forefoot reconstruction surgery- help?

Usually people requiring forefoot reconstruction have rheumatoid arthritis, so you should be screened for that (and other arthritic conditions). Your "whole body" hurting also makes it suspicious for some underlying disease. A lot of these condition manifest themselves in the middle age so you may have developed symptoms the past few years and be perfectly fine prior to that.

But to your original point... Obviously cross train and develop the cardiovascular system without running (bicycling, swimming, aqua-running, etc.). Vary the intensity like interval work, have hard/easy days. Maintain and develop strength and range of motion. You should be able to do nearly every lower extremity exercise except toe raises. Even then, you may able to do them at a low intensity. Don't forget balance training. Basically get the rest of your body in shape and maintain that until your foot gets better. Until your foot is better, wear stiffer shoes like hiking boots/shoes, rigid clogs, etc to reduce wear and tear on your feet. When you do start back into running, start with a clunkier/stiffer shoe like the New Balance 1123.

That is a lot of surgery to have done and it only takes dinging a nerve or excess scarring around a nerve to cause residual pain. You may need a cortisone or trigger point injection. The doctor may have you try lidoderm or flector patch. Sometimes my patients feel better when the screws are removed, but usually they are left in if the patient has no pain. 8 months of nonweightbearing is quite alot, usually it's 2 to 3 months max (per foot) of nonweightbearing unless something wasn't right (delayed bone healing requiring use on bone stimulator). Sometimes I'll order an MRI just to clear the patient from a structural standpoint. Eventhough they may still have pain, if the MRI is negative, at least they have the peace of mind that they can go ahead and start using the foot without further damaging it.

Good luck!

I'm grateful to read your post, and idea that perhaps the running day will come again. I've had all testing and don't have any diseases, the bodily pain is stemming from all whe unusual ways of moving and from not moving as much as I'm accustomed. I've been doing exactly as you suggest, keeping in shape with all manner of exercises and currently really working on balance training as I see from some movement screens mine is rather trashed right now.

The rigid shoes really, really hurt! I feel best walking barefoot. This is confusing- while it is not supposed to be best for my feet, it sure feels healthiest, allows me to move most usual, reduces swelling and is almost pain free- for about 50 steps. (I was in bartefooted and professional modern dance for decades, and did both shoe and shoeless running, preferring shoes for the most part)

Twelve weeks non weight bearing per foot, plus a few weeks on each end of mostly non weight bearing functioning really has been fitness reducing in my body even though I have exercised extensively every day. Just sore all over from starting to ambulate but will consider something you mentioned either a cortizoe injection or perhaps a foot pain patch if one exists that won't drug out my whole system untill the screws come out. I do believe the screws are hurting. What's your opinion about the shoe situation I mentioned, being far, far more comfortable barefoot? My doc says to keep them in the pain inducing shoe situation, but to "listen to my feet" which clearly tell me they are healing more rapidly barefoot than in screaming pain in any one of my many painful, rigid shoes, boots, clogs, etc.