Bunionettes of Steel

So I went to Podiatrist #4 today and I said “hey doc, it hurts real bad when I do….well, anything.”  And he said “well, don’t do anything!” And I was like hey! Vacation!

Not really.

I showed him the various areas that hurt and he took x-rays and LO!  He actually TOLD me what was wrong!  Novel concept, right?

Here’s the thing.  Well, there are two things but one thing that has me royally scorched in the hiney is that it’s not an uncommon problem.  I have bunionettes.  Just like about 80 gabillionty other people.  It hurts, but it’s by no means a rare condition. Mine is of the #1 type, and it’s most likely due to my other foot funkyness.

So why, in the name of ice cream (because ice cream is holy – shuddup), did it take four podiatrists to figure this out?  Two years I’ve been trying to get someone to actually listen to me.  I’ve had my orthotics adjusted over and over, I’ve had my feet  shot up with steroids, I’ve had laser beams shot at my feet, I’ve iced and wrapped and physical therapied.  I even had one crackpot podiatrist give me these little inflated pillows to walk on.  For $60.  Each. (I gave those back and walked out in my non-pillowed shoes.)   Nothing.

I’m waffling between being incredibly ticked off that no one else would tell me this, and just being relieved to actually have an answer and a solution.

The solution, though?  That’s the #2 thing that’s getting to me.  I have to have surgery.  Again.  On both feet this time.

I have the option of doing them one at a time or both at once, and I don’t know what to do.  If I have them both done at once then I have one surgery, one bill, one recovery period.  But it’s going to suck hairy, stinky Chewbacca balls because it will be both feet and for a while I might not be able to get around much at all.   I would also have to take considerably more time off work if I did both at once. (ok, that might not be such a bad thing)

Or I could do one foot at a time.  I can get around a lot better if I only have one foot out of commission, but that means two surgeries, two bills, and two recovery periods.  The recovery period is 8 weeks, so two is 16 weeks.  Four months.  That’s a really long time to be hobbled.  With no exercise.  I could take some time in between, but I have to have the second one done by the end of the year or pay another deductible.

I’m leaning toward doing it one at a time because I’m afraid it’s going to be pretty heinous to have both done at once.  I remember when I had my heel done and I couldn’t bear weight on it in any significant way for several weeks.   But then it would be nice to just have it over with in one shot.

What do you think?  Have both done and be pretty immobile for a couple of weeks?  Or take the easier road by just doing one and pay for hitting the Easy button by having to do it all over again in a month or so?  What would you do?