This is not what I planned… in so many ways!
I’m feeling like I’m past the worst of my bronchitis and was really looking forward to getting out running again. I had come up with a plan to start working on my New Year’s resolution of having more fun with workouts and was going to share that on here today. But alas… instead I am sharing this with you.
Today I finished my work and drove across town for my weekly ED support group. Traffic moved really well and I had extra time, so I thought I’d stop for a frozen yogurt. I figured I’d spend a half hour there enjoying a fro-yo while reading my Kindle. I opened the door to the yogurt shop and somehow swung it right into my toe. I didn’t feel immediate pain, but I felt something was wrong. I stepped through the door, eased my foot out of my shoe and saw my toenail standing up at a 90 degree angle from my toe.
I sunk down at a table, grabbed a bunch of napkins and did the only thing I could think of… I pushed the nail back down and wrapped a lot of napkins around the toe to hold off the bleeding. (Too much blood… ick!) Then I put more napkins in the toe of the shoe and eased my foot back in. After I pushed the nail back down I suddenly felt like I was going to hurl and then I felt like I was about to pass out, so I sat in the chair for a while waiting for that feeling to pass. I went back out to my car where I promptly burst into tears. I called my husband, I wasn’t quite sure what else I should do. Finally I decided I would just go to my group, since I had missed the last meeting due to the bronchitis. I would call him when I was leaving, so he could leave work at the same time.
I got some pain pills at group, kept my foot elevated for the hour. All the napkins I had wrapped around and jammed in my shoe were providing pretty good compression. Then I came home, took #JadeTheBoxer out to go to the bathroom and gave her dinner. Then I went upstairs to the bathroom to inspect the damage.
I had taken all of the faux-bandaging off and washed all the blood off when my husband got home from work & the drugstore. He had bought some Epsom salts and hydrogen peroxide and gauze… and a York peppermint patty (one of my favorite candies!) I soaked my foot in the Epsom salts, doused it in hydrogen peroxide and wrapped it all up.
The toenail is still laying on top of the nail bed, where I pushed it back into place. I’m sure it will fall all the way off, but I couldn’t bring myself to try folding it back up and trimming it off.
The whole thing makes me sad because I don’t think I can run tomorrow, angry because I feel like the universe is keeping me down and embarrassed because who hurts themselves just opening a damn door?!
Jill Will Run 
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Oh no! I’m so sorry. If it makes you feel any better, in May 2001 I was walking down the stairs at my parents’ church on my way to choir practice, the same stairs I’ve walked and run down thousands and thousands of times in my life, and I just suddenly tripped on air and missed the last three steps. I scraped up both knees, an elbow, and I BADLY sprained my ankle. I wasn’t able to run on it again till October. I bet you’ll be up and running again MUCH sooner than that. 🙂 I’ll say a prayer for your speedy healing!
And tell Kevin good job on the peppermint patty. 🙂
I was so proud of him for bringing a treat… candy full of sugar helps the medicine, go down!
Thank you for your prayers and reassurances, they mean so much to me!
YOWCH! I’ve never pushed mine that far back, but I’ve hit my toenail and it does not feel good. I can only imagine the pain. Hope it doesn’t hurt too bad when you wake up!
Oh, OW! That sounds awful and so painful. I can totally see myself doing the same sort of thing opening a door, so don’t get down on yourself about that! I’m sorry this happened right as you were about to start running again 😦 Do you think there’s any way you’ll be able to stay active while you’re waiting for this to heal?
I’m trying to think of ways to stay active. My go-to plan would have been to hit the yoga mat, but I can’t do poses where I have to ground my feed/spread my toes because it hurts! (imagine that!) But I’m going to keep an open mind and figure something out!
Don’t feel embarassed. We’ve all done something similar. I cut the end off my finger in my truck’s roll-up door latch…I’d only opened that doors hundred of thousands of times! Hopefully it’s not so bad and you can run as planned.
OMG! That has to HURT. I actually just kicked my dog’s bone the other night and cracked my toenail in half (not nearly as worse as yours, but just letting you know I’m a clutz, too!). Just give it a little rest and you’ll be back to yourself in no time!
That just makes me cringe! That had to have been awful. I hope it’s better soon. Perhaps biking or swimming until it heals will help you feel like you are keeping active? Kudos to Kevin for the wonderful medicine of chocolate. 🙂
Btw, cute toe polish!
Thanks… I wish I had a bike, that would probably be okay. I need to figure something out to keep active, and hopefully this won’t keep me down too long. (And sometimes, Kevin really surprises me with the sweet little gestures… I guess they’re so far apart to keep me guessing!)
OHHH No! I cringed while reading this! I hope it heels quickly!!
I cringed just writing it… somehow it seems so much more vivid and horrible in remembering it as compared to the actual moment when it was all business.
OUCH!!! My toe hurts just reading this 😦 Don’t feel bad, I once slammed my own toe in my own truck door.
Thanks for the comment!
As for your toe – I hate when something like that stops me from doing what I want. But I have to figure that maybe I’m being told to slow down. I’m usually more accident-prone when I’m doing too much at once in life. And if you want to feel better – I sprained my ankle by standing. I was walking, opened a door and thought “hm, my foot feels weird.” Next day I couldn’t move it. How’s that for a story to tell people?
OMG. I am cringing. Ouch! Gross! I hope it’s doing better?
It’s no longer throbbing with pain all day… I am wondering about getting a toe cap to help protect it!
PS: I have hurt my knee by walking into a table, rolled my ankle on a flat surface, tripped and fallen over nothing… Don’t be embarrassed 🙂