WARNING: This video and article contains graphic content.
Chris had been dealing with excruciating foot pain for months, brushing it off as just another inconvenience of his busy life.
But when things became so “unbearable” he could barely walk, enough was enough – he needed to get his “red, ugly glowing ping-pong ball” of a problem fixed by a professional.
Stream episodes of My Feet Are Killing Me for free on 9Now.
Chris turned to Dr Brad Schaeffer, a foot and ankle surgeon who has seen it all on the TV show My Feet Are Killing Me on 9Now.
Dr Schaeffer immediately diagnosed the issue as “one of the biggest bunions ever seen,” which caused Chris’ big toe to lean on top of his second.
“Every step he was taking he was really walking on his second to to where it was crushing it,” he explained.
Surgery was the only option to fix the issue – but little did Chris know, he’d wake up in the middle of it.
READ MORE: Doctors ‘totally stunned’ over teenager’s legs covered in hundreds of pin pricks
Before the surgery, Chris spoke to his anesthesiologist and warned him: “I usually tend to wake up during surgery swinging…”
The anesthesiologist confirmed they’d be there the entire time to monitor him and ensure he was safe. While Chris was “nervous and scared,” he was excited that he might soon be living pain-free.
Dr Schaeffer explained that he’d have to shave the bump of the bunion off, then perform surgery to align his toe with the others – holding it in place with a plate and screws across the joint.
But mid-surgery, Chris made a sound.
“Chris, don’t move!” doctors called out to him as he began to wake up.
Dr Schaeffer told cameras: “I’m in the middle of doing Chris’ surgery and he’s waking up. If the foot moves it can really interfere with what I’m doing.”
See the tense moment in the video below:
According to the Mayo Clinic, for general anesthesia it’s very rare for someone to be partially awake. Estimates vary, but about 1 or 2 people in every 1,000 may experience unintended intraoperative awareness.
Luckily, the anesthesiologist was on-hand as promised. Within seconds, Chris was back to sleep and Dr Schaeffer continued his work.
The surgery went “perfectly,” and in 11 weeks an emotional Chris came back to the see Dr Schaeffer and share how much his life had changed.
See the results below.
“I’m 100 per cent satisfied. Now I can actually live a normal life again,” Chris said.
This is just one of the stories told on My Feet Are Killing Me. See the full story on Season 1, Episode 4: “All 12 toes”.
Stream episodes of My Feet Are Killing Me for free on 9Now.
FOLLOW US ON WHATSAPP HERE: Stay across all the latest news from your favourite shows via our WhatsApp channel. No comments, no algorithm and nobody can see your private details.
