Boots and bunions...

[LynnGoward]

Hi, I'm new here and happened upon the site while searching, so far in vain, for a pair of walking boots in a size 4 with an extra wide fitting - 8E - due to bunions. I'm beginning to think I'll have to get them custom made but hoping perhaps that someone on here might be kindly able to help. Many thanks in advance if anyone has similar experience of this. I'm in the south west of the UK.

[Amy_Lee]

Dear LynnGoward,

At the peak of my RA, I had to wear shoes with 2 size up because of the swelling in my whole body. When DMARDS started to work on me, slowly my body was back to normal size and those bigger shoes had since been put aside.

May I know if you are new to RA or you are just new to this site?

[SueB]

Hi Lynn. I've been there. Wide feet anyway, made worse by bunions. Hotter do extra wide and they have some very nice boots. I had both unions fixed 2 years ago. Wish I'd done it years ago. I can actually buy nice shoes( although stil no heels- the RA saw to that!!)

Sue

[LynnGoward in reply to SueB]

Hi Sue. Thanks for your suggestion. I have looked at hotter boots but they're not wide enough - disappointing as I like their range. It's great to hear that your operations were successful. I'll definitely talk to my GP about the possibility of getting my feet sorted sooner than later as I'm sick of wearing cosyfeet shoes. Lynn

[AgedCrone in reply to LynnGoward]

Go for it Lynn..... Every female in my family has bunions....all scared to death of surgery believing the horror stories of pain etc.

I bit the bullet & had the operation, & it was a walk in the park! Genuinely no pain....a bit achey but nothing compared to the pain we have all experienced with RA.

My scars healed quickly & I now take half a shoe size smaller & can wear strappy sandals for the first time in my life! You'd have to hold off the leisure walking until everything really healed, but I wish I'd had the surgery years ago.

[LynnGoward in reply to AgedCrone]

Thank you for such a positive post on the surgery. I'm more and more moving towards that solution. I'm waiting on a knee replacement op which probably should be sorted before looking at my feet but definitely going to talk to my doctor about it now. Thank you!

[AgedCrone in reply to LynnGoward]

One caveat...try to speak to some one who has had the surgery done by the surgeon you are referred to.....no two patients will have the same outcome..but you need to start on a level playing field!

Good Luck with the knee!

[LynnGoward in reply to AgedCrone]

Thank you. Good advice! Lynn

[whereistherealme]

Hi

I have extremely wide, damaged feet, but find that New Balance walking boots are available in wider fittings. A few are available in UK, but I have also found on their US sites they have fittings even wider than those available here. At one time I resorted to ordering from the States.

Gay

[LynnGoward in reply to whereistherealme]

Hi,

That sounds really promising. I'll take a look online and see what I can find. I'm around an 8E width fitting in a small size 4 shoe so they need to be very wide but this sounds hopeful - especially looking on US sites, which hadn't occurred to me before. Thanks so much - I'll let you know how I get on. Lynn

[whereistherealme in reply to LynnGoward]

I need 6E wide and have bunions and find that New Balance WW968BR 2E is a good width with room to spare - these I sourced on the net in a store in the States.

As for trainers I have found a D fitting in this country on style W860PB6 after a little stretching are settling down to be very comfortable.

With the shoes from New Balance it is a case of looking up the last they use in each style to find the one that suits your feet.

On some sites you are not charged VAT for 6E plus sizes if you confirm you have RA

I had scarf osteotomies on both feet at same for bunions and after a very surprising recovery gave me 9 good years. I did have this done privately because at 59 I did not want the toes fused, which I was told would likely happen on the NHS.(at that age some go on a cruise with the money, but I chose a knife being taken to my feet!!)

I was warned the toes would slip again and I am afraid it has happened gradually over the last couple of years, together with other deterioration to my feet with coming off Embrel and waiting for new medication to work.

Gay

[LynnGoward in reply to whereistherealme]

Thank you Gay for such an amazingly helpful response. I'll definitely check these out. It's fantastic you had some good years following your operations but I'm sorry to hear things are becoming more difficult again. I hope your meds start to kick in and that you get some foot relief eventually. I'm so grateful for all the helpful replies I've had here. Now some homework and shopping to do. I'll post how I get on. Many thanks to you again. Lynn

[mary4444]

try sabots shoe shop hosp gave me there name i live se uk havent got bunions just sore toes from the ra if u want more info post me hope this helps xx

[LynnGoward]

Hi, I've not heard of that shoe shop but I'll check online. I also hadn't thought about asking the hospital for any suggestions so I might try that as well. Thank you so much. Lynn

[Susiespain]

I've bought extra wide footwear many times from Marisota online, some styles go up a EEE fitting. If you go on livechat, ask for a discount too, it sometimes works 🙂

[LynnGoward in reply to Susiespain]

Thank you for this. I've heard of Marisota so I'll check them out. I'm not sure that they'll be wide enough sadly as my fitting is a lot wider than EEE. But it's definitely worth a look. And I've never considered asking for a discount when shopping online so thank you for suggesting that. I'll give that a go too! Many thanks.

[Kariss]

Hi LynnGoward,

You could look at Hallux shoes by Fidelio. I've not tried them but their shoes and boots have a stretchy invisible pocket to accommodate a bunion and come in wide sizes plus room for removeable inserts if needed. they also look like normal footwear not trainers which is nice.

[LynnGoward in reply to Kariss]

Hi. Thank you for this. I did come across Hallux while searching online yesterday and their solution does look interesting. Now I have such a great range of options I'm going to spend some time checking them all out. I really think I'm going to find what I need now, which is great as I was about to give up before I came across all you lovely people here. I was thinking I'd just have to wear my Velcro sandals with thick socks over winter - far from ideal! So, thank you so much for your help. I'll let everyone know how I get on. Fingers crossed now as well as my toes, which thanks to the bunions are already crossed these days! Lynn

[Kariss in reply to LynnGoward]

If all else fails, ask your doctor to refer you to a podiatrist as they can custom build shoes for you. I did have some made for me but sadly I couldn't get on with them (I have other foot arthritic problems), but the people doing the fitting and making of the shoes couldn't have been more helpful and tried really hard to get it right.

[LynnGoward in reply to Kariss]

Thank you Kariss. I am going to see my GP about a referral as even with all the help on here I've reached the point where I think some professional fitting/help might be good long term. Also I am considering asking if I can be referred for the surgery to correct them. Your experience sounds positive but such a shame that the end product didn't work well for you. Hope you resolve your foot problems at some point too. Many thanks. Lynn

[Kariss in reply to LynnGoward]

I got my referral from my rheumatologist nurse and was surprised to find I was eligible for two pairs of custom fitted shoes free on the NHS. I only claimed the first pair because I just couldn't get it right so didn't want to waste the NHS time and money if I wasn't able to wear them - but I couldn't fault the service. This was 6 years or so ago, so of course things may have changed now what with all the cut backs etc, but still worth asking about.

Thanks for your good wishes - I think I'm just at the point where I'd really like a new pair of feet now, not just shoes, but I can't walk far now and am no longer working so am able to make do with trainers most of the time which is a relief! Good luck, hope you get sorted.

[LynnGoward in reply to Kariss]

Thank you for the extra information Kariss. I will let you know if and when I get anywhere in my search. Thanks again. Lynn

[notagranny]

Hi, I have bunions on both sides of my feet and searched for years to find comfortable, supportive boots (solutionbutterfly.com/dress...! I now wear Ecco boots in winter – the ones that have the round toe rather than the pointier ones. Looking at the website these would come in a size 4. Not sure that Ecco they do a specific wide fit range but they are known for being comfortable and providing space around the toes.

Hope that might be helpful

–notagranny

[LynnGoward in reply to notagranny]

Thank you for this. In the past I've had Ecco shoes but then my bunions got so much worse. I'll check out the website and also Ecco as I like their styles. I've had so much help from people here that I'm now feeling hopeful of finding what I need. Everyone has been incredibly kind and I really appreciate the help. Many thanks for your help. I'll definitely re post when I find what I need with info that others might find helpful too. Lynn

[Hidden]

Have you had a look at cotton traders the have wide fitting walking boots

[LynnGoward in reply to Hidden]

Hi, I haven't looked there so will check them out and see if they have what I'm looking for. Thank you so much for your help with this. Lynn

[ann_martin37]

Try searching for widerfitshoes online. There is a shop that does wide fitting shoes and boots, all sorts of styles. Might have something suitable. It's a UK company. Don't have the web address available. Good luck.

[LynnGoward in reply to ann_martin37]

Thank you for the suggestion I have seen this website and couldn't quite see what I'm looking for but I'll look again as I was getting a bit disheartened by the time I found them. I'm sure with all the help I've had on here I will find a pair very soon. Many thanks for your help.

[mickey1]

Have you tried a company called Cosy Feet. They have a website. Sometimes you'll find a bouchrue in newspapers and magazines.

[LynnGoward in reply to mickey1]

Hi, I have bought adjustable sandals from Cosy Feet and they've fitted OK but their shoes and boots are not wide enough for me. I did buy a pair of their walking boots but they're just too narrow for my oversize bunions, sadly. Rather than send them back though I've bought some shoe stretchers that have little balls that can be attached to stretch the area of the shoe/boot where bunions are. I'm hoping that I can make them wearable - I've also bought some leather softener spray to help make them stretchable. It's not ideal but worth a try. It would be so good to be able to buy shoes and boots that fit properly. I've had loads of advice and suggestions on this forum though so fingers crossed I will find what I need. Thank you for the suggestion - I'm blown away by how helpful everyone has been. Lynn