anyway, the dr's assistant was super fun and we laughed as she guided me to x-ray. the lady taking my x-rays was wearing converse 'chucks' and was probably close to 65 years old. it was awesome. then, i had to tell the assistant what i weighed and how tall i was. soo funny that they trust you to "tell the truth" i should have said i was 6'1 to see if she would have noticed. dr comes in. you can tell she is a runner instantly. i like knowing that because active people can totally relate to other active people. she asked me if i knew what my toenail looked like without the electric blue nail polish. electric blue.( i thought- nice description!) "uhm, no." "ok, i'll be right back" she said. when she reappeared she was holding little wipes labeled "nail polish remover" these little wipes were super convenient. as the electric blue faded a black and purple omniscient color appeared. flashbacks to the helium tank dropping on my foot invaded my mind and i began to feel sweaty. breathe. she came back in a few moments later. i was expecting her to discuss the x ray but instead she asked about the oozing that had started a few days back- what color was the ooze? what??? she suddenly left the room again and came back in with a bunch of supplies. "ok, so we need to remove the toenail" ....pause.....there is always this micro second where i feel like breaking down completely because i wasn't prepared for what was about to happen. there was no time to mentally prepare myself. thankfully i can be pretty tough when i need to be--so after a few deep breaths and her asking me if i would be ok, i confidently replied "as long as i won't be able to feel it--you can do whatever needs to be done to get me back to healthy" had i known that what it would take for me to not feel it would be INCREDIBLY painful, i might have changed my mind. again, the tough emilee prevailed. 2 shots were required--directly into my toe. i felt the initial sting and then the needle kept going deeper and deeper. at one point i was certain the needle would go all the way through. after the needles had injected their deliciously numbing venom, i was happy. the dr came in and started to carve away at the toenail--scalpel and pliers. we discussed her recent move from south carolina and i learned she does half ironmans like it's no.big.deal. it seems natural to be skeptical of someone's ability to properly remove your toenail, even if they are a dr, right? luckily, as we conversed she mentioned the ER and how emergency medicine can be 'draining'. immediately, i felt extremely confident that this procedure was a NO BRAINER for her. phew. after all was said and done she reviewed the aftermath with me. apparently there is a nub growing, which is a good sign. i later called the nub Mr. Nub since it sounded fun. she couldn't guarantee the nail would grow back --or that it would look "nice" since the trauma was substantial and could have destroyed some of the cuticle plates. that said, there is a nub and she liked that he was there. before leaving the room she told me the x ray looked good. things were healing and that i was free to run in small increments as long as i listened to my body. if my toe is tender the next day i may have gone too hard.
i'm incredibly happy as there are still 6 more half marathons to complete before 12/31/11. hopefully mr nub will continue to grow and won't be too sensitive because i'm ready to run!!!
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| before the nail said goodbye |
OMG - I felt the pain here in Kennewick, two days later! You are so brave!
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