Liz: I have bunions as well, to the point where one bunion has forced one of my middle toes up over another. You can easily go online to get the protocol for bunion surgery along with healing times, etc., so I won't go into that here.
My podiatrist does many bunion surgeries and my point here is that he thinks custom designed inserts can be as effective in symptom relief as surgery. They don't get rid of the bunion but if the problem is the discomfort in your foot, they will help greatly, mostly by keeping the toes separated. My podiatrist has worn them himself for over 20 years.
Although they're about 10 times as expensive as the orthotics in the drugstore, they last forever and are worth the investment, at least in my case. The drugstore versions are better then nothing, however, and for backups.
Gordon