My feet hurt. And I’ve got no one to blame but myself.
They’re jammed into a pair of black heels that look great. These classic, pointy-toed heels finish off any outfit, whether it’s dark denim jeans or my go-to Gap work slacks (does anyone say slacks anymore but my Grandma, and now, apparently me?)
I’ve owned these heels for about three years now. I originally bought them at TJ Maxx, probably for about $30, for a job interview. I needed some height to straighten out the length on a new interview suit I had purchased for the interview. Thinking back, I don’t know why I just didn’t get them hemmed, but whatever.
The day of the interview my confidence soared as I stepped into the newsroom in the shoes. But after only a few minutes, I realized I had a problem.
My feet were killing me. To make matters worse, the person interviewing me suggested we walk to the restaurant she was taking me for lunch. On the way over, I tried to keep up with her but I was falling behind in the 3.5 inch heels. She slowed a bit to stay in step with me and I just knew she was thinking “What in the world was she thinking wearing those heels?” This was a newspaper job, and most journalists are known for a harried look that has more to do with meeting deadline that staying on trend. I remember thinking “Did I just shoot myself in the foot?” And if I did, could the gun please be loaded with a shot of morphine to numb the pain coming from this awful shoes?
Later that day, I met with the executive editor as part of the interview and I can’t for the life of me remember what we talked about. I do remember trying really hard to focus because the pain coming from my foot was so distracting.
I was eventually offered the job, so the interview wasn’t a complete disaster although I ended up turning it down for other reasons.
The heels took a breather in my closet for a few years before I tentatively started wearing them out, but only to places where I knew we would be sitting down and I wouldn’t be walking very far.
I hadn’t even worn them in at least two years before spotting them in my closet this morning when I needed some height, once again, for the long work slacks, I mean pants.
Today was fairly slow at work, so I’m not walking miles in them or anything. I kept sneaking a peak of my feet in these shoes. I love the pointy toe and the little bit of toe cleavage peeking out. And I love that I got these shoes on the cheap.
But I have no business wearing these shoes. Years of ballet lessons combined with several years of wearing cheap, tight-fitting high heels have taken their toll in the form of a bunion. Yes, it’s disgusting. My sister reminds me of that all the time. Many people have their bunions removed with surgery. I went to a podiatrist a few years ago to check this out, and was informed there was a chance I wouldn’t be able to drive for 6 to 8 weeks! That’s not possible with my job, so I’ve forgotten about the surgery. I just deal with the pain. They took an X-ray of my foot at the podiatrist and I wish I had it now to see how much bigger this disgusting problem has gotten. For anyone who doesn’t know what a bunion is, check out that angled portion of the upper side of this photo:
That’s what I’m dealing with. I thought about posting a photo of my own foot, but this blog is new and I don’t want to turn off readers. It would not have been pretty.
I used to be really embarrassed about the bunion, going so far as trying to dig my feet into the sand at volleyball games so nobody would notice that part of my foot. Now, I’ve gotten used to it.
Think of this picture the next time you buy a pair of cheap heels. Is it worth it?
Who am I kidding? Of course it is!
I can’t believe you wrote a post about bunions.
I got bunion surgery about 3 mnths ago on my left foot and 2 mnths for my right foot. Prior to my bunion surgery I couldn’t wear heels or shoes that weren’t wide fitting. I had bunion surgery, hammertoes removed and a cyst removed (left foot- go figure?) and now my feet look beautiful. Beauty comes with a price though. I’m not yet able to wear all types of shoes, I still have some considerable swelling. I went back to work 1 week after my surgery and I was driving during that time also. My feet are still healing, I heard it can take up to a year to be completely healed. I suffered alot of pain after my surgery but the drugs they give you make it worth it. I would definetly reccomend this surgery to someone who has foot pain. I often think whether I would do it again given the uncomfortableness (the bones in my toes rub together at night due to the fact they were cut, and I can often feel the screw in my foot spasm ) and truth be told I would definetly do it again but I would do more research.
My suggestion to those out there considering surgery is to do your research. Speak to people who had the surgery, look at their feet and their scars. Find out about the procedure and alternative procedures. Figure out if you are keyloid prone or not (i am). Post surgery make sure you relaxxxxxxxxxxxx. Do not, I repeat do not rush back to work. Ice, elevate, and take it easy.
Good Luck to all.
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