Those who have been following my blog for a while know that just after my heart attack in February came a pretty bad infection in the third toe of my right food. That was cured with antibiotics and some aggressive scalpel work.
Over the weekend I noticed that my left big toenail was loose. When I wiggled it, some fluid oozed out from under it. It wasn’t infected, but more like what fills a blister. After the last time, when my foot was neglected in favour of my heart, I was not taking any chances, so called the foot clinic yesterday and had an appointment today. I was preceded by a very nice but garrulous (she was originally from Dublin, natch) woman who told me almost everything about herself, from her daughter’s two failed marriages to her knee replacement which was still giving her trouble. She rolled up her trouser leg to show me how swollen it was.
When I went in, the podiatric nurse looked at it and said, “Well, we’ll have to clip off some of the nail: it’s loose anyway so it’ll come off if I don’t cut it off.” and got something that looked like garden shears and went to it. After looking at it, she said, “It’s not infected, but you’re very prudent to come in. We’ll dress it, you should continue to dress it, and then come in next week.” So she dressed it, and if you think I wouldn’t show a pic, you’re wrong.
So there it is. I shall have to keep it dry and dress it myself for a couple of weeks, as the earliest they could squeeze me in was the 22nd. No gym until then. But hopefully it will heal up soon. The nurse advised me to take a toenail file to them every few days to try to prevent this from happening again. As it is I now never go barefoot, choose my shoes carefully (Crocs have a diabetic version and HWMBO may be able to get me a pair in Singapore…), and rub moisturising cream into them every morning, evening, and after a shower at the gym. Now I have to take an industrial file to ’em as well.
I think I need to have a threeway marriage and find a foot fetishist who’s into keeping my feet healthy.
Ouch!
I think I need to have a threeway marriage and find a foot fetishist who’s into keeping my feet healthy.
Heh.
I’m still digesting the fact that there’s a whole clinic for specifically wounded feet.
Why does that surprise me? Is it new? (There are more diabetics now… maybe that’s it.)
Anyway, take care of your fucking foot, man!
OUCH
Years ago, you may remember, most diabetics who attained the age of 65 or so were minus a toe, or a foot or leg. The reason was that, as there was no specialised care for diabetic feet, problems were allowed to fester (literally) until gangrene set in. The solution was then clear: chop it off!
It was discovered that if diabetics paid attention to their feet, viz:
there were fewer amputations.
One of the very first symptoms of diabetes that I can remember having is a loss of sensation in my feet. This was long before the doctor picked it up. My doctor in NYC, who was a lovely man who specialised in gay men’s diseases (viz, HIV infection) in the early 1980’s (surely a discouraging job then, I guess) completely missed my elevated blood sugar because he only ran a test on my current blood sugar and did not do the test that measured it over time.
People have been known to walk around for weeks with a tack stuck in their foot because they could not feel it and did not check their feet for damage. Injuries of course can become infected (especially as feet are often near the ground, which is filthy) and turn gangrenous, leading to amputation.
So yes, I am taking care of my feet! The last time, everyone was so concerned about my heart that they missed the foot infection entirely. This time, as soon as I saw that the toenail was loose and there was some fluid under it, I made an appointment and got things looked at before anything got infected.
I forgot to say that diabetic foot clinics (at least here) were found to reduce the number of amputations and hospitalisations significantly. I’d like to die with all my digits and limbs still attached.
Didn’t hurt a bit. Remember, I have little or no sensation in my feet. I may take another picture when I redress the foot and I’ll post that too!
Good!
The foot fetishist idea sounds good, too 😉