Update on toes after orthopedic surgeon visit this morning:
Both big toes are arthritic, although the left is more pronounced. The joints are malformed and cartilege has worn away, although it's not completely gone. But my stride is pretty normal-looking, even barefoot. Eventually, I'll need surgery, with the preference being for joint replacement (
) over fusing the bones together. But the doctor said that because the state of replacements for toes is not as advanced as those for knees or hips (which each have about a 95% success rate), it'd be best to wait a while to see if procedures improve over the next 10-15 years. In the meantime, he told me to take Aleve for 10 days or so (3-4 times the max amount on the bottle, confirming my suspicion that dose recommendations on OTC painkillers are a complete joke) and see if that improves the inflammation or pain any. He also told me to get some more arch support, to prevent overpronation (okay, will think about it, although I'm worried about my feet getting even weaker than they already are), and to get a shoe with a rocker bottom (over my dead body).
Glass half-empty: I will need surgery and in the meantime am stuck with overly stiff, occasionally painful big toes.
Glass half-full: I can hold off on the surgery for a while and can continue to go about my business until then without worrying that this will get any worse.
