Embarrassing Illnesses

Jo Burland, a teacher from Finchley, north London, was 15 when she first noticed some bumps had appeared on her feet. Earlier this year, at the age of 34, she had an osteotomy.

"I put up with the lumps for years. But as they grew bigger and bigger, they began to hurt quite a bit. It was frustrating not being able to wear all the lovely shoes I'd see in the shops. I would try them on, but my bunions just poked through, so I could never buy them.

"Eventually I realised I had to do something about my feet. They were so sore all the time. I went to my GP who referred me to Charing Cross Hospital where I saw a consultant podiatrist. He examined both my feet very carefully. After talking me through his diagnosis, he suggested I should have an operation called an osteotomy (a realignment of the joint). He recommended that I have one foot done at a time so I'd be able to hobble around on my one 'good' foot.

"After some thought I decided that I didn't want to go through the same procedure twice and that I would have both feet done together. The operation could be done as day surgery and luckily the waiting list wasn't too long. 

"The operation really wasn't that bad! I went in at midday and was ready to go home around 4pm the same day. I had a local anaesthetic and the operation took around half an hour on each foot. There was a nurse with me all the time and I listened to my i-Pod to distract me.

"I was in a wheelchair for the first week. My feet were all bandaged up and quite swollen. I had to be careful not to put any weight on them for a few weeks, but after about three weeks, I was able to wear trainers and hobble around on crutches. After six weeks I was back to normal.

"Having my bunions removed really is one of the best things I've ever done. My feet healed really well and the scars are tiny. Overall, my feet look fantastic."