Seems whenever I have a medical situation it happens after business hours, on the week and often during a holiday weekend. Thus is the case this weekend.
As I mentioned in my previous blog posting (buried in my Trump rant) was that my big toe nail was loose and crooked. This is the big toe that I damaged within an hour of landing in Philadelphia at the end of November. At that time it was very painful and I had to eventually go to a medical walk in clinic to have it evaluated. That was my first time that I used a walk in clinic. They examined my damaged toe and told me I would lose the toenail. Well, that is what is happening now folks. But it is scary. My big toe nail (left foot) was loose and crooked, causing pain and discomfort when I put on my sock and shoe. And here I am about to embark on another walking vacation in Los Angeles in a couple of weeks (February 10th).
I decided to look up and call a podiatrist for an appointment. Good luck calling late Friday. I called two podiatrists' offfices and got voice mail both times. I left a message but I know they won't get back to me until at least Tuesday of next week, Monday being yet another Federal holiday (Martin Luther King Day). Even if and when I do get in contact with their offices, it would probably be weeks until they could see me.
I went to bed last night, tonguing frequently the filling that just fell out of my tooth yesterday during dinner (when it rains, it pours and I'm not talking about the Morton Salt Girl), wondering "what am I going to do?" When I awoke this morning, still with that gaping, jagged hole in my upper right back molar (didn't go away last night, darn that tooth fairy!), I came to a solution. Go to a walk in clinic down here. In Philadelphia I went to the walk in clinic, which conveniently was just around the corner from where Pat and I were staying. That was a good experience. My situation didn't warrant a visit to the emergency room but did I want to go through all that rigmarole of going to a doctor's office. Viola! I go to a walk-in clinic down here!
That I did. The wait wasn't too long. A nurse practitioner removed my gross, dead toenail. She showed me where my new toenail was growing in. She said it would take about three months to completely grow back. I asked her "Do you get many visits like me, old men who stub their toes?" She said "All the time, even from young people." This was nothing new to her. She also told me my other big toenail would come off too eventually. I didn't injure that as much but it is injured and gross looking. Notice that I'm to posting pictures of the offending toe nails, not that it is their fault. All my fault.
One of my biggest concerns these days as I enter my dotage, is falling down and breaking something. I've already torn my left leg quadriceps muscle three years ago resulting in major surgery to reattach the muscle and twelve weeks of recovery. My leg still isn't right but at least I can walk on it. My other concern is stubbing my toes. I've already stubbed my baby toes several times, losing the toenail but this is the first time I've stubbed my big toe. Part of the problem is that I'm just not as nimble as I used to be which my arthritic body limiting my motion.
Hopefully I can get a replacement filling in my tooth before I leave for La La Land. Last year when I was out there I had new partials, both kept falling out every time I ate. I would like a stress free va ca this time.
