My Embarassing Illness

Apart from crooked teeth (now 99% straightened), a BCG keloid on my left arm and imperfect eyesight, I also have bunions on both my feet.

According to Wikipedia:

A bunion is a structural deformity of the bones and the joint between the foot and big toe, and may be painful. A bunion is an enlargement of bone or tissue around the joint at the base of the big toe (metatarsophalangeal joint). The big toe may turn in toward the second toe (angulation), and the tissues surrounding the joint may be swollen and tender.

Mine was caused by:

1. Genetics (hereditory)
2. Long hours of waitressing or standing
3. 10 years of ballet
4. Flat feet and low arch
5. Constant wearing of high heels for a few years in my college days

As you can see, my big toe is leaning towards the second toe.

My feet probably looks like this or WILL look like this in the long run:

Source: Wikipedia

When I searched on youtube on “Bunions”, I found this link from a program called Embarassing Illnesses where the doctor recommended that people with bunions work on this exercise ten times in the morning my bringing the toes together (photo below) and hold it there for a few seconds to reallign the bones.

Treatment according to Wikipedia:

Bunions may be treated conservatively with changes in shoe gear, different orthotics (accommodative padding and shielding), rest, ice, and medications. These sorts of treatments address symptoms more than they correct the actual deformity. Surgery, by a podiatrist or an orthopeadist, may be necessary if discomfort is severe enough or when correction of the deformity is desired.

Warning: Gross video ahead. Click if you think you can handle it!

I would need to correct my bunions by wearing the right shoes before finally resorting to bunions surgery which will be the best option. Watch this video for a sample of the full surgery. Some comments on this youtube mentioned that it’s not a very clean procedure but I’m sure many hospitals or clinics nowadays can perform this in a cleaner and probably more advanced manner.

All along, I have been wearing my trusty Nike dance shoes (probably not the right shoes to work for long hours), but they have been pretty comfortable until one day I realised that my bunions were really giving me problems. Apart from that, I have had these shoes for almost two years now and had given them a great deal of mileage. It’s also possibly because they’re not wide enough at the toes to allow for my imperfect feet to breathe.

So, one fine day I realised that I should opt for the most comfortable pair of shoes ever since I still want my feet in those Choo’s.

Hush Puppies. My official fourth pair of Hush Puppies shoes. I know I’m not very cool by choosing this quite aunty-looking pair of Mary-Janes but shoes have always been quite important to me, and I have been quite careful over the past two years, if I had not been wearing my cosmetic Nose / Vincci shoes that may not help my feet.

These shoes provide great comfort and I wore them for a good two week period and did not even complain about my bunions until…

It decided to come apart.

Arghhhhhhhh! I’m writing to Pacific Brands Footwear now to make a complaint! I’m dissappointed. Surely I can glue them back together, but I’m just dissappointed how this could have happened. Luckily I was only on my way out. They should really think of changing their glue manufacturer. Luckily I retained the receipt, will go to David Jones tomorrow.

No shoes seem to agree with me for now and I cannot wear other colours besides black for waitressing. I had this one full week of conscious-about-my-bunions and I am now over it until this stupid problem with my Hush Puppies arose.

I now invest in bunion protectors, in-sole gel pads and reduce my hours of wearing high heels (only for special functions).

Don’t feel sorry for me. Feel sorry for your feet and take measures to protect your feet now before it’s too late, like mine. It’s certainly not a matter to brush off.

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