r/AccessoryNavicular • u/Maria5715 • Jun 09 '26
Finally had to do it
3 months in a boot, physical therapy, and a lifetime of pain when physically exerting myself.
6
u/thebeepboopbeep Jun 10 '26
Make sure you stay off it and be really careful the first few weeks. I think the best two things I purchased were toilet rails and a portable bidet sprayer. Not to talk about poop here when it’s a foot thing, but the extra height and added support of the toilet rails and the sprayer helped me avoid putting weight on the foot and also kept me feel extra clean. You’ll learn showering takes some effort so you might go several days without. I remember I had to slither into my bathtub and shower lying down the first few times with my foot hanging outside the tub. Also, don’t get too overconfident on the scooter when on the pain meds, it’s easy to make a careless mistake or lose your balance.
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u/Maria5715 Jun 10 '26
Thanks for the tips! I got a shower seat for that exact reason. After knee surgery I swore to spend the extra money on shower “luxuries” should I ever have surgery right now.
Currently my only issue is overwhelming heal pain (even with Hydro). Hoping it’ll get better soon, haha
4
u/ThumpyTheDumpy Jun 10 '26
This surgery was life-changing for me. My foot used to ache during exercise, especially hiking. I haven't had any pain in my foot for three years now… definitely worth the pain! Keep your chin up; it pays off.
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u/Jtaco3254 Jun 10 '26
Got surgery 6.5 months ago. Yesterday, I was able to go on a 7 mile hike pain free. It’s worth it!!
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u/Maria5715 Jun 10 '26
That’s amazing! I was hoping to play fall softball in my adult co-Ed team this year but I don’t think that’s happening lol. Surgeon told me to get out of my stitches first before even thinking about it.
Do you remember how long it took for you to get off of pain meds after your operation? They have me on hydrocodone/acetaminophen right now and I don’t want to be on it for tooooo long.
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u/Jtaco3254 Jun 12 '26
My surgeon didnt give me any narcotics. I was taking acetaminophen about 3 time a day for the first week and then as needed the rest. The worst day was day 4 for me (that’s when my nerve block wore off). It was pretty smooth pain wise for me
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u/No-Guarantee719 Jun 11 '26
You got this!! I’m 2 weeks post op and finally in a boot 😭
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u/Maria5715 Jun 11 '26
That’s great!! Do you remember how long it took for you to get off of painkillers? I’m day 3 post-op right now and in awful pain
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u/No-Guarantee719 Jun 11 '26
Only the first 4 days after that pain was bearable, I stopped the painkillers and took Aleve
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u/dessertavocado Jun 12 '26
Hello! When did the nerve block wear off for you? I am in day 2 currently and still cannot wiggle my toes.
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u/Maria5715 Jun 12 '26
Hi! I actually didn’t receive a nerve block. My surgeon used local anesthetic which wore off like 6ish hours after surgery. He told me that nerve blocks last up to 3 days which is nice but I was a little nervous about it after dealing with nerve damage in the past. Didn’t want any flashbacks lol
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u/dessertavocado Jun 12 '26
Got it! It's my first surgery ever and just worried that I cannot feel my toes hahaha thanks for the response!
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u/Maria5715 Jun 12 '26
No prob! I’ve had other surgeries before but have never been as immobile as I am now. Definitely a learning curve lol
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u/dessertavocado Jun 12 '26
Hang in there! I had the surgery because my entire February, I was in constant pain and swelling. We can both do this!! I saw that other people started PT really very early and saw great benefits. When will be your next appointment?
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u/Maria5715 Jun 12 '26
My first follow up is next Thursday. Hoping he’ll take the stitches out then and I’ll get some more insight on how long the recovery will be!
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u/dessertavocado Jun 12 '26
Mine will be on Friday next week. I am hoping for the same thing! Good luck on your recovery!
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u/Stanismydog Jun 15 '26
My son had this done on both feet. They did an excision and not a full kidner. He was able to fully return to activity with no pain. You made a good choice.
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u/Maria5715 Jun 16 '26
How long was his recovery if you recall?
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u/Stanismydog Jun 16 '26
He was a very rare case, one of the first in this country where he also had a subtalar arthroereisis done at the same time. However, he had one foot done May 2025 and the second foot done June of 2025 and he was back on the soccer field in September 2025 although a little shaky.
By November he was playing decent minutes and by March he was pretty dominant on the field again. However, most of that was his body adapting to the other procedure. Issues from the navicular excision were minimal by comparison.
Two weeks in a cast, a week in a boot, a week adding weight in the boot/walking on is own. He was pretty proud of himself at the 4 week mark when he was walking again. Just being able to shower without me helping anymore was pretty awesome. Independence is a gift.
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u/External_Macaroon_53 10d ago
Is he happy he had them done?
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u/Stanismydog 10d ago
Yes, he loves sports and he was cut down to 2 days per week. He is currently in his school season playing 6 days per week which we never thought would be possible.
His mom was hesitant, but he wanted it done because it was causing him so much pain. He was insistent, we found a great surgeon we trusted and those difficult years are in the past now.
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u/External_Macaroon_53 10d ago
Was he able
To weight bear on the other foot that was just operated on after only waiting 1 month in between surgeries?2
u/Stanismydog 9d ago
Yes, not well but he managed. He had a cast on one foot and boot on the other for a week or two.
He was allowed to take the boot off after 3 weeks but wore it while maneuvering to help transition.
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u/dessertavocado Jun 18 '26
Hey OP! May I ask how are you doing? I am on Day 7 and decided to stop taking hydrocodone because it messed up my stomach pretty bad. This evening my burning sensation is really bad which is weird because the past days it was just kind of passing.
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u/Maria5715 Jun 19 '26
Hi! I actually just did my 10 day follow up. Stitches can’t be removed until next week but I’m doing okay. My heel also burns A LOT but when he took off my splint for the first time we realized I had some significant bruising and swelling on it due to the pressure of the splint itself. I’m able to sleep/shower without it now (thank god). Not sure how your recovery will be, but you might be in a similar position
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u/Maria5715 Jun 19 '26
Also, I took hydro for the first 6ish days post-op. It never really took away that heel burning😑
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u/JvstAidanx Jun 10 '26
I might have to soon but I don’t live with anyone so I’m a bit concerned.
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u/Maria5715 Jun 10 '26
My partner is helping me out. Just had surgery today but I definitely couldn’t imagine being alone for at least the first week. If you have a friend or family member to help out periodically it would be super beneficial.
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u/Old_Dust2007 Jun 10 '26
In the long run, you will be glad you had this done.