For most of my life, I have dealt with ingrown toenails. It is some genetic thing I got from my dad. At times, my own son has had to deal with them too. Ingrown nails are a serious pain. They hurt a lot and can really affect your daily life.
Imagine the surprise when I was marching with my Air Force flight during basic training and suddenly felt that all too familiar pain in one of my toes. Then when I went to take off my socks, they were stuck to the toe and bloody.
I told my military training instructor about it, and he gave me a hard time. On one hand, they wanted us to report any injuries, but when I did, he assumed I was trying to avoid training. He kept on about it for a while. At one point, he ordered me to show him, so I did, and then he sent me to see the foot doctor first thing the next morning.
I marched over in my boots. The surgeon checked it out, grabbed the clippers, and cut out the ingrown nail. I do not remember if he numbed the toe or not. After cutting out the troublesome nail, he wrapped it up and told me to get back to training.
I marched back to the barracks and rejoined my flight. I had been through this procedure many times before, and it was never easy. But during basic training, I went right back to marching and running, recovering while still doing my duties.
Now, as I slowly recover from having all four wisdom teeth pulled, I cannot help but think about how amazing the body is when it has no choice but to keep going, especially under such extreme circumstances.
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