This is it!

There's no turning back. This is it! The big day. The day I've been waiting for (kind of)....the day I finally get my foot fixed!

So I woke up at 8am. Kissed mum and Logan goodbye and headed to Changi Hospital with Ed. Got myself checked in and like that, I had to kiss Ed and go in to prepare for surgery. I was cold, and scared (some kind of tough girl I am eh?).

Changed into the surgery gown, took my pressure and temp, and sat there and waited. Finally, 10.30am, it's my turn. I walked down the corridor with the nurse...I get on the bed and lie flat while they push me into the operating theatre. There I lay for a good hour before it was my turn. IV was put in, oxygen mask on my face and as I took deep breaths,...that was the last I remembered being in there....

I finally wake up to the nurse telling me it was over. I start to feel the numbness and throbbing in my foot. They push me back to my ward/room and not too long after I saw Ed and boy was I relieved.

I was still out of it.....and about an hour after, my mum and the kids came by. I was so happy to see them. Felt really sick from the GA so I napped while Ed, mum and the kids went to grab a bite. I wasn't even hungry after almost 24 hours!!



The three pics below shows a tired Ed who waited at the hospital with me for 12 hours straight, even while I was in the operating theatre. See the photo of my foot where they marked an arrow so they sliced open the right foot. And some comfort food Ed bought me after the op that I still couldn't eat.


My mum and the kids left early as the kids were tired. Ed left at about 8.30pm so I could get some sleep.

So what sort of surgery did I have done to my foot?

I got a Chevron osteotomy (Distal) which is indicated for correction of a mild to moderate hallux valgus (Bunion) deformity. This allows for a small reduction of the angle between the first and second metatarsal. It is ideal for bunions that are not particularly pronounced.

The procedure involves a V-shaped cut in the distal aspect of the first metatarsal near the metatarsal head. This allows the distal aspect of the bone to be translated between 45 mm in the lateral direction. The cut bone is then fixed in this position with a small screw or a suture of some sort. The excess bone on the inside of the foot (medial side) is then reseated. The joint capsule is also tightened to allow for correction of the bunion.

Patients undergoing a chevron osteotomy are often allowed to walk as long as they are in a stiff soled shoe and they mostly walk with weight through their heel. They do need to limit their activity in the postoperative period, as excessive activity can lead to a nonunion or a malunion. Patients can usually be advanced to a more normal shoe at 6 weeks. However, it will often be 3-4 months before they have made 80% of their recovery and often 9-12 months before their maximal recovery is achieved. Patients recovering from a chevron osteotomy (or other foot surgeries) can have persistent swelling. This can carry on for number of months following surgery. This is due to increased blood flow as part of the healing process.