This has been my feet, at the end of a day, this past week. I’ve done all the usual things and it helps, but only until I start walking again, the following day! My feet are really sore, with a burning like pain. I’d be grateful for any suggestions re making this better or how to manage !
Ouch!: This has been my feet, at the end of a day, this... - NRAS
Ouch!
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Eiram50
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That doesn't look good darling. I think you should see your rheumy about that as i don't have a answer. xxxxxxxxx
My feet are the worst affected by RA. My toes are in a constant state of inflammation and I can barely move them. And I am in constant pain from them. I also had that burning feeling all over my feet and severe swelling. I was told by my consultant it is nerve pain and was prescribed Amitriptyline initially but they didn't touch the pain, then Dihydrocodeine which again made no difference. I was so desperate, I wanted to have my feet cut off. The pain was so intense. Eventually I went to my own Dr who prescribed ironically an anti-epileptic drug called Gabapentin. It has made a huge difference, I no longer get that burning feeling and the swelling is not so bad. I do still get the pain in my toes, but I can manage that, now that the burning sensation has gone. I hope this helps. Maybe the first two drugs I mentioned might help you, even though I wasn't so lucky. Or you could as to go straight to the Gabapentin and see how that goes.. Good luck!
Eiram50 in reply to
Thank you liz- it’s the most dreadful pain, isn’t it? Unfortunately, I’ve had all of these drugs, but they’ve done nothing for me.
Just an idea.......Can you try to get some soft top socks ....they have a very deep elasticated band that doesn't grip too tightly....it looks as if the socks you were wearing before the photo are very tight. They could be restricting the blood flow to your feet & may be contributing to your painful feet.,I found I got pins & needles in my toes if I ever wore tight top socks
Maybe in this hot weather........ you could try just wearing liner socks with nothing restricting above the ankle.
Hope it might help.
Absolutely agree! First thing I thought of when I looked at photo...
Thanks, I will try that. However, the socks I was wearing, really were not tight- they obviously would’ve become tighter as I swelled 😢
If you look at those socks Marie.....they have only about a centimetre of top elastic....you need at least 5cm spread!
Actually...it was probably the other way round ...ankles swelled so much because of constriction of blood vessels...but you do need to mention it to your Rheumy nurse. I shouldn't worry too much...in this hot weather Ithink everybody has swollen ankles.
Look on Amazon...they have loads of soft top socks to choose from!
My feet/ankles have been like that for the last 2 months. I have been backwards and forwards to the GP who has changed my blood pressure tablet 3 times to no avail. By the end of the day they are burning and really painful to walk on and when I first get up the same. I am already on gabapentine and it makes no difference. I was hoping it was the heat but since it’s been cooler they are still the same except at weekends when I can use my recliner chair more to get them up. Hope you find an answer. All I can say is roll on winter lol 😆
You may have neuromas in your feet.....does it feel as if you are walking on pebbles?
Yes! On my right foot, it feels like I have a stone in my shoe
You can have steroid injections if it is neuromas. I had surgery on mine in both feet in 2011. I have had 7 problem free years, but now they have regrown.....they are now apparently called "stump neuroma",...really glamorous name isn't it?
This time I'm hoping I can have steroid injections - as although the surgery isn't painful it's really inconvenient....when I had my right foot done I couldn't drive for a month.
I'm seeing the orthopaedic foot specialist on Thursday. I have bought some Vionic trainers with an orthotic sole in them.......oh how I hate trainers ...but in fact they do seem to be helping. I'm going to see if wearing them eases things enough not to need the injections.Well I can hope can't I?
See your Rheumy nurse.....she will point you in the right direction.
Good Luck!
I hope your visit with the specialist, goes your way and helps.
My worst foot is the foot I had surgery on. Pins in all toes ( wasn’t successful) and tendon cut and reattached. It’s never been easy since.
I totally agree with what you’re saying re socks and will definitely get those that you speak off. However, with it without socks on, this is how my feet and legs end up after being in my feet for any amount of time?
It’s all just trial and error, isn’t it? Well, I’ll order those socks today and see how it goes.
Stay as well as you can.
Marie
Hi Marie
I don't know if it would be worth seeing another surgeon who might be able to suggest a remedy. It seems to me that the pins are causing the swelling. Maybe your body is rejecting them - and it must be rare to have so many.
I had a foot operation, principally for a bunion, over a year ago at the Princess Royal Hospital in Haywards Heath near Gatwick. A French foot surgeon (Joel Vernois) did it and it was a brilliant job - so good that I did not need the other foot done. I must have been putting my weight on the other foot and don't now. I did have a pin and hook inserted. I've had no pain whatsoever since and had suffered horrendous pain for 42 years. Also, after the op I was given a bagful of opiates and I did not need any. It was minimally invasive surgery and took 30 mins. The foot was frozen for almost 24 hours and I had very little pain when the anaesthetic wore off.
They have patients who travel from Scotland and stay in a hotel. Just a thought as it sounds as if your op was a bit botched. The UK is very poor for foot surgeons and the best ones are French/German.
Also, the swelling might go down a bit if you go swimming which is a weightless exercise. I find it is very good for reducing puffy ankles.
I agree DP....you should definitely seek out a dedicated orthopaedic foot surgeon to have a bunion treated. Never settle for a general surgeon he/she may do an adequate job, but on feet it has to be 100%.
The girls in my family all had bunions.....all were absolutely opposed to having surgery after hearing the horror stories of how painful it was....& not really very successful.
Well I gave in......had a wonderful orthopaedic foot surgeon....no pain...back in proper shoes in 12 weeks. Can even wear heels if I'm so inclined. That was about 13 years ago in England...so there are good surgeons around...you just have to seek them out.
All my cousins followed suit...all had exactly the same experience.
Bunion surgery has improved by leaps & bounds in the last 10/15 years in England.
Asking who did someone's surgery is a great way to find a good surgeon....it also helps you avoid the old dodderers who still use old procedures & shouldn't be allowed near an operating room!
Unfortunately the surgeon who did my surgery now works in USA.
I have found another surgeon, but he only works in the Private sector ...so it's an expensive process to get my feet sorted.
I did not have surgery for bunions? Do I have them???
I had just been referring to the standard of your foot surgery and that it might be worth another opinion.
You do look as if you have bunions - the big toes are not straight but I wasn't specifically referring to that. I just can't imagine having all toes with pins in them.
I did wonder about my big toe- is that what the hard bump sticking out is?? I just assumed it was just another bend due to arthritis- thank you delicateinput.
Yes, it looks like bunions to me. They can be caused by RA but are not usually. If you have pins in the big toe joints, I don't really understand why they did not break the bone and straighten the big toes, and then put the pins in. The surgeon I saw only seems to do one at a time. When I made an enquiry, I was told the two are done together as otherwise it is more expensive. In the event, I only needed the one done.
You could get an appt and see if anything can be done to improve your feet.
I don't honestly think you can judge just by looking at them. People were always telling me that my bunions were not as bad as theirs. I used to ask them their medical qualifications because it honestly got on my nerves - I was in horrendous pain for 42 years and could not stand for long, dance much or walk the distances that normal people could and on top I kept falling over. The surgeon said the pain was caused by a large lump of bone (which had developed over the decades) pressing on a nerve. The horrendous pain in the other foot seems to have been caused by me shifting all my weight on to that foot. Since the op on one foot, I can walk unlimited miles, dance all night in my high heels, have not fallen over once and have absolutely no pain in either foot.
Yeah, I will need to try ax it’s increasingly difficult and painful when on my feet for any length of time.
The surgery I had included breaking all ties, bone at side of foot and cutting and reattaching tendons- my foot was quite bad. This was the best part of two years ago and although at the initial checks they told me it hadn’t been as successful as they’d hoped, they said to give it more time. I’ve heard nothing since and to be honest, have just got on with it.
I’m Thinking, maybe any bunions weren’t prominent at the point of surgery and that’s maybe why nothing was done? Not too sure.
If the big toe joint was broken previously, they could not have put a pin in, as both big toe joints are not straight and show bunions.
e t
Mr Vernois said he needed to break the bone and insert a pin, as otherwise the bunion would come back and the toe would bend again. I had asked about just having a cheilectomy, which is where they shave the bony lumps down. He said this only works for a limited time and they need to be done properly, and it is almost as big an operation.
I saw quite a few surgeons, starting in 1976 with a private one, but nobody would touch my feet. I got the usual fob off - ie not bad enough etc. The truth of the matter is that foot surgery is poor in the UK and nobody was capable of doing them. Even privately, they do both feet together. God knows how people cope because you would need to be in a nursing home if you had both done together. Despite it being minimally invasive, there was a longer recovery period than I expected. I was horrified when they handed me two crutches after the op. I could not get the hang of them. I used one occasionally for two weeks. I also had a surgical shoe for six weeks and after three weeks I went to work and had to walk long distances. I had very little pain. This is largely helped by the foot being frozen for 24 hours. Mr Vernois said it would be too much for me to cope with having both done at the same time, and he was quite right. I am so glad I only had the one done as the other foot does not need doing and it would have been such a waste.
PS - forgot to say, I was working in Switzerland in 1974 at the age of 25 when both my bunions appeared over a two-week period. I was told it was RA and to keep on walking on them and the bones would knot together, which I did and the bones did. At least the dreadful pain partly passed and I just then had pain on walking. I also had a thyroid problem there - it is very mountainous with no iodine in the air. I wonder if the thyroid affects RA - I'll be dead before anybody finds out. Hope this is helpful.
Thank you, it is very helpful.
When I had my surgery, the surgeon clearly told me he had put metal in all ties. They did not heal the way they were meant to and after further visits, he told me to give it time. Now, being I was under general anaesthetic, I cannot state what was actually done but feel I need to believe what I was told?
Feeling confused.....
In relation to bunions, I wasn’t aware I even had them but don’t believe that they were like that / there , 2 years ago, before surgery?
Anyway, I think I will speak with rhuemy about it as whatever’s going on, it’s causing me pain.
Thank you for sharing your story and knowledge.
Just to clarify, I had a surgical shoe for six weeks after the op, and went back to work three weeks after the op wearing the shoe. This would not have been possible if I had had both done together.
Strangely, the woman I jobshared with at the time also had a foot op. Like you, she had tendons cut. She was off work for about two months and her foot was still not healing when I left as it was a contract for me. Everybody was asking how I came back to work after three weeks and she took so long off. They gave private medical insurance to employees and she had her op done privately. However, she did not have a dedicated foot surgeon but a general orthopaedic surgeon. I got mine all done free on the NHS and they thought I was the poor relation having to use the NHS. However, I had done my homework for a number of years and had been waiting for nine months. They tried to cross me off because it took so long but Mr Vernois is very charming and reasonable and said he would do the op for me without re-referral!
If you had pins put in your big toe joints, I can't understand why they are not straight. They could not have bent since your op because a pin keeps them straight.
I honestly don’t know the answer to this? I know he broke the toes, put metal in and they didn’t heal the way they were meant too? At the 3 month review visit, I had X-rays and he told me that hopefully it would sort itself out in time - that’s the facts as I know them and I stand nothing to gain from changing them? X
Maybe you had too much work done at the same time. My op took 30 minutes plus a lot of preparation and I only had one toe joint done. It must have been difficult for your surgeon to do all that work in one go (in my opinion) but I would think the healing would be also difficult, especially trying to use your feet. I had to put pressure on my foot occasionally when I wasn't supposed to but it was unavoidable - I walked on my heel and the outside of my foot which I could not have done if I had had two feet done at the same time or more than one toe in the same foot done.
I don't know why your toes are not straight - I wasn't suggesting you were changing facts. It may be something to do with the RA and the surgeon could not straighten them. I was just suggesting it might be worth you getting another opinion. Best of luck.
I think another look at them is needed, for sure and I will speak with rhuemy about it.
After the op, I was in a moon boot for maybe 3 months. I was off work for the best part of that 3 months. I am a social worker and do a lot of walking/ running around, on a daily basis so it was impossible to return before I did.
The year before, in the February, I had both hips replaced, together at the same time and three months later, both knees replaced together, at the same time - on both occasions, I was back to work quicker than with my foot? X
It is because all your weight goes on your feet and also I think because you had tendons cut, like my colleague. I heard that she was in agony for a long time and she felt as if she had had an amputation but I think that was because she did not have a dedicated foot surgeon. People think that just because it is private, they are going to get the best surgeon. I certainly would not have gone to the hospital she did either as it was not an orthopaedic hospital. The Princess Royal where I went is an orthopaedic centre, and is a lovely small hospital with all the comforts of a private hospital which I think it used to be.
Sounds ideal. I went to the new royal - where I’ve had all surgery done and the surgeon who did my hips and knees was nothing short of brilliant. The orthopaedic surgeon I saw and who did my foot, I did not have the same sense of? Maybe I was unlucky but to be fair, he told me before surgery that it may not be successful and I could be left with chronic pain 😢
I think therein lies the problem - he was not a foot surgeon but an orthopaedic surgeon. There is a big difference. On top, you had open surgery whereas I had minimally invasive which has a quicker healing time.
I would have just had the big toe joint done on its own, just in one foot. I would then have had the smaller toes done. Otherwise, you can't get about and can't put your weight on your heel or on the outside of the foot as you need to. You also need to bend the foot so it does not go stiff. You may be able to get it corrected but I think it will involve two operations on the one foot - proceed slowly as you could well do with just one bunion operation.
By the way, the UK are expert at knee and hip replacements but they are awful generally for foot surgery.
Thank you, that’s good to know. X
Minimally invasive surgery for bunions is now available on the NHS and I had mine done on the NHS. This is a fairly recent event as it used to be all private. I think Mr Vernois is now also doing private surgery so I am wondering how long it will be available on the NHS.
I fully expect bunions will go on the same list as hips,knees & varicose veins.
Once we can't walk because our hips & knees won't work, I wonder how much it will cost the NHS to,provide carers to push the wheelchairs they will have to buy?
The exclusion list doesn't seem to have been very well thought out does it?
No - people always seem to want to cut things that don't affect them personally.
My feet did not look to the average person as if there was anything much wrong with them but most doctors agreed they were extremely deformed. Rather than duplicate everything, see my response to Marie. I dance all night in high heels now whereas I could only manage an hour or two on and off previously and had to kick my shoes off. If I had not gone to the gym regularly, I would have killed myself by now because I kept falling - the gym makes you very quick and agile and I managed to steady myself before breaking my neck.
It’s good to hear how successful your operation was. Thank you for your response x
I had that Mortons Nuroma, injections are ok but eventually need removing so I did that and no pain since. I've also had my foot straightened also now painless, worth asking about as makes huge difference. Only my left foot is damaged and Nuromas do grow back so again I opted for removal. My GP recommended me to an orthopedic surgeon who said it was best to do it as it would eventually cause my right foot to dstort as walking in pain does damage feet.
That is what I thought when I had neromas surgically removed in 2011.....but they have grown back! Not nearly so painful, but I feel as if I'm walking on a wobble board!
Having fallen & broken my arm last year I want them sorted before I fall I break something else!
I had same thing but was warned it could happen they were removed again aa few years ago and again when my foot was straightened. I wish I kne how to put up photo's as I have lovely feet now. lol Still big, but painless and shoes are no problem. To be honest my surgeon even released my toes, whatever that means I only know I had lots of tiny scabs all over my toes and the other scars are on the inside of my foot where he removed the lumps and put plates ( not quite dinner plate size) in to hold my foot in correct alaignment, so even with sandals not really visable. Best thing I've ever had done ! ! I was actually suprised my GP said lets get something done as the degree of tilting is over 27% and the NHS do recommend it when if affects walking. I felt tonnes better just being able to walk with no problems.
Do show us your feet!
You need to click on "write" on the top right of this page to write a post.
You give your post a title
Write your message
Then click on "Post a photo"
A little menu appears....click on how to choose your photo.
Then like magic the photo appears ..,,,& we can see your feet!
Hope I haven't missed any thing out!
K4ep an eye out will do ! Thank you I do local history displays in our church but never posted a photo on line. X
If I can do ML...anyone can!
Will look for the Steeple!
Mission accomplished ! lol x
Agree about the socks Marie, sorry your suffering so much, I’m just getting used to new orthotics.Im not feeling every pebble I stand on now but I’m ready for my slippers after an hour.
Regards Mike
Thanks mike. As I said above, my sucks most definitely were not right but clearly must have become so, as I swelled. My feet evidence the same swelling, with or without socks on 😢
I use a small bag of frozen peas and it really helps to reduce the pain. Agree about the socks . Hope the peas also help you.
I like feet
Mmm, I'd see your GP, seems like the swelling is also above where your sock band has been not only your feet Marie. He/she he might want to taka a blood test. I'd take the pic with you. Try to rest them up as much as you can meantime. x
Hi NMH
I hope things are as well as can be, with you and your husband.
Your right, my feet and legs swell after I’ve been in them for any length of time and this is the result, whether or not I’m wearing socks.
My feet, especially the foot that had surgery, ache like hell after walking for even a short while.
Marie
Good enough reason to have them checked don't you think? Something's up if your feet are sore after so little walking, maybe a bit more understandable with the foot that had surgery but still.
I'm not too bad thanks. Unexplained anaemia but waiting on some more test results back. Was up at Cardio this morning? H's Nephrologist wanted an echocardiograph which we thought odd. I've been bothered he's been breathless a while now but she shrugs it off, probably thinking as I have as with other stuff going on he's been saying at least we know my heart is ok. Anyways, we'll wait & see. Thanks for asking, you have someone look at your legs & feet, it could be heat related but it also might not. It's difficult I know, they put up with so much don't they our poor feet. x
Ouch!
Looks like you have some oedema. Have you got some socks that are not too tight around ankles? I bought some for the disabled chap I take care of from time to time. You can buy them on line.
Rest up and look after yourself.
Oops sorry... Repeated what everyone else has said. Should have read tge whole post.
Eiram50 in reply to
Thank you
Sorry you are having such a hard time. I agree with all above and hope you get some relief soon
Try soaking in Epsom salts or as my Nan used to dry mustard powder about tablespoon in hot water hope it helps tc 👍
Poor you, Marie. I would highly recommend keeping your feet elevated as much as possible. If you do get some soft top socks, you can get them for a decent price on amazon.
I agree with the comments about needing an orthopaedic opinion, just for someone to cast their eye over your poor, poor feet.
It’s the pits, isn’t it? Our feet take all the strain.
Take care x
Thank you Sophie. I hope things have been going ok for you? If anyone’s been through the mill, you have!
I will keep the photos and bring discuss it with my rhuemy, although my next apt isn’t until November!
I’ll also be seeing the doctor tomorrow the cyst on my kidneys so I’ll ask her for advise and maybe a referral to see rhuemy sooner.
Take care
Marie
You need to get knee high compression socks . Only after discussing with your doctor . You say the doctor has been changing your blood pressure tablets alodopine sorry probably not spelt right can cause swelling as can anything ending in pine . Please check with gp . Another tip is all compression socks to be put on before you start walking around as swelling is less in the morning . Hope this helps but do not use compression unless your doctor agrees . 💐🤗
Thank you Nessa, I’ll have a chat with the doc.
Incidentally, I don’t take medication for my blood pressure?
Good to see you back - but so sorry about your feet
Thank you x
Hi, I haven’t found any yet other than ice packs and try to keep moving. I hope you get to feeling better soon. Blessings
Up, in city park?
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