I’m going to have surgery to remove a nuroma from my foot soon. Can anybody who has gone through the surgery give me the straight dope on how long the surgery will take and what the recovery time is like?
I’m mostly looking for reassurance that I’ll be able to tango again in 6 month. I’ve really missed dancing for the past year. I’m a middle aged woman in good health, about 40 pounds overweight and sits in a cubicle all day for her job.
I had one removed a long time ago and it didn’t take long at all to heal. I was able to walk on it right away. The surgery itself was quick, too. I had general anesthesia but I really don’t know why it couldn’t be done with a local. I think it may be one of the simpler procedures they do. All these years later I still have a “dead” feelling between those two toes so I’m thinking they just snip the nerve or something.
At least now you’ll be able to wear shoes. I was having to wear sandals in the dead of winter.
Best of luck and hope you’re dancing again soon.
I had Morton’s neuroma of the foot on both feet, and I had surgery about twenty years ago. The surgery was done using a local nerve block. I read “Time” magazine while the doctor and the assistant chopped away.
You are given a very strange set of sandals to wear and a prescription for Vicodin, and you WALK out of the surgical suite and out to the parking lot without crutches or canes.
When you get home, you are instructed to elevate your feet and keep ice packs on them.
The first night is the worst. That’s when the swelling hits, and EVERYTHING seems too tight, even your toenails.
You won’t feel like doing much–good excuse for someone else to run the kitchen and take care of laundry!
IIRC, the stitches come out after four weeks or so, but you still have to wait before you can get wet. I TRIED to finagle bags on my feet to take a shower, but the bags ended up serving as dandy water collection devices and I had to scrap that idea.
Once you are all healed, it will take a while to get used to your feet again. From the ball of your foot to your toes, you will be numb hereafter, and it’s a strange feeling to walk on numb feet. Dancing in six months is possible, but understand it will take a LOT of practice!
Personally, I wouldn’t try dancing in heels, either. Wearing high heels are one of the causes of developing the neuroma in susceptible people.
~VOW
Thanks, both of you!
My dr doesn’t want me to put weight on my foot after surgery for 3-4 days. I’m ok with using crutches for a bit. I’d much rather use crutches now and be able to dance when I’m old.
VOW, are you numb on all of your toes, or just the ones closest to the incision site?
Two toes, one on each side of the incision. Both feet.
You cannot appreciate how much you use your stupid TOES for balance until they become numb!
I don’t know why you cannot put weight on your feet. The special sandals are called splints, and you CAN walk unassisted. You just need to have your feet elevated and apply ice packs for the first few days to reduce the swelling. You can still get up for potty breaks and refrigerator raids.
Unless you are having something else done along with the neuroma snipped.
~VOW
Haven’t had the surgery, though I was seriously considering it at one point; my Restless Legs Syndrome sensations are centered right in that spot, and a podiatrist (mis?)diagnosed me with neuroma on that basis. The RLS was getting so miserable that I actually wanted the surgery. Fortunately, MRIs didn’t back up the doctor’s theory, so I didn’t have what would have been unhelpful surgery. Oddly, the treatments (steroid shots and shoe modifications) DID help the RLS for a bit.
I broke my foot a few months back - one of the two bones right where those typically develop. I do have a little residual numbness in the 3rd and 4th toes, actually - guess the nerve was damaged.
All of which isn’t relevant to the OP’s situation… what I really popped in for was because of the showering and need to keep the foot dry.
Look into XeroSox or other cast covers - those might be enough to allow you to shower. A shower stool was also VERY helpful for me - I was able to get from the toilet to the shower stall using a cane, but standing in the shower, balanced on one foot, was painful and risky. Only did that once. Bed Bath and Beyond has them, as I’m sure does Walmart. BB&B also had suction-cup grab bars for sale, that was helpful in getting into the shower stall.
I’ll check BedBathAndBeyond, thanks for the tip. When I broke a small bone in the same foot last year I got by pretty well on garbage bags tied off with dental floss.
Surgery’s tomorrow, hopefully I’ll get some helpful suggestions from the doctors or the recovery room staff.
Hope the surgery went well! Mr.Tao had a neuroma removed on one foot last summer, and it helped TONS! Now to find the vacation time for him to have the other one done…
Surgery went fine. Now I’m just sitting around with my foot elevated and bored out of my mind. I really want to eat a box of cookies, but since I’m on reduced exercise, I really should not. Sigh
Great to hear! Eat some celery. 
Ditto, but don’t overdo the celery… I suspect you do NOT want to have to run to the bathroom right now ;).
I had my second neuroma taken out Friday. I’m also bored and want to eat cookies. The recovery time isn’t bad. I had the one on my left foot taken out 5 years ago and just a few months ago the one in my right foot started giving me pain. I have a walking cast and can get around fine, but I can’t drive until I get the boot off. I’m really looking forward to being able to wear cute shoes again.
I never wanted to wear heels before, but for the past year I’ve been able to wear nothing but sneakers. I’m really looking forward to sandals. I may even wear a skirt again someday.
I’ve managed to resist the cookies, mostly because they are downstairs in the garage, but I fear what will hapen when I can drive again.
Since I’m considering the surgery, I’d like to ask you to post your recovery experiences as you go along. I’m most interested in the numbness that results and how it will affect your balance.
There are two surgical approaches to removing neuromas. From the top of the foot or from the bottom. While the top incision is easier to recover from, the plantar approach provides easier access and often results in better pain reduction.
I just want to make sure, as we talk about this topic, that we clarify where the incision is.
For the record, plantar approach. Quick surgery, no walking for a week, boot thereafter for 3 weeks or so. numbness is weird, but you do get used to it.
I had both of mine done via the top incision. Was able to walk with the boot immediately both times. I had my post-op yesterday and the dressing was changed. I’m scheduled to have the stitches out 2 weeks from yesterday. The worst part of the whole experience is not being able to get your dressing wet. I have to be extremely careful not to kill myself getting in and out of the shower with a slick plastic bag taped around my foot, I’ve had one shower in the last 7 days. I don’t have anywhere to go and I can’t drive this time, so I’m going to see how long I can live with myself before I shower again.
I’ve had no pain recurrence with the first one, but do have numbness in the third and fourth toes. I didn’t experience any issues at all with walking or balance, it’s just a little weird when I get a pedicure because I can’t feel when the girl touches those toes. The doctor told my husband that the one I just had done was 2cm by 2cm large! It was the size of a freakin’ marble!
If I might ask: My neuroma is between the 2nd and 3rd toes. When I irritate it enough (walking does that) besides pain, I get numbness on the sides of those two toes where they touch. Not the whole toes, though. If I had the nerve excised should I expect the whole toe to go numb, or just that shared space between them?
My incisions were through the top, and the only real pain I had was the night after the surgery, because of the swelling.
I may have experienced the “out of balance” feeling differently than others, since I’m a natural-born klutz. It was a very weird feeling driving again, and REALLY weird to stuff my feet into my shoes when I could finally get them on.
For me, the resulting numbness was mostly between the two toes, except for the ends of my toes, which seemed completely numb. It makes for interesting nail trimming!
~VOW