Taffycat
Crunchy Cat
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- Jun 1, 2006
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Three days ago (Tuesday) I underwent toenail surgery at the Podiatry Department of our local hospital.
No, it's okay, I'm not going to gross anyone out by going into minute detail about the procedure - would I be that cruel?
Basically, I had two options. Either they could remove just the sides of my toenail, which were causing quite a lot of pain, or, I could have the whole nail removed, which would prevent a possible recurrence of the problem. Oh, and I could, of course, just leave things as they were, however, that was not a serious option for me.
The Podiatrist was a guy whom I would guess to be in his thirties. He was very easy to get along with, and at my "assessment" appointment, he took the time to explain all that I needed to know, before making my decision. I would have a week to think about it.
I was careful to keep away from the YouTube horror stories, or blogs with scary blow-by-blow descriptions. It seemed more sensible to absorbe the info I'd been given, by the chappie who would be performing the deed! But of course, in the meanwhile, a gory-story broke in the press, regarding a young female who apparently paid to have her foot amputated, following "complications" after toenail surgery. Oh cr@p!
My totally laid-back attitude, became ever-so-slightly less positive. The Podiatrist had read the story too, but chatting with him, he quickly restored my confidence and once again, I felt happy for him to proceed.
It was actually quite interesting. I sat up and watched as he deftly worked on the offending nail. (It was, of course, full of local anaesthetic, so there was no discomfort.) A nurse sat in one corner of the room, but she mainly dealt with the written consent form and that kind of thing. They both were happy to chat and they even remarked that it was good to be able to do so; apparently some patients don't say a word (understandable if they are nervous, of course) so the room is thrown into total silence. The Podiatrist and nurse both admitted that they both felt a bit uncomfortable when that happens, because on such occasions, they are concerned about appearing to be rude, if they just chat amongst themselves.
Anyway, half an hour later, with a slightly bulky dressing and I was good to go! I was told keep the foot elevated, then to return on the following day to have the dressing changed and inspected. From then on, I would need to do that myself, daily.... which is really the only slight drawback, because my "dodgy" back is currently very painful. This really doesn't help with the contortions necessary in applying dressings to a big-toe!
I should perhaps add, that even when the feeling returned to my toe, I was not in pain. An occasional dull ache that evening, and an occasional mild twinge since, but no throbbing or intense pain. So I'm pretty impressed. When this one has healed, I don't think I will be at all worried about getting the other one fixed-up.
No, it's okay, I'm not going to gross anyone out by going into minute detail about the procedure - would I be that cruel?
Basically, I had two options. Either they could remove just the sides of my toenail, which were causing quite a lot of pain, or, I could have the whole nail removed, which would prevent a possible recurrence of the problem. Oh, and I could, of course, just leave things as they were, however, that was not a serious option for me.
The Podiatrist was a guy whom I would guess to be in his thirties. He was very easy to get along with, and at my "assessment" appointment, he took the time to explain all that I needed to know, before making my decision. I would have a week to think about it.
I was careful to keep away from the YouTube horror stories, or blogs with scary blow-by-blow descriptions. It seemed more sensible to absorbe the info I'd been given, by the chappie who would be performing the deed! But of course, in the meanwhile, a gory-story broke in the press, regarding a young female who apparently paid to have her foot amputated, following "complications" after toenail surgery. Oh cr@p!
My totally laid-back attitude, became ever-so-slightly less positive. The Podiatrist had read the story too, but chatting with him, he quickly restored my confidence and once again, I felt happy for him to proceed.
It was actually quite interesting. I sat up and watched as he deftly worked on the offending nail. (It was, of course, full of local anaesthetic, so there was no discomfort.) A nurse sat in one corner of the room, but she mainly dealt with the written consent form and that kind of thing. They both were happy to chat and they even remarked that it was good to be able to do so; apparently some patients don't say a word (understandable if they are nervous, of course) so the room is thrown into total silence. The Podiatrist and nurse both admitted that they both felt a bit uncomfortable when that happens, because on such occasions, they are concerned about appearing to be rude, if they just chat amongst themselves.
Anyway, half an hour later, with a slightly bulky dressing and I was good to go! I was told keep the foot elevated, then to return on the following day to have the dressing changed and inspected. From then on, I would need to do that myself, daily.... which is really the only slight drawback, because my "dodgy" back is currently very painful. This really doesn't help with the contortions necessary in applying dressings to a big-toe!
I should perhaps add, that even when the feeling returned to my toe, I was not in pain. An occasional dull ache that evening, and an occasional mild twinge since, but no throbbing or intense pain. So I'm pretty impressed. When this one has healed, I don't think I will be at all worried about getting the other one fixed-up.
I realise that I am extremely fortunate not to be a diabetic, which probably influenced your extended period of recovery. It sounds like you endured a pretty horrendous time - three hours of bleeding! Yikes! 
