A GP, a Podiatrist, and a Chiropractor

I sleep on the right side of the bed, but I get into bed on the left side, the side that’s close to the door to the bedroom. My left knee goes up and slides across the mattress and my right leg follows.

Sometime in January as I pulled my right leg up and my foot slid across the mattress, an instant of pain shot through my second toe—the one next to the big one—like a strong electric shock. It was too quick to bring tears to my eyes, but if I had to feel pain that intense for several seconds or more, I would likely cry.

Then, the following weekend I visited my second cousin and her little girl, Olivia, who was almost one. I sat on the floor for the visit. To get up, I bent my left leg, supported myself with it and pulled my right leg on the floor behind me to eventually come to standing—but I let out a yelp when the instant of pain shot through my toe again as I dragged it across the carpet.

A week and a half after that, in February, I saw my GP about it. She asked if I were wearing any new shoes—shoes that might be constricting the ball of my foot. The last pair of new shoes I had gotten were hiking boots from L.L. Bean in October or so, at least three months earlier, and I wore them for three weeks of hiking New Zealand and they were big enough at the ball. So no, no new shoes. My doctor left me with the feeling that the pain should resolve itself in a few weeks. However,..

…a few weeks later my foot got X-rayed from all angles, and a couple days later the office called me to say it’s not broken. (I knew that as it was a nerve pain, not a broken-bone pain.) The receptionist gave me the number to schedule an appointment to see a podiatrist about it.

This podiatrist is so popular, I couldn’t get an appointment for three or four weeks, which was OK as the toe didn’t hurt unless I rubbed the top of it across a surface. I was very careful with it by this time.

Last Thursday I got in to see the podiatrist. I said, “Doctor, my toe hurts when I do this,” and, using the examining table, I demonstrated getting into bed, and I sat on the tile floor and got up—to show him. After several minutes of pulling and feeling around my toe and forefoot in general, he told me, “Don’t do that.”

Cost of examining my foot
General Practitioner Co-pay - $15
X-Rays over $120
Podiatrist Co-Pay - $45

All to be told just not to do what makes it hurt. “Uh, OK.” And you know what? The podiatrist, a guy in his late 50s probably, held up his hand for a “high 5” before I left his office. “What? I’m 37,” I thought, but it would be rude to deny the guy his “high 5.” So, feeling foolish, I slapped his hand. “High 5s” are for kids six and under—or teammates. Not a 57-year-old doctor and his 37-year old patient he’d just met.

Anyway, yesterday I went to the chiropractor (co-pay $15) for the first time in over a year. My left lower back is sore. In our chitchat I mentioned my toe. A couple minutes later when I moved to the adjusting table, Dr. Steve asked me to take my shoes off. He popped every one of my toes and couldn’t believe how poppable (in need of popping) they were. I pushed my other shoe off and he did the same with those toes. He stated with confidence that he fixed my toe. Since it only hurts when I do certain things, I wasn’t positive, but I do have confidence in Dr. Steve.

Today, as I sat at my desk editing at work, I kicked my pumps off and was mindlessly curling my toes under and pressing into the carpet—and I realized, “Dr. Steve fixed my toe!” When I’ve spent almost $200 to get the diagnosis, “If it hurts when you do that, don’t do that.”

Chiropractic. Some doubt it (my husband included); not me.