Dr hive- weird foot thing, maybe bunion? UPDATE

[busymama7]

Can you have a bunion on only one side? It is quite painful within minutes of putting shoes on even if sitting? 

I started having problems with one of my feet just in the last few weeks but it's gotten even worse in the last few days.  I don't wear tight shoes or high heels or anything.  I've always been careful because my mom had bunions and eventually surgery and I was trying to avoid that. 

I am barefoot 95% of the time. I am a stay at home mom and do not wear shoes in the house.   I prefer being barefoot. 

It is so strange how severe it got so quickly and how the other foot is totally fine.  As I pondered that I realized that this is the same foot that I am pretty sure had a fracture that was missed.  Something got dropped on my foot and the bone of the 4th toe(but in the foot, not the toe) was very painful.  I had it x-rayed but made the mistake of doing that at urgent care 🙄 and they said I was fine. I know I should have gone to an orthopedic.  But I wasn't convinced it wasn't broken and stayed off of it for a few weeks as a precaution. It was fine after that (it's been either 2 or 3 years, I think 3) except it would ache a bit with weather change exactly in the spot.  

So I have always suspected it did have a small fracture that was missed.  And now this is going on. Oh and that foot looks TOTALLY deformed compared to the other one.  Like the inside arch look collapsed towards the inside.  And the joint of the big toe is protruding. I thought I was imagining things but my husband says it's bad.  Sitting or standing you can see the difference.   Note that there is no pain when I'm barefoot.  It hurts in shoes though and today I noticed some limping to compensate when walking in shoes.  

I'm kinda freaking out.  Really it's only been bad for a week or so.  I will go to a podiatrist but I am guessing this is going to be surgery and I don't have time for that in my life 😜

Any other possible causes or treatments? Could it just be a bunion?  Argh I'm so mad at that urgent care and myself for not making another appointment.  There were some insurance issues which is why I just chose to treat it as broken. (I used crutches and a knee scooter I borrowed etc ) but probably not for long enough. 

 

Edited November 2, 2020 by busymama7
Typos

[Katy]

Given your family history and personal history I don’t think it would be responsible to speculate. You need to see a podiatrist or an orthopedist. Unless the pain is above a 6, or the circulation seems impaired in which case you might need an ER.  
 

[Selkie]

I have a big bunion on my left foot. It showed up pretty suddenly when I was in my 30s. I remember looking at my foot one day and thinking, "What the heck is that?" lol 

My right foot is bunion-free.

Surgery has never interested me because I've been told that it's a very painful procedure. I just wear wider, comfier shoes and it's been fine.

[OH_Homeschooler]

Yes, it is absolutely possible to have a bunion on just one foot. I had surgery to have one removed/repaired after my first pregnancy (it got much worse during that time). Surgery greatly improved my quality of life. The pain was bad for a few days and I wore a boot for weeks (no crutches!), but it was definitely worth it to stop being in pain every single day. The surgery was on a Wednesday and I went back to work on Monday.

And it is so much easier to find shoes now! 

 

ETA: It is worth going to a podiatrist even if you don't want surgery. I had a friend with a bunion who went to one and the doctor tried some other things to help her. She did eventually have surgery though. And was glad she did. And it would be necessary to check out if this is a bunion or something else.

Edited October 28, 2020 by OH_Homeschooler

[klmama]

I got a bunion at 22 from wearing cute, unsupportive shoes without the arch supports I knew I needed.  The podiatrist told me it would get worse if I continued.  I have worn supports ever since, and it no longer hurts.  No surgery needed.

Edited October 28, 2020 by klmama

[Carol in Cal.]

I wore arch supports for a long time because of PF and tendencies toward it.  I started to develop bunions because of that, and since the PF was gone I backed off on the arch supports and stopped the progress.

[gardenmom5]

Bunions don't generally appear suddenly, and they don't have symptoms without being obvious that's what they are.  Given your history, I would have your foot checked by a podiatrist. (I wouldn't bother with an orthopedist.)

[busymama7]

9 minutes ago, gardenmom5 said:

Bunions don't generally appear suddenly, and they don't have symptoms without being obvious that's what they are.  Given your history, I would have your foot checked by a podiatrist. (I wouldn't bother with an orthopedist.)

Yeah I am planning on it.  Just wanted to hope it's only a bunion.  It doesn't seem like it though. So super bummed and honestly super stressed.

[prairiewindmomma]

One of the better reads on MTP joint issues: https://www.health.harvard.edu/diseases-and-conditions/what-to-do-about-bunions

I would go see a podiatrist, but I wouldn’t (yet) freak out about foot surgery.

[busymama7]

So I saw a podiatrist this am.  X-ray looked good including the previous injury spot.  Slight bunion but he said very very slight.   The pain was coming from a ganglion cyst on my big toe joint. I had him drain it but he said it's only 50/50 chance that will work.  Surgery to remove is also an option if it returns.  

[klmama]

Glad you determined the cause and that there was a  quick treatment.  

[Tree Frog]

I hope the aspiration worked and it doesn't return! My SIL had a ganglion cyst removed from her foot and a few years later it returned. She said both the cyst and the surgery were quite painful. Both of my dd's have ganglion cysts in their wrists. They have had them aspirated, but they quickly return. Oldest dd used hers when the med students were studying wrists and learned that the cysts in wrists are more difficult to get rid of surgically because of all the different tiny wrist bones. They're also difficult to aspirate due to the cysts being sectioned around the wrist bones. Their cysts get worse when they're stressed.

[Jaybee]

This probably won't help, because a foot is different, but I had a ganglion cyst in my wrist when I was young (high school? college?). I had it for several years, and though it bothered me with mild pain, it never caused a lot. It eventually went away on its own.