Morton's Neuroma Surgery Recovery: Ten Weeks Post-Op

Today marks ten weeks since my neuroma surgery on both feet. This is what my feet look like.

The left incision looks darker because the surgeon cut right on top of the black marker line that had been drawn on my foot. So it is taking longer for the ink to go away. He did not cut precisely on top of the marker on my right foot and it is now looking like a light, thin line.

You can barely see the little spot on my right foot where I had the internal stitch complication two weeks ago (from overdoing it). I gave my foot extra rest for a week and took an antibiotic as a precaution (because the stitch opened in that spot and there was a small amount of drainage). But it has healed up well and now feels no different from my left.


Based on how well I did early on in my recovery, my expectation was that at ten weeks my feet would be almost normal. They really aren't. But I think I had unrealistic expectations. And my surgeon minimized the recovery a little bit (in my opinion). I'm not in pain and I am walking fine. Obviously, my feet felt good enough that I unintentionally overdid it. The incisions are looking better all the time. I'm not unhappy with my progress. But I'm a little surprised at how easily my feet still swell and get sore. The swelling is felt more than seen. Even when my feet don't look swollen, I feel the sensation inside my feet that I have come to recognize as swelling.

For instance, yesterday I cleaned. I did a little more than I have previously done in one day, including vacuuming the whole house. And I also cooked dinner. After dinner, I could feel the internal swelling and a minor stinging sensation (internally) around the area of my incisions. I knew I had to get off my feet for the rest of the evening. I have learned that just because my feet look completely healed externally, that does not mean they are completely healed internally.

I'm back to riding my semi-recumbent bike 40-45 minutes almost daily, though. And that does not bother my feet at all. I always put my orthotics in my shoes, which transfers any pressure from pedaling to my arch rather than the ball of my foot. But if I'm on my feet as much as I want to be, I still wind up feeling the consequences by the end of the day.

However, I do not feel like I have a rock or a marble in either foot, as some surgical patients have described online. I'm thankful for that. I know I had a great surgeon. Also, I am not aware of any numbness unless I run my finger over the skin on the ball of my foot near the third and fourth toes. When I do that, I can tell a difference in that spot. There is less feeling, but it is not totally numb.

My frustration at this point is that I want to do more. I want to go to an exercise class (Zumba) and I know it's too soon. I've read that some patients are back to running at this point. I can't imagine that. But then, I am not a runner to begin with. I suppose I could run if I had to, but it would seem unwise to me. I didn't think I was doing too much after week seven. But carrying my two-year-old grandson around and going on an easy nature walk with my six-year-old grandson did cause me that internal stitch issue and resulted in another week of staying off my feet. So I'm being more cautious. I'd rather do a little less and not have a week of consequences.

I see Dr. Yu for a routine follow up next Tuesday. Looking forward to another quick trip to Nashville and a visit with our munchkins!