Deal With It!

After many months of ignoring the pain and swelling of ingrown toenails, my youngest finally relented to have me take him to get a pedicure a few days ago.  I purposely took him at a time when the salon was going to be the least busy in order for him to receive an adequate amount of attention from the technician.

And so as the technician began, she had to firmly hold the part of his toe that was most sensitive and infected before she began excising the offending toenail.  I will not get graphic, but it was not a pretty process. Suffice it to say, there was a good amount of teeth clenching, perspiration and stifled groans going on……and that just was ME, so you can imagine what HE was going through!

It was obvious the technician was not comfortable causing my son so much pain, but to her credit, she knew that if she didn’t perform a thorough job, it would cause even more trouble for her client in the long run, so she kept at it until she was through.  After over 30 minutes, everyone breathed a sigh of relief when she had finished.  And though he was exhausted and quite sore, my son actually hugged the technician because he immediately felt the relief from what was causing the pain.  Before we left, they reminded him that he must come in once a month for maintenance so his toes would not get that bad ever again.

This episode was an ugly, painful reminder to me of the issues in my life that cause me pain and when I ignore the symptoms too long I become chronically infected and intolerable.  To deal with the issue sometimes requires someone else’s expertise and/or insight to help locate and excise it.  Yes, it is painful and sensitive to the touch at first, but if the source of the pain is not completely eradicated it will cause even more trouble for me.  After the process is completed, I may be left exhausted and sore to the touch, but I can be assured that I will immediately feel the relief of the root of the issue being gone.  I must remember, however, without frequent maintenance, the issue may come back.

I am no different than anyone else.  I sometimes have a fear of pain.  I don’t always like facing my “issues”. But when I have been brave enough to do so, I have very seldom, if ever, regretted it.

Today, I bless each of us with the courage to face our issues and the strength and persistence to deal with the pain to fully excise it before we become immobile.  Be freed!  Then become the “technician” in that area to free someone else!

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-Tessa L. Charles