[Texas Yankee]

I tried several podiatrists after experiencing my first incidence of Morton's Neuroma - they all had pretty much the same approach - x-ray (in one case an MRI), exam, recommendation for custom orthotics, recommendation for "softer" shoes, steroid shots, and finally, a recommendation for the neurectomy surgery. The pre-surgery alternatives didn't help at all, and I didn't want the neurectomy surgery at that point. A podiatrist my girlfriend went to for something unrelated had a different surgery suggestion - Endoscopic decompression of the intermetatarsal nerve - far less invasive, and it just made a lot more sense to me at that point. The doctor set my expectations to expect a 50% reduction in pain - not a 100% fix, and that also made sense to me. The surgery went OK, recovery was minimal, and today I am almost 100% OK, AS LONG AS I'M WEARING A PAIR OF CROCS. I haven't found any other shoes that are even close to being comfortable - with the Crocs there's almost no pain at all. I went hiking in Utah in the Crocs and it was wonderful. But, without the Crocs, if I'm barefoot, it's pain from the first step. Not sure if it's the soft sole with the Crocs, or the extra width, but they are a lifesaver for me. I'm retired, 72, and I don't care if people look at me being strange for wearing Crocs all the time. I'd like to make the pain go away all the time, but the trade-off of surgery and the long recovery time against maybe only a marginally better situation is not worth it for me to have surgery. I am wondering about the cyrosurgery for Morton's Neuroma - that might reduce the recovery time and provide as good as or better benefits than the neurectomy surgery. Any thoughts??

[agate]

Welcome, Texas Yankee!

You say you're almost 100% OK so long as you're wearing Crocs. Why not just keep on wearing the Crocs since they're working for you?

Any surgery is something being done to the body, a change being made that might or might not cause new problems. And the older we are, the harder any surgery is for us.

Most people aren't even looking at your shoes. And who cares if they are? What footwear you've chosen to wear is your business, not theirs.

I have MS, and for about 30 years the only shoes I felt safe in were cheap canvas sneakers. I was spared jokes about the "little old lady in tennis shoes" and don't recall any comments from anyone, ever, even though I showed up wearing those casual sneakers at events where most people were more dressed up. I wanted to be at the event. I didn't want to fall.

Diabetes came along, and I learned that I needed more foot support. Now I wear diabetic shoes that have "custom" orthotics in them. They're heavier than the sneakers were and for that reason aren't as satisfactory but on the other hand a lot of back pain problems I was having have gone away. The diabetic shoes don't look especially stylish either but I really prefer to be comfortable.

I don't think you need to be self-conscious about your choice of Crocs.

[Texas Yankee]

LOL, I have no issues with wearing Crocs all the time - I wore a suit for many years in the working world, and now that I'm retired, I answer to no one and do what I want - the one suit I have gathers dust in the back of the closet - I think I wore it to a wedding several years ago - and LOL, having three ex-wives, I find weddings almost depressing. At this point in my life, I have very little regard for what other people think about the clothes I'm wearing or stuff like that, so, for me, Crocs all the time aren't a problem. What intrigued me about the cyrosurgery was the potential chance of activities like longer (3+ miles), pain-free walks, and walking around barefoot on the beach like I used to - but in reality, compared to your MS and diabetes, my foot issues are relatively minor, and it's a situation I can work around without much expense or inconvenience.

I guess some people wonder about the Crocs I choose to wear - what do you think?

[Kitt]

Welcome Texas Yankee