A Great Toe and a Great Doc

The medical reference for your largest toe is actually "great". They like to call it the Great Toe. (And here I've been cursing it for a good portion of my life.) Had I known this toe was supposed to be great and not just big, I may have held it to higher expectations. Maybe I would have seen a doctor a lot sooner than I did. Unfortunately, I didn't learn the correct terminology until Tuesday when I met Dr. Lindsey of the Surgical Associates of Ithaca.

Perhaps our acquaintance was meant to be. He was the perfect mix of friendly and direct, contained in the form of a large, older man with round, rosy cheeks. Any phobia of sharp instruments or misgivings about the procedure subsided upon first encounter. He told me the Association passed all foot problems off to him. He became a professional in fixing feet when he performed emergency procedures in damp Vietnamese fields. I was grateful that anesthesia and a dry, clean facility were available in my case.

And so he fixed my foot. At least I think he did. I made it through today without relying on coma-inducing Percocet, though I'm still waiting for the pain to relinquish and I'm still washing and dressing the wound. When the gauze is gone and my toe stops throbbing, I may start replacing "big" for "great" in my own terminology. I sure hope it's going to be great.