The Real Reason This Little Piggy Went, "Wee, Wee, Wee!"

I've covered this territory before (see My Left Toe), but this time I decided to make it a multimedia experience.

In the interim between my first visit to the podiatrist and my most recent sojourn, about a year after the first visit my right big toenail needed some attention. Similar to what happened to the toenail on my left foot, somewhere along the way I split the skin away from the outside of the nail. During the second visit the right side of the nail also needed some attention. When I went to get the toe looked at, the podiatrist did his usual straddling-the-thin-line-between-medicine-and-torture-routine and removed significant chunks of both sides of the toenail.

As the toenail grew back in, the outiside of the nail came back ingrown and about 15 degrees to the right off verticle. All of this took place over the course of about a year, as toenails grow at a rate on par with continental drift. At one point, I ended up snagging the outside edge of the nail on the thin side of the footrest on my shower chair and separated a portion of the nail from the nailbed underneath. Of course, I can't feel any of this so it was quickly out-of-sight, out-of-mind. On occassion, the side of the nail would bleed a little bit and then scab over but it wasn't showing any signs of swelling or infection and I continued to let it go. One time I even considered doing a little home podiatry, but realized I didn't have the right tools or dexterity to pull off the task.

While I was hospitalized after my most recent surgery, one of the nurses made a comment that I should get the toenail checked out. So while I'm currently laid up, I finally decided to get the nail taken care of - kill two birds with one stone. This time I got a little video footage of the experience. Unfortunately, I wasn't quick enough on the draw to capture the very beginning of the procedure.

I'm debating whether or not to upload this on YouTube. I'm sure the creepy, foot-fetish video enthusiasts would love it though...Not that there's anything wrong with that.