Self-Rescue and Seeking Help for My Big Toe

(I started writing this piece in Chinese. ChatGPT helped me translate the following version into English with my edits. Read this in Chinese >)

The moment the doctor picked up the pliers, I held my breath. Still, I couldn’t resist grabbing my phone, just so I wouldn’t miss the moment when she cradled my foot to perform the minor procedure. I felt like a crab, with her holding the tool to clip me.

If it weren’t for the doctor providing some anesthetic, I would have been even more nervous. This time, it was a physical anesthetic, not an injection. She used a can that looked like spray paint, spraying a coolant on my toe, claiming it would provide a short-term numbing effect. Wow, it was ice-cold… and refreshing!

This procedure reminded me of a similar toe surgery I had six years ago at a university-affiliated hospital in Pittsburgh. Back then, each of my big toes received six small shots of local anesthesia. Thinking back now, the mosquito-bite-like anesthetic injections feel almost amusing. That procedure completely resolved the swelling issue on the sides of both big toes near the second toe. I never expected the other side to flare up again six years later.

The doctor pressed around the swollen side of my nail, responding to my “It hurts here” and “It doesn’t hurt there” feedback, and prepared to make a precise cut. One snip, no bleeding, and no pain; she managed to trim a small strip of nail from the side closest to the skin. I examined it carefully, comparing it to my usual trimming methods. The doctor's professional technique and tools were indeed impressive!

Let’s rewind to a few days ago. One morning, I noticed that the outer side of my left big toe (the side far from the second toe) had suddenly swollen. I wasn’t sure if it was due to wearing thin socks during tennis or trimming my nails poorly, but in any case, it hurt intensely whenever touched. The old problem was back—nails that poked into my toes, a long-time troublemaker that has plagued me off and on since childhood.

When I was young, I used to handle this issue myself. I would grab the silver Zhang Xiaoquan nail scissors from home, find a stable spot to sit, prop up my foot, lean close to it, point the blade down, and carefully trim my big toenail. Usually, cutting away part of the nail embedded in the skin would relieve the pain, and I could relax for a few days. However, the issue never fully disappeared.

When I was in the ninth or tenth grade in China, the problem worsened, and my mom took me to the hospital for a minor surgery. I don’t remember if the doctor used anesthesia, but I do remember that after the procedure, both of my big toes were wrapped in plum-sized bandages. I wore sandals for two weeks and didn’t attend gym classes, much to the envy of my classmates.

I thought that surgery would solve the problem once and for all, but the big toe didn't say goodbye to the swollen problem. About every few weeks, I still had to trim the nail myself, sometimes successfully, sometimes with bleeding, and other times just a temporary fix. In 2018, while pursuing my master's degree in Pittsburgh, I finally decided to see a doctor again for help. This time, the doctor performed a “permanent edge sealing” on my big toe—using medication to prevent the nail from growing in that direction.

After the surgery, I wore sandals for another week, and since then, the side of the toe that used to be a frequent problem hasn’t caused any more trouble.

Last week, I noticed that the other side of my big toe—where it’s farthest from the second toe—had swollen for the first time. This was a new issue for me. I went back to my old habit, grabbing the new golden Zhang Xiaoquan scissors that had traveled overseas with me. After a few days, the swelling didn’t subside, so I thought of seeking medical help again.

I tried to recall the name of the procedure I had in Pittsburgh six years ago, but my memory wasn’t helping. So, I started Googling keywords related to “swollen nails,” but nothing seemed familiar. I then sifted through my email inboxes to see if any hospitals in Pittsburgh had sent me bills or appointment records, trying to recover the surgery details. But it seemed that, due to privacy protection, hospitals don’t send medical records through email or text. Where could those medical records be?

Then, I remembered the online patient portals that hospitals often use for communicating with patients—perhaps the records were stored there. However, I soon discovered that I hadn’t registered for this portal a few years ago. Just as I was about to give up, I decided to try my luck by creating a new account as a first-time user. Following the system prompts and confirming that it was a legitimate website, I entered highly sensitive personal information including my name, date of birth, and social security number. To my surprise, all my medical records from that hospital appeared! Not only did I find the toenail surgery record, but I also found records of other visits, like when I twisted my ankle and went to the ER. Finally, I found the procedure name—“ingrown nails procedure.”

With this information, I made a straightforward note when booking the podiatrist appointment through the app, mentioning that I might need a nail procedure. The next day, I arrived at the clinic and met a warm and professional young Indian doctor.

After examining my big toe, she suggested that instead of immediate surgery, we first try trimming a small part of the nail. If the symptoms improved within a few days, there wouldn’t be a need for a permanent solution. I agreed. With a precise snip, she relieved the pain almost instantly. I wondered if it was due to the cooling spray’s anesthetic effect, but the doctor told me that the effect was brief, so the pain relief was real.

The doctor advised me to continue observing the condition. If it recurred, I could come back to consider a permanent edge-sealing procedure.

The entire visit took no more than fifteen minutes—it felt almost like a manicure. With this matter resolved, I happily drove home, thankful that this minor procedure didn’t affect my ability to drive. If ingrown nails trouble me again in the future, I now know what to do.