Introduction to Podiatry

             I am excited to start this blog as a way to educate those who are looking into the field of Podiatry.  Not only those seeking a career in Podiatry, but as an educational tool for those that may not know what a podiatrist is or does.  I personally had no idea what a podiatrist was until I had an in-grown toe nail.  I was 16 years old and started experiencing sharp pains in the side of my right big toe.  It was interesting because it was an "all of a sudden" sort of pain and it made walking tough.  I honestly didn't even know what an in-grown toe nail was until that day when my uncle decided he was going to remove it for me (I do not recommend this, ouch!).  All though his methods were barbaric and ridiculous, the pain immediately subsided upon removal of the nail. 
             The tough thing about in-grown toe nails is that they grow back.  About 2 months after the relief from pain, I found myself in the same situation.  It was not fun.  My mother decided to look into options of permanent removal and happened upon a podiatrist in my home town.  This podiatrist turned out to be a big part of my story in Podiatry so she will be mentioned quite a bit in the future.  We will call her Dr. M.  Dr. M was very professional and she was able to remove the in-grown toe nail in a much more controlled and sterile environment than my uncle.  She was able to permanently remove the nail in that side of my toe while maintaining a normal cosmetic look on my toe.  It was my first look into podiatry and it was a good one.
             Unfortunately, due to my narrow toes, I was not done with in-grown toe nails.  I never had another in-grown toe nail in the same side where Dr. M removed it, but every other side of my big toes were hit hard while I was serving an LDS mission in Brasil.  I didn't have access to great health care where I was living so I removed the in-grown toe nails myself.  Again, not recommended!  It was a miserable experience.  Over the next 2 years in Brasil I removed about 12 total in grown toe nails.  As soon as I returned to the United States I scheduled an appointment with Dr. M.  She took care of the last three sides of my big toes and I have not had a problem since. 
              I now start this blog as a student and potential doctor of Podiatric Medicine.  I am done with my first year in medical school and I am loving every minute of it.  I will tell my story of how I ended up in podiatry school on the next post.