My toe got infected 🥲

 ⚠️ Warning: the photos might be disgusting.

It has been a week now since I started suffering from a wound on my toe.

Every step was so painful.

What happened? How did I get that?

Just a quick background, this specific toenail has been a problem for me way back in 2019 when I wore shoes that were narrower than my wide feet.

My toe turned black.

At hindi pa ako nagtanda, I got it pedicured and it got worse after.

I wanted to just get my nail removed, but I didn't know to whom I should go to (now I know, sa surgeon na pala haha).

Tiniyaga ko na lang linisan yung loob with alcohol until tinamad na ako at bumili na lang ng Emtrix na inaapply ko sa nail at hinayaan ko na lang balutin ng fungi yung loob. (Sorry, this description is so disgusting)

Until I discovered na I can cut the part of my nail na hindi na nakadikit sa laman para mas madali linisin and mabawasan yung fungi.

And that was what I did for years.

Paunti unti kong ni-nailcutter hanggang tumubo ng maayos yung kuko ko and patuloy na paglilinis ng fungi na kaya kong linisin. 

Mas madali linisin kapag soaked siya sa alcohol dahil lumalambot yung fungi.

That was what I did for years until I saw the full improvement of my nail just a week ago.

The next problem I had though is yung tubo ng kuko ay medyo tumutusok sa toe ko.

I had to use nipper to cut it (fyi, nililinis ko rin muna ang mga ginagamit ko like soak it in a hot water and spray alcohol bago gamitin).

Hanggang sa parang nagkaroon na ng blister after.

At kahit nagkaganon, pasaway ang lola niyo at nagclosed shoes pa ulit last weekend.

That was when the suffering started.

The blister already popped nung makauwi kami ng bahay.

I cleaned it every day and applied povidone iodine hoping it could prevent infection.

But it didn't.

And it got swollen.

It also started releasing pus.

I kept cleaning it and applying povidone iodine, but it didn't get any better.

It even looked worse and disgusting. 😭

I tried to go to our doctor for internal medicine to get some prescription on Friday, kaso kung sinusuwerte ka nga naman oh, her clinic was closed and she will be back Wednesday next week!

I tried my luck and had it looked at Watsons hoping they could give me any medicine for it.

Pero hindi kami nagkamali, antibiotics na nga raw ang kailangan nito and we need to have a prescription para makabili.

Thought so.

But at least we tried our luck.

Mabuti na lang when we arrived home, our neighbor was chatting outside with my aunt.

So konting chika chika.

I told her about my toe and she mentioned may doctor for internal medicine sa The Medical city - Sta. Lucia ng sabado.

So now I have two options to go to.

Since pabalik balik kami ni auntie sa Ortigas Hospital this past few weeks, I got to take a photo of their doctors' schedule and may internal medicine sila on Saturdays.

I was planning to go there first, but changed my mind after I got to talk to my neighbor.

Hubby and I went to The Medical city - Sta. Lu na lang.

Kaso sa Sunday (today) pa raw ang schedule ng internal medicine.

Mabuti na lang they gave me a copy of their doctors' schedules and I saw na may available for family medicine ng Sabado.

I asked kung pwede doon and showed them my infected toe.

They referred me to Dra. Suarez.

I filled up forms (my details for their database and a consent form of sort).

My blood pressure got checked first at the nurse station and waited for my name to be called for the check up with Doc.

Medyo naninibago pa ako sa married surname ko.

Parang makailang ulit munang tinawag bago ako nakapagrespond.

My mind and ears were still set to my maiden surname. 😅

And mali mali pa sila ng pagbigkas kaya lalong hindi nakatulong sa pag-aadjust ko. 😆

Mabilis lang ang check up.

I explained what happened and after she looked at my wounded toe, she prescribed an antibiotic for 7 days to be taken 2 times a day (12 hrs apart) and a pain reliever (5 pcs, to be taken only when the pain is not tolerable anymore).

She also had me took a booster shot for anti-tetanus.

Overall, I paid Php 920.

Php 500 was for her consultation and Php 420 for the booster shot that was given to me at the nurse station.

Yung gamot ang nagpamahal na sa drugstore ko na binili.

The antibiotic was Php 66 each, Zoltax 500mg (Cefuroxime).

The pain reliever was Php 56 each, Starcox 120mg (Etoricoxib). I'm familiar with this because I've already taken Etoricoxib before.

She also advised me to continue cleaning it and applying povidone iodine.

Balutin din daw ng gauze para maiwasang malagyan ng dumi/bacteria. (Hindi ko lang naman nilagyan noon para maipakita ko sa kanya 😅)

So yeah, as of this writing, nakadalawang take na ako ng antibiotic and nabawasan na rin yung nilalabas na pus.

Dapat makakita na ako ng improvement dito within 3 days dahil kung hindi pa raw ito gumaling, baka putulin daw.....yung kuko ko. 😆 yes, I had the same reaction. Natigilan ako bago niya ituloy sabihin na 'kuko'. Potek akala ko daliri na. Haha

Pero kung gagawin yun, irerefer na raw niya ako sa surgeon which they also have.

Oh man, had I known na sa surgeon pala pupunta sa ganitong case I would have went in 2019 na lang para ipatanggal yung buong kuko ko and start anew. (Ignorance and katamaran to look it up at its finest lol)

That would have saved me time, pain and suffering.

But nandito na ito.

Hopefully sipagin pa akong mag-update dito after a week kung kamusta na ang kuko ko.

~~~~

Update as of 19th June 2023:

I have fully consumed my medication last Saturday.

As of today, Monday, nawala na yung pamamaga at nana.

I am still applying Povidone Iodine after cleaning it kaya ganyan ang kulay.

Hopefully magtotally heal na before our upcoming run in 2 weeks.

Medyo may kirot pa kasi kapag nababangga ng bahagya.

But this is a great improvement.