Bye Bye to "The Bump"

I interrupt my Olympic National Park recap to give you all a quick "state of Linda's foot."

I've battled bunions all my adult life.  In 2006, I had a large bunion removed from the big toe joint of my left foot.  The surgery itself wasn't so bad, but the recovery was long and slow.  Although my right foot needed the same treatment, I put off fixing it for many years.  I just didn't want to take myself out of commission for the 3-4 months it took to heal.

My bumpy right foot (with post-marathon calluses)

After "limping" along for 8 years, this past ski season finally got my attention.  My right big toe joint rubbed in the ski boot, leaving my foot achy and sore after a day on the slopes.  Although I could deal with a little pain and discomfort during running and hiking, skiing was a different story.  I knew the time had come.  The "bump" had to go.

"The Bump" side view

But what time of the year could I take myself out of commission?  Definitely not during ski season!  And I love hiking in spring, summer and fall.....And I'd already signed up for the Portland Marathon in early October.  Finally, I decided on late October.  This would give me two full months to recover (historically skiing hasn't been great in December anyway) in time to hit the slopes in January.  Although running and hiking will need to wait a month or two longer, I think I can ski sooner.  The ski boot should act as a cast to protect my foot.  I'm fairly sure as long as the swelling has gone down enough to fit my foot in the boot, I'll be good to go!

Under all those bandages - no more bump!

Last Thursday I went under the knife.  My doc removed a huge bunion from my right foot, another in the big toe joint, and a smaller one on the side of the same joint.  Since the cartilage in the joint was gone, my doc also shortened my metatarsal bone to create some more space.  So, I've got pins in my foot until the bone heals.

I'm home from work for the next two weeks, confined to the couch.  Under strict orders to keep my foot elevated, I'm only allowed up for 5 minutes each hour.

But...if you're wondering what will become of Linda's Lens, no worries.  In the weeks leading up to surgery, I was hiking like a mad woman, and I have tons of photos and stories to share (and now lots of time to put together posts!)   And if those run out, I can dip into my archives.  The show will go on!