Toenails

[cjsmith]

I'm about to lose a toenail. The injury, minor as it was, occurred more than two months ago, when I was out hiking. I think the toe jammed into the end of my hiking boot repeatedly over the course of twelve to fifteen miles. It was definitely uncomfortable and soon became discolored, but it was never excruciating, nor did it gain that true deep black that real smasher-type injuries get. After a week or so there was no pain at all.

Fast forward to January. The nail's still discolored and probably isn't growing as fast as its neighbors. A few days ago I noticed there was a ridge at its very base, as if there was a deep ripple in the nail. I figured it would eventually travel to the tip of my toe, and someday get clipped off, as the nail grew over time.

The next day I noticed that there wasn't any nail behind the ridge. Behind there, that wasn't a dip in the surface, as I had guessed; the thing simply ended.

Today I noticed that nearly all of it has now separated from the bed. I clipped it, in the hopes of cleaning out the discoloration underneath (dried blood, of course), and I realized how close it was to coming off entirely. I can lift it up and peek at the dark layer. I can even see that there are two layers under there: the old blood, and a pale one that appears to be some toughened skin. The toughened skin wants to stick to the toe, and everything else will happily separate like the pages of a book.

Of course I want to finish removing it right this instant. I want to take it off and play with it. I want to see what it all looks like underneath. I can hardly contain myself. But I'm waiting -- not because I "shouldn't mess with it", but because the camera battery isn't charged. Last time I failed to take pictures of a way cool thing my body was doing (healing wisdom tooth holes) I kicked myself for weeks.

EDIT: The camera battery finished charging, I took the nail off, and underneath was a whole new nail. It's quite thin and looks a bit fragile, and it's bumpy and nearly folded, but it's entirely ready -- as long and as wide as it needs to be.

The sensation of taking off a toenail (when it's ready to go, at least) is weeeeeeeird. Not painful, but wrong. Reminiscent of removing baby teeth, the ones that needed a good tug because they still had a spike left in one corner.

Comments

[datagoddess.livejournal.com]

You're weird, sir.

;-)

Now you have me thinking I should have had Dan take pictures of my tooth implant healing!

[katestine.livejournal.com]

I regularly get those from snowboarding and now I think from having pedicures when I run. (I tend to cut my nails less frequently when I have a pedicure.) How's that for TMI?

I agree on the coolness - unfortunately, I find the actual skin underneath is not so interesting. Oh, and if it -does- come off, you may have problems later on if the nail doesn't grow back properly.

[hitchhiker.livejournal.com]

Only you :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

Now you have me thinking I should have had Dan take pictures of my tooth implant healing!

Well, if you want to look at it later... :)

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I rarely find shoes that are short enough that my toenails go anywhere near bumping into the end of 'em. I have very wide feet. So this was an unusual thing for me!

I think I'm OK on the problems later on. I took the thing off and what was underneath (the layer I thought was "tough skin") was A WHOLE NEW NAIL. Thin, fragile-looking, bumpy and folded, to be sure, but complete and already there. Wow. I'm impressed.

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

:)

I'm glad I have pictures of the lye burn 20 years ago. (Wish I'd had color film, but b&w is something.)

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

cool! someday i should find and send you the pics of my mom's foot in the weeks after she had surgery on it to correct two bunions, three hammertoes and re-build a section that had broken down. we found the pins from her toes in her wallet when she died; she was STILL carrying those things around to show people, ten years later!

[cjsmith.livejournal.com]

I know someone who has pins from surgery dangling from her car's rear-view mirror. They're cool things! I'd carry 'em around too! :-)

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

i have the screws from my ankle surgery on string. the nurse brought them to me as a necklace as i was coming out of anesthesia. :) when i have a car, they hang from the rearview mirror.

[eeyore-grrl.livejournal.com]

screws! :)

[just-cyd.livejournal.com]

i'm so jealous!! i didn't even THINK to ask for the stones from my gallbladder surgery. i think they shipped off to pathology anyway. i could've made a necklace or something!

Teeth and toes

[dobledorje.livejournal.com]

I think I'll have my wisdom teeth (left side) pulled out this year--they're becoming a hassle. You've got me seriously thinking about documenting the healing process... wouldn't that make for riveting LiveJournal reading?

[mactavish.livejournal.com]

When I was 15, I got a boil on my knee. It was huge, and (being impatient) I stuck a needle in it. It was fascinating! It was very deep, I could put the needle more than halfway in. The stuff in it came out in discrete layers. While I was squeezing it, an acquaintance phoned. I was living with my aunt, fairly new to the area, and had no real friends, this was someone I'd met at the teen "est" training. She said, "How are you?" and I said, "Great!" and launched into a description of fascinating oozing boil details.

My aunt took me aside after the phone call and explained how one didn't need to entertain people with information like that, and I've mostly accepted it, though I still fail to see how people can find information like that disgusting instead of fascinating.

I love the toenail story. :)

deyo called out, awhile ago, "Gak! Did you read about CJ's toenail!" I said, "Yes! How could anyone not love CJ? The world needs more CJs."

[sunnydale47.livejournal.com]

I have stills from my knee arthroscopy, but I'm envious of my friend, whose doctor gave her a copy of her video!

And nobody gave me any pictures at all of my colonoscopy.

=pouts=

[usqueba.livejournal.com]

I have all kinds of pics of my insides. Last year, I had an egd (camera down your throat, into your stomach) and a colonoscopy (up the other way). About 6 years ago, I had surgery for endometriosis so there's pictures of my insides - back side of my bladder, an ovary, abdominal wall, some part of my uterus (the *outside*!)

[ashiegrrrl.livejournal.com]

I've had that exact same toenail experience, except mine happened with a fin at swim practice. Fascinating, isn't it?


BTW, I'm a friend of mactavish.