at first, but eventually, I got the hang of it. Still, I'm a pretty athletic person, so it wasn't too big of a deal for me to hoist myself up on my hands or hop on one foot and all that. But for an older person or someone who's overweight, it would've been a lot harder.After my stitches were removed and I showered, I started peeling off dead skin from my foot - it was a bit of a shock, to be honest. Apparently, all the skin that had grown in the past few days just came off at once. But then I was pleased to see my clean, pink foot

After another week, I started doing exercises to strengthen my foot. I found them online and did them. Honestly, I felt the effect almost immediately - my toe was moving better, didn't feel as stiff as it did after the surgery.

3 weeks after surgery Almost 4 weeks after surgery

5 weeks after surgery. I let myself relax in the bathtub (of course, with my foot elevated, but sometimes I'd let it down)By the 6th week after surgery, I went to my clinic for an X-ray and visited the doctor who performed the surgery at the PIMU.

X-ray after 6 weeksHe said I could start removing the cast, doing it over 3-4 days: today, just try standing on one foot, tomorrow start walking barefoot around the apartment, and the next day, I could start doing it outside.

Six weeks after surgery, my feet were looking pretty goodI was surprised by how quickly I had to start worrying about finding shoes that fit after I took off my cast. It was late November, but thankfully the weather was dry and there was no snow, which made things a bit easier. However, none of my old autumn shoes worked for me because my operated foot just wouldn't fit into them, and it was really painful around the stitches. I spent ages searching for shoes on Ozon, and eventually I found some sort of moccasins with a wide toe box, and another pair with a lot of extra room.

It's been about three and a half months since the surgery, and I'm happy to say that I've almost forgotten it happened. I'm walking pretty quickly, driving, and even went back to swimming in the pool soon after I took off my cast. The only thing I'm a bit hesitant about is going skiing or skating this winter - that's a different story altogether. But I did go on a beach vacation not long after the surgery, and that was fine. Walking on sand wasn't a problem at all. My scar is still there, and it's noticeable, but it doesn't really bother me.

Stages now

Sutures nowI really want to do the second leg, but I'll probably plan it for the same autumn, so I can live normally, go for walks, ride my bike, and so on. Of course, it'll be easier the second time around, since you know what to expect, and you can drive a car with your left leg.

By the way, after the surgery, I took:

1. Calcium D3.

2. Artneo. It's a food supplement - native type II collagen from a chicken breast cartilage, designed for joint health. My mom recommended it to me.

I'm not sure if the supplements had any effect, but I hope they did.

In the end, I can say that the surgery isn't scary at all, but you need to think ahead about all the possible discomforts, from the non-weight-bearing position on the day of the surgery to your home life. For me, the main challenge was my two little kids, whom I had to take everywhere, but luckily, my husband took care of most things for the first few weeks. After that, it got easier, and I managed on my own, but don't be a hero - just act on your feelings!