Let’s Help Ula Walk Painlessly

Let’s Help Ula Walk Painlessly

My name is Urszula, and I am now in my forties. It is really hard for me to write this request, as I have always been trying to do everything on my own, for the last years. This is a difficult decision, yet – in my fourth decade of life – I have come to the conclusion that there are times when we cannot go solo. Let me now introduce you to my story.

My bunion problems began as early as my primary school; sadly, in those days, such matters were taken too lightly, like “that’s the nature of your beauty” or “it’s a hereditary thing, can’t help it”. For long years, my feet have been suffering from hallux rigidus and from these so called hammer toes, with their joints so inflexible that they are practically rigid. Sadly, over the last year, the resulting pain disorders have intensified very much and the deformation has deepened. The first symptom was the moment when I started feeling a severe pain while wearing most of my pairs of shoes/boots, and suddenly there were abrasions on my deformed big toe and on the surface of my hammer toes. I also began to experience midfoot pain related to my transverse flat feet. Some time later, this acute pain became chronic and accompanied me even during my rest time. Now, I am completely unable to walk and move my feet while using any footwear other than wide fit sports shoes, and even wearing such sports shoes makes me endure a stabbing pain.

During the first medical check-up, on the basis of careful examination and the X-ray image, my orthopaedic doctor diagnosed me with advanced acquired foot deformity, including the following deformations: acquired hallux valgus deformity (M20.1), acquired other hammer toes (M20.4), big toe rotation, foot bunion, periarticular bone peduncles, tendencies to dorsal joint dislocation in the second toes and partially in the third toes, transverse flat feet, calluses under the head of first metatarsal bone.

In order to treat these deformities, it is necessary to carry out a surgical operation and proceed with rehabilitation later on. The method of surgery is entirely up to the surgeon’s decision.

On 6th June 2022, I was found eligible by an orthopaedic surgeon for surgery on the big toes as well as on the second and third mallet toe of both the right and left foot. These operations are supposed to be conducted on one foot and on the other foot, respectively.

The next thing necessary is medical rehabilitation. The purpose of this rehabilitation, which begins right after the bone tissue fusion, is to make me walk properly again, to get the shrinking muscles back to normal and to strengthen the weakened ones, as well as increasing range of motion around the operated joint, the post-operative scar and the other foot joints, plus doing exercises to improve proprioception.

Walking fast is one of the few pleasures that I enjoy most in daily life, and it is related to the disease, for which I have been treated seventeen long years now. By taking long walks, I used to deal with stress and loneliness in my life, so I find it rather hard to think about this serious limitation, being already imposed on me, right now, by the deformed feet.

The date of the first operation has been set for 15th November 2022 – it is surgery for hallux rigidus of just one (right) foot and for its hammer toes (2 ^nd and 3^rd). This surgery has been priced at about 9000 zlotys (roughly, it is about €2000).

Then, my other foot is still left to be operated – also hallux rigidus and two hammer toes, the same price.

I really wish I could save money and get additional jobs, apart from my permanent work, in the meantime. Unfortunately, even if it were possible, it would still not allow me to collect the whole amount of money single-handedly; and therefore, for the very first time, I have decided to ask for help. I shall be truly grateful for every single zloty/euro that might bring me closer to my dream of walking without any limitations.

Thank you,
Urszula