Dr. Curda was the 3rd podiatrist I saw in a 2-year period, trying to get relief for increasing pain in my right big toe. Neither of the other 2 doctors were helpful. By the time I saw Dr. Curda, every step I took with my right foot was painful. I'd stopped walking and dancing due to the pain. We took x-rays of both feet; there was almost no cartilage in the R big toe, and a lot already gone in the L big toe, although I had zero pain in my left toe. Dr. Curda told me what my problem is and said that he could fix it with surgery. The diagnosis was hallux limitus. He said I was too young and active to fuse the joint. He told me that I would be able to wear all of my shoes again, including my high heels. I would not have pain anymore. It could take up to a year for the swelling to go back to normal. I couldn't wear most of my shoes at the time, because my R foot was so swollen and sore. So I had bone surgery on both big toes, two weeks apart. It's not easy, but you can do it, especially if your insurance deductible was met earlier in the year from a shoulder replacement!
Dr. Curda is the friendliest and most caring surgeon I have known, and (unfortunately) I have known quite a few, all of them good, caring ones, too. Really, I don't think you could find a doctor with a better bedside manner than Dr. Curda.
Well, it's been 1.5 years since my surgeries. I have had pain ever since, and not just in my R foot, but also in my left. I didn't have any pain before in my left foot! My feet are still swollen, enough that I still cannot wear any of my old shoes. I have had to buy all new shoes, and slippers. Which is very challenging, since my big toes hurt when they flex (eg when I walk, every step). So forget about any heels. It also feels like there is no padding under my metatarsal bones, (it feels like the bone is in direct contact with the floor or ground, and thus painful). Dr. Curda's comment when I told him that, was that he lowered the bone -- the implication being that what I felt was not an unexpected result of the surgery. But he hadn't told me before the surgery that I might feel that way. So any shoe needs to have a lot of padding in the sole. The skin on top of my feet became so sensitive post-surgery, that my feet actually don't like being in shoes at all. Very loose sandals, with adjustable straps, are more or less tolerable. Often I take off my shoes if I'm at an event where I'm sitting for a while. My feet also get very hot now! I have Reynaud's syndrome, and for my entire life, my feet were cold, very cold in fact. I have tons of thick wool socks that I may never wear again. These days, I typically don't wear socks, and when I do (always very thin ones), I often have to take them off because my feet are so hot, and my skin is irritated from the fabric. Sometimes I even kick the bed covers off my feet because they are so hot. I seem to frequently put on and kick off my not-very-warm new slippers, because my feet sweat so easily now.
When I saw Dr. Curda in January, a little more than a year post-surgery, to get answers to why I still have so much pain, and still have so much swelling and skin sensitivity, he really didn't have any answers that were satisfactory to me. He pulled out the before x-rays, and said that my outcome is much better than he would have expected. The post-surgery x-rays look good and my range of motion is good--from his (clinical) perspective. He even pulled in Dr. Park, his partner, for an on-the-spot opinion, unprompted and uncoached. Dr. Park agreed with Dr. Curda. Dr. Curda said, actually, that what I have now is what I will be left with....except that it will gradually worsen over time due to the aging process. Ask me how happy I am that I had these surgeries....
So, I am rather disappointed and feel betrayed by what Dr. Curda told me before the surgery about my outcome, vs. what I am actually living, and what he told me when I saw him in January. I still think he's a great guy, and a good podiatrist. My advice if you are considering surgery: I would be very, very sure of what the *range* of outcomes could be, in minute detail, if you have foot surgery. Then you won't be disappointed if the best outcome isn't yours. Also, be prepared for the recovery and healing process to take a very long time. read more
