Ingrown ToeJam and Earl

So, allow me to share with you a public service announcement about feet.

Ever since my childhood tennis days of stopping quickly on the court and having my big toenails jammed into my shoes, I've had pain. Cumulative trauma to toenails (and losing them after really bad traumas on the tennis court) can lead to ingrown toenails. And folks, I've had them.

I've tried everything. Cutting them back, growing them long, putting chunks of cotton under the corners, cutting back the corners, etc, etc, etc. I might get temporary relief, but in the end my toenails would just hurt.

I've bought shoes with big toe boxes that don't put any pressure on my big toenail. I've avoided jumping on my toes in yoga or at the gym because I couldn't stand the pain. I've had nights when I've had to stick my feet out from underneath the covers because the sheets put too much pressure on my toenail and caused pain.

I've avoided pedicures because I didn't want anyone else touching (and potentially causing pain) to my big toenails.

Four weeks ago, I was done with it all. Well, actually, one of my toes was done with it all. It got to the point where I woke up at night with pain. And the next day I went to the podiatrist. And had ingrown toenail surgery.

The surgery isn't fun. Neither is the recovery. But a month later, I'm so incredibly glad I had it done. So glad, in fact, I scheduled surgery on my other toe for next week.

I'll spare you the horrific photo of what was removed from under the skin during surgery, but I will show you before and after surgery photos.

Before: the reason why pressure was so painful.

After: not pretty, but pain-free and functional!

And that, my friends, is why ingrown toenail surgery is so worth it.