I run, I lift weights, I do yoga, I swim, I chase after the two boys I nanny, I walk to and from my classes (over a mile one way) every day, and none of this bothers my foot. Since the toe lays down lower than the rest, I will feel a weird sensation when I roll the ball of my foot with weight on it (like when I stand and roll my foot around). It doesn't hurt though, and really doesn't happen often so it doesn't bother me.
I wear sandals almost all the time, and I don't even think about it when I take off my socks/shoes in front of people. I have noticed that it's still smaller than the toe on my right foot, and at times I'll get a little self-conscious, but no one has ever said anything about it and I always like to remind myself what my foot looked like before the surgery. A couple months ago, my roommate asked me about my surgery. She had to ask what foot and what toe I got the surgery done on because she couldn't tell, and when I pointed out my scar she said, "I didn't even know you had a scar there!" She asked if I had gotten surgery on the toe that was "a little smaller" but she said it because my toe is literally thinner and more petite-looking than my pinky toe, which (as you guys know) is fatter because it's had to bear the weight for so many years. The fact that she couldn't tell which toe/foot it was, and the fact that she had never noticed my scar really gave me the confidence and assurance that others around me see my foot as a normal foot.
Additionally, if any of you are having pain in any of your other toes, I just want to share my experience (I can't remember if I've mentioned this before or not, but either way it's important to know). Before the surgery, I could feel a bunion forming. My big toe had been starting to point inward toward my other toes more, and it gave me almost constant discomfort. There would be times when it felt like muscle cramps up and down my big toe. My doctor thought I was an idiot when I told him I thought my brachymetatarsia was affecting my bunion, but lo and behold I have no more pain in my big toe! The surgery has definitely helped slow/stop the progress of the bunion, which I am so happy about.
I have gotten several emails from people who are going through the surgery and have questions or just wanted to say thank-you for my blog, and it makes me so happy! It's so nice to know that people around the world have found my blog and are reading it to help with their own journey; that was the main point of making a blog in the first place, because when I was planning and preparing for my own surgery, it was the blogs of others before me who had been through the process that really helped calm my nerves and answer my questions.
Like I've said numerous times before, I'm here to help if you have any questions, concerns, or comments. Take care!
Below are current pictures of what my foot looks like. I'll add the before picture just to compare :)
(The scar in the above picture looks way darker on camera than it does in person...don't worry)
