Q1: What is the cost of bunion surgery?
A: The cost of a simple bunion is 5500 for one foot and 6500 RMB for two feet. If you have Beijing medical insurance (with medical insurance blue book) you pay 1800 for one foot and 2000 RMB for two (if Tianjin medical insurance is 1500 RMB). For other foreign patients, you will have to pay the complete cost in advance, and you need to contact your local medical insurance unit in advance for the specific reimbursement. The exact cost for patients with combined other diseases will need to be determined at the time of consultation.
Q2: Do I need to be hospitalized for the surgery? How long do I have to stay in the hospital?
A: Hospitalization is mandatory. Although our surgery is a small incision surgery with local anesthesia and you can walk on the ground immediately after the surgery, you need to be hospitalized for one to two weeks for wound dressing change, infusion and anti-inflammatory treatment because you tend to bleed about 3 days after the surgery to prevent wound infection. Patients from overseas need to be hospitalized for more than three weeks due to the inconvenience of visiting the hospital after discharge.
Q3: Can people who are older have bunion surgery?
A: The surgery is a minimally invasive surgery with local anesthesia, which is less traumatic to the body, so it is generally tolerated by people. Unless there is a combination of serious medical diseases, such as hypertension very high risk group, unstable blood pressure control; diabetes blood sugar fasting >15mmol/L, unstable drug control, etc.. Of course, the recovery of elderly people will be a little slower compared to young people.
Q4: Is there any recurrence after surgery?
A: There is a certain recurrence rate after surgery, 0.3% in our hospital, but it can be completely avoided if we can review systematically after surgery.
Q5: When is the right time to have surgery?
A: Seasonally, spring and autumn are better, because it is fixed for six weeks, which is good for wound healing and air permeability of the foot skin. Of course these are not absolute, nowadays there is heating and air conditioning, as long as you keep the wound clean and dry, the impact will not be too great.
Q6: Can children have bunion surgery?
A: Bunions in children should be due to genetic factors. My experience is that it is best to have osteotomy correction after the age of 18, so that it is less likely to recur.
Q7: I would like to have a bunion surgery, what is the procedure? Do I need to make an appointment?
A: Because of the tight bed space in the ward, you must make an appointment in advance. Generally, you can visit our specialist clinic (Wangjing Hospital Bone and Joint Department II Specialist Clinic) 2 weeks in advance for examination, radiographs, design of surgery plan, and then finalize the surgery time according to your actual work situation. Patients from out of town can call my department on 01084739140 to make an appointment.
Q8: I have already seen and booked an appointment at the outpatient clinic, what should I do next?
A: There is a recovery process after the bunion surgery, so it is necessary to take leave from your unit. You will be hospitalized for one week after the surgery, and you should try to control the amount of activity after discharge because the wound has not completely healed, and you will be able to walk more freely after 2 weeks, so if you work in an office, you can go to work after 2 weeks. Because of the bony correction, it should be fixed with bandage for 6 weeks, after removing the bandage, walking is no longer a problem, but it will take 3 months for the fracture to heal, and it will take half a year for the fracture to fully grow strong and run and jump. Therefore, you can decide to take time off work according to your work nature.
Q9: Do I need someone to stay with me during the hospitalization?
A: After surgery, you can go down to the floor, and you should be able to take care of yourself in basic life such as going to the toilet. However, we need to take pictures and change medicine after surgery, and excessive walking on the floor will aggravate the bleeding, so it is better to have someone to help you, we have 24-hour nurses in the hospital, so you can hire one if your family is not convenient.
Q10: What should I prepare when I am notified of the hospitalization time?
A: When you arrive at the hospital at the time of notification, you cannot eat anything in the morning because blood tests will be taken. Remember to bring your medical insurance blue book, your hospitalization certificate and the films taken in the outpatient clinic. Then, the doctor in charge will conduct a consultation, collect information, take gait measurements and sign a pre-operative interview. (Just a reminder: it may take a long time to complete all the tests because the doctor in charge may be in surgery, so it is feasible for the patient to go to dinner after the blood is drawn.)