Tag: podiatrist

Oh – My Aching Toe

I had hoped my freshly repaired big toe would have been better today. Bad guess.

As soon as I put shoes on, I realized this would not be my finest hour. As I walked, from a distance, I looked like Walter Brennan in the Real McCoys&#185. It was really painful. And, of course, with my trip to New Haven, this was going to be a day with a good amount of walking (the garage under the hotel was full – my first sign of trouble).

Yesterday, I was pained by my ingrown toenail. Today, it felt like the treatment to fix it had been performed using a hammer. It was worse, not better.

I figured it would be a good thing to go home between shows and soak (marinate) my toe in salt water. I’m not sure what the magical property of salt water is, but I was willing to try anything.

As I took the Bandaid off, the toe was still very sore. I winced like the wussy male I am. I make no claims to dealing well with pain. Let others be macho. I avoid I dipped it in the warm water and then a strange thing happened – relief.

This is much too weird, because I don’t think dipping my toe in the salt water should affect this kind of swift change. Yet after ten minutes my pain was markedly down… way down. My limp was gone. I reverted to walking with the bad posture I’m known for.

I have to call the podiatrist tomorrow to report back on my condition. Between now and then I’ll be soaking again. It would be nice to have something positive to report.

It’s not to make him feel better. Selfishly, this is for me.

&#185 – Making references to a TV show which ran from 1957 to 1963 probably doesn’t get me pegged as young and hip. On the show, Brennan walked with a very distinctive limp with a hitch. Whether that was his own gate or superb physical acting is beyond me.

24 Hour Toe-ing

How does one get an ingrown toenail? I don’t know. In fact, I called my podiatrist and told him I thought I had one… but I wasn’t really sure what it was. I knew I was in pain. I knew I was limping because any pressure on my foot was painful.

Since he was on the road anyway, he came here. It was an ingrown toenail.

I really had no idea how you get rid of an ingrown toenail, but it started to come into sharper focus when he took out a needle and lydocain. Let there be no doubt, I am a wuss.

I don’t know exactly what went on – I looked away. I do know there was pressure… and blood. Right now my toe is wrapped in gauze. Sometime in the next half hour it will get soaked in warm salty water. Think of it as marinating my toe.

It is interesting to think of our family room as an operatory, with the action taking place on the footrest connected to the reclining section of the sofa!

It surprised me how much effect a small part of one toe could have on my life. Maybe that’s not the typical reaction. Like I said, I’m a wuss.