warning: this post gets a bit gory at the end...
and another mmmay week comes to a close. it began with me rocking some me-made outfits, and ended with a trip to urgent care. lets begin at the beginning.
5/22
top: anthropologie, a beautiful gift from my beautiful mom. just cuz she loves me.
jeans: these ones here that i've been wearing nonstop. seriously. are you sick of them yet? because clearly i'm not...
shoes: shoemint
earrings: old old old...
5/23
dress: my ikat blanket dress - blogged here
shoes: frye
beach: beautiful, isn't it?
5/24
jacket: draped leather jacket - are you sick of seeing this one yet, too? blogged here
shirt: silk colette sencha - made (very poorly) in the early days of sewing. actually i think this was the first real pattern i ever made. it never fit quite right and i keep thinking i'll remake it, but it looked pretty cute in this outfit.
shorts: old. urban outfitters, possibly? these are actually the only pair of shorts i own. which needs to be remedied...
belt: jcrew
shoes: shoemint
5/25
top: vogue 1247 - blogged here
jeans: same as always - blogged here
shoes: falling apart and yet i keep wearing them.
this top always gets worn the same way. i wish i could get more creative with it - but this always seems so perfect!
and its all down hill from here...
5/26
top: stripey knit from burdastyle - blogged here
jeans: same as always...
icepack: loaned from a friend...
so today started out like a normal saturday. i got up, got ready (a bit tired so i just threw some clothes on, thinking about how i'm going to have to justify wearing these jeans as much as i do on the blog, and lie about how i swear i'm washing them...) went to work. we had a small event the night before so i wanted to try and clean up from that and in one of those weird accidents where the action doesn't really seem to justify the outcome, i opened a door on my foot, experienced a shooting pain, and looked down to see my big toenail had come off!!!
... thats only a mild exaggeration, it came almost all the way off - but thats what it looked like to me at the time. i remember thinking how that seemed like cruel punishment just for opening a door on one's foot. then i saw blood. lots and lots of blood.
now, if there is one thing about me that becomes crystal clear in situations like this it is that a) i have a low tolerance for pain, b) the sight of blood (or really even the mention of it) in general, but especially my own makes me queasy and c) i rely very heavily on the people who love me to care for me when faced with an injury.
but i was alone. so i limped and dragged my seriously injured foot over to the neighboring building where my husband has his studio, knowing that he had a first aid kit in there (my husband is a valiant prince of a man who laughs in the face of pain and is no stranger to gruesome injuries) then i dragged myself, leaving a very dramatic trail of blood behind me, to a large sink where i cleaned my (truly disgusting) toe, wrapped it in gauze and stuck a band aid around it.
then i limped back to my office - leaving one lone bloody shoe and a manic scattering of first aid supplies behind me, so they'll know what happened to me when they found the body...
and i called my husband. i was certain that i hadn't done a good job cleaning the toe because i couldn't even bear to look at, let alone touch it to clean the nail bed. as i waited for him to come find me in my pathetic state i sensed that i was feeling very nauseous, and i was having trouble breathing.
my prince came to my rescue. then he told me he was going to have to remove the rest of the nail. and the room went white and i felt like vomiting and my husband told me to elevate my foot. this part was just so traumatic its all a blur (wink).
after a quick call to my mother in law, who's a nurse practitioner, we were advised to go see a doctor, who could clean the toe and - possibly - cut the nail away. insert shuddering, heaving breath and room-spinning sensations here.
and thats how my saturday ended up at the urgent care! we waited for about 3 and a half hours till we saw a doctor, who was very nice, but told me he wasn't going to do anything. nothing! that the nail will come off by itself in good time and that i should soak it in epsom salts to keep it clean. thats it!!! no scary scissors, no me having to bite down on a wooden spoon while a doctor hovers above me with a saw and yells "nurse! bring me more laudanum! for god sake woman!" while the nurse vomits quietly into her apron. in other words, it wasn't the hospital scene from gone with the wind. go figure. just some free gauze and instructions to keep it clean, massage the nail bed so it regrows, and...
STAY OUT OF THE OCEAN!!
say what?!!? apparently salt water is great for disinfecting, just not the salt water in the gulf of mexico. blast!! there goes my weekend (and next weekend, and possibly the weekend after that) plans!!
and here ends the gruesome story of sallie and her toe(nail). its tragic, i know.
now, dear readers (those of you who aren't as delicate as i and actually made it to the end of my sad tale) i have a question for you. what does one wear when you have a zombie toe?? (zombie because of its blue-ish, purple-ish, black-ish coloring. like a zombie. duh.)
do you hide your toe under wrappings and closed toed shoes so the people at the table next to you at the restaurant don't lose their appetite at the site of your ghastly digit? or do you let your zombie toe breathe?
inquiring minds want to know...
xx
Oh, your poor toe! Im not one to get grossed out by horror blood, but that story definitely made me feel queasy haha. I hope you are feeling better soon!
ReplyDeleteI am reminded of my sister who really busted up her toe (she stubbed it really hard into our stone steps and ripped the top of ew and ouch) the day before we went on a family cruise. She has to wrap the toe so it looked like a sausage and of course I made fun of her the entire time.
Also, Landon really cut his knee up super gross-like and he is still swimming in the ocean . It looks horrible and I'm terrified his leg is going to fall off any day now.
Oh my lord... you and I both had horrible doctor's experiences this week. I ha a tube shoved up my nose (for allergies) and you lost a toenail and lots of blood.
ReplyDeleteYou cracked me up when you said you left one "lone" shoe behind someone could find you. Ha!!
If it were me, I would wear my trusty Converse's. I don't think anyone will notice your zombie toe but I think it will bother you when you assume others are looking at it.
Let's both stay away from the doctor's this week!
Poor baby! I'm so glad it's feeling better. I have no advice for shoe solutions . I would just wear flip flops and make up a really good story to go with it should someone ask about your toe - you know- as in you ripped it off trying to save a small child from a speeding train...
ReplyDeleteYour new top looked lovely one you. I'm glad you like it.!!
OH MAN! That's awful! I can't believe you didn't faint. I definitely would've. You are a brave one. As far as that toe, do whatever you can to make it better and if you have to show it to the world, so be it. Tell inquiring minds you had a run in with a rogue nutria and they should see its toes...
ReplyDeleteI experienced shuddering and gasping reading your post! Not the outfits...you rock those. I say leave your toe out. I can't imagine putting a shoe or sock over it from the carnage in my head. On a good note I went down to the island this morning (last minute or I'd have notified you) and there is massive amount of seaweed in the water and it is icky. I don't gross out over gulf water like some people, but this is the most brackish I've ever seen it!
ReplyDeleteOhhhhhhh noooooooooo! Your poor toe!!!! I'm a queasy sort myself, but I have a crazy high tolerance for pain (mostly because doctors and hospitals make me so nervous that I would rather suck it up than go get it examined... seriously, my lung collapsed in high school and I pretended like I was fine for two days rather than go to the emergency room... ridiculous). But blood? Forget it. Game over. It sounds like you handled this like a trooper! No fainting, no puking, no sobbing uncontrollably and begging strangers to come to your aid-- I give you an A+! So sorry about your beach weekend.... hope your toe heals quickly and you're back to your old tricks in no time!
ReplyDeleteFirstly - your outfits are great and yo look as beautiful as always!
ReplyDeleteSecondly - despite being a queasy person myself, I battled on till the end of your post! I must say I could vividly imagine all the horrid feelings you were going through...what a truly gruesome tale! My absolute nightmare! I really hope your toe heals up nicely soon, shame about the sea ban :o( If I were you I would bandage it up when in public (especially eateries) and maybe let it breather when you're at home and at night? What does your mother in law suggest?
Get better soon!
*shudders* I had a seriously bad experience with a botched partial toe nail removal by a doctor who decided it was cool to attempt his first ever procedure on ME! UHG! Horrible! So I totally feel your pain all over again. I hope you heal up right quick! On another non ouchy note, you're totally adorable and those jeans are UH-MAZING. Never stop posting about them, because ever time I see them it gives me hope that one day I can make myself a pair too!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar incident years and years ago which also resulted in my toenail coming off. I wore sandals for the first few days with a bandage wrapped around my toe so no one could see the gruesomeness (although I was pretty eager to show it off to anyone who wanted to see, haha). Then I just wore flats or sneakers with a bandage over the toe until it healed. Eventually the bruising will go away and you'll have a miniature toenail. It'll be kind of weird, but kind of cute, and you get to watch it grow back :)
ReplyDeleteThose blue shoes made the outfit, love them!! And don't worry about your toenail, it will be good as new in, like, 6 months? :)
ReplyDeleteOh sis! I am generally less squeamish about this sort of thing, but hearing your tale - and or imagining you going through it - especially since you normally don't let me say things like IV, or bloodwork - had me a bit green about the gills. I am so sorry! And in this, the season of open toe-edness! I say if you can stand to see it let it out. If you're not grossed out, others won't be either - and who stares at peoples feet?!? I agree with Stacie who says leave it out if only because I can't imaging shoving a wound in closed toed anythings. Sis - dare i say this is the onset of medically inspired Ugg purchase?!? I know you won't go that far - but I'll say again, if you must cover your biggest piggy, he'll never be happier than all wrapped in Uggs! Poor toes aside - the outfits were totally gorge as always - I loved your brave little toaster hospital outfit too. Poor baby. In solidarity, I'll promise to stay out of the ocean too. I love you that much. Hugs!
ReplyDeleteAwwwh bless your cotton gauze socks Sallie. Yikes - that sounds gruesome. But let the zombie toe run free - fresh air will help it heal faster and make the nastiness go away sooner (trust me - I'm not a doctor but I'm 100% going on what my mother's already told me...)
ReplyDelete"While the nurse vomits quietly into her apron" HA HA HA. Thank god for that little gem because I was holding my hand to my mouth and trying not to barf into my keyboard. In sympathetic pain. Oh god, toe injuries are THE WORST. Anything involving nails - shudder. Hurts so bad. I am so sad you will be oceanless for the next few weeks but maybe this is the universe telling you to retire your sad-ass bikini? As for your poor tootsie, screw everyone's appetites. You wanna let that guy get some air and heal. Closed toe shoes are just gonna hurt. These look like they would let your big toe hang loose: http://www.endless.com/Worishofer-Womens-639-Ankle-Strap-Sandal/dp/B006TQS7AO/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&cAsin=B005TN4HES&fromPage=search&sr=1-5&qid=1338211981482&asinTitle=Worishofer%20639%20Ankle-Strap%20Sandal&contextTitle=search%20results&clientPageSize=100&brands=Worishofer&sort=-product_site_launch_date&showDesigner=2
ReplyDeleteIck. That made me a little nauseous just reading it. I slammed my thumb in a old volvo car door once and my thumbnail turned black and then fell off. It was pretty horrific. I say let it breathe. Your leather jacket is so awesome, by the way.
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh you poor thing! That sounds incredibly painful.
ReplyDeleteAs for the zombie toe, I would let it breathe and wear it like a war wound. But maybe not when people are eating nearby....
oiy... yuck and ouch - you poor thing! At least you had a week of seriously fabulous you-made clothes to wear in the days leading up to your gruesome injury. Like you, I ain't no good when it comes to blood.... you must be a violent door opener to have done this to yourself ;-)
ReplyDeleteSo I don't know if you've heard of this before, but I thought I'd mention it since you seemed like someone who enjoyed perfectly fitting jeans (and I don't know if other readers have heard of this or not). There's a whole niche thing involving raw blue jeans where you wear unwashed raw denim jeans for 6 - 12 months without washing them (excepting spot treatments using cold water) and then you wash them as you'd wash normal jeans. Theoretically, this is the trick to getting the most perfectly fitted jeans since the heat causes them to contour to your body and when you finally wash them they're already custom fit. I actually gave this a shot at one point (I'm about 5 months in now), and they're actually living up to the hype, which is a big deal for me since I have a 12" differential between my waist and hips. When I finally finish the process I'll post pics, but just thought I'd share that since I only recently found out and it seems to be doing awesome things.
ReplyDeleteYikes! Uck! I had a horrible toe incident too, and my big toenail is still growing back out. I say let it breathe. It will feel better than being stuck in a shoe. Your MMM clothes are cute enough to distract from your toe. And seriously, if people are worried about how your toe looks, they need something else to do!
ReplyDeleteGasp! GASP! This sounds sooo painful! I'm so glad you seemed to have survived that traumatic ordeal!
ReplyDeleteYour pooor toe! :(
As for letting people see it, I don't think many people walk around staring at other people's feet. I think you'd be alright to let it breathe, but won't it hurt having it exposed sans nail?
Hope you have a speedy recovery!
First off... all your outfits are so stunning... as usual!! I love how you wear those jeans so much you feel like you have to make excuses for it - that's a sign of a truly perfect make!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'm so sorry but i did have to giggle a little at your story... only because I understand your feelings about personal injury, and I too cringe at the sight or mention of blood, especially my own LOL. (i had to give up donating blood for exactly that reason)... plus "zombie toe" is such an endearing term :)
I say let the zombie toe roam free!! Do whatever it takes to let it heal up properly; my feeling is that no one will be looking at the poor thing anyway, while you're wearing those gorgeous outfits... and if they are, well then tell them to look away! ;)
ahh! Sallie, you poor thing!! OUCH! I lost my big toe nail during a game of soccer, the summer before my December wedding. Nails take a long time to grow back, and I was most definitely wearing open toe heels for the wedding. So here's what I did: Did you know "they" make fake nails for toes?! I didn't until I needed one, but yes, at the drugstore (CVS or wherever) you can buy glue on nails shaped for toes. And that's what I did. I bought a pack, and once I had the smallest bit of re-growth to glue to, I glued a fake nail on! And I kept them toes painted. Not only did they look great when wearing sandals, but the fake nail provided some protection too. That naked little toe was vulnerable and sensitive, so I kept glueing on a fake nail till the real one had grown out.
ReplyDeleteNow on occasion, the fake nail would pop off whilst I was out in public, much to my embarrassment, but really I think it only happened twice, and it wasn't a big deal.
But that's what I recommend: a fake toe nail. And keep it cleaned and covered with a bandaid until you have some re-growth to glue to.
EEGADS that sounds horrible!! (your outfits are très cute though!)I once had a zombie toe (we called it zombie foot but really it was just the big purply-black evil toe, too) and you definitely don't want to sequester it up under closed shoes too much. it needs to breathe. do you remember those vaguely athletic-looking adidas/nike/whatever "slide-style" sandals that were popular in the 90s? (maybe they still are, i don't know... like these: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Adilette_sandals_2004.jpg). when i had my zombie toe, i wore white cotton socks and those sandals... it allowed the toe to breathe & heal, but it was still kinda protected. (and other people were spared its hideous face!) fashionwise, i admit it looked pretty bad -- but the toe healed! and yes, i had to stay out of the ocean for awhile too! tragic.
ReplyDeleteThats fascinating! I had no idea they made fake toenails. I'll have to wait for my dead nail to call it quits (its still hanging on by a shred) and then some regrowth... and I just may look into this!
ReplyDeleteHaha! I remember those sandals... classics! Still bummed about the ocean...
ReplyDeleteIts okay - I'm still giggling too. I can be a bit of a drama queen! And oh my god I can't give blood! I freak out and hyperventilate every time!
ReplyDeleteI've heard about this myth! I may try and do this - please DO post some pictures of your process as this sounds totally intriguing...
ReplyDeleteAn excellent idea! I recently ran out of medical tape and so today its wrapped in black electrical tape - which sort of makes me feel a little post-apocalyptic-super-hero or something...
ReplyDeleteBut thats the thing!! I JUST finally bit the bullet and bought an (ugly) but functional bathing suit!! CURSE YOU ZOMBIE TOE!!!
ReplyDeleteBut hey... cute shoes...
"In solidarity, I'll promise to stay out of the ocean too" Ha! You'd be singing a different tune if you lived within an HOUR of the beach lil' miss sunshine!! Then it would be "Oh, so sad for you... are you reading that Us Weekly?..."
ReplyDeleteJust kidding - I know you would never steal my Us Weekly. Especially not to have an affair with the beach while I'm laid up. Also, I would never wish a beach ban on even my worst enemy - and you're my one and only sister who I love more than Us Weekly - so should the stars align and gods grant you an impromptu beach day - I send you with my blessing. Go! GO!
I guess thats a silver lining! Sorta...
ReplyDeleteYeah - I'm pretty relieved that I got to keep my sorry scrap of toenail
ReplyDeleteYou are a crazy soldier lady! A LUNG collapsed?! And you didn't go to the hospital?? I'm pretty skittish of doctors and hospitals too - mostly because I imagine situations like the one described above... I have a very active imagination. And I hate being sick, so doctor's offices make me feel the need to scrub myself with bleach.
ReplyDeleteIt has been really murky - and those hedgerows of seaweed that are on the beach stink to high heaven! But what can I say? A beach is a beach!! P.S I have yet to get a good answer for you about renting a house - most people I asked say they just do it through some websites.
ReplyDeletehehe... nutria...
ReplyDeleteOh God!
ReplyDeletewhat a story.. i suffered with you, reading it.. ok, and laughed a bit, but i couldn't help myself.. and you know what - almost the same thing happened to my father couple of years ago: it was middle of the night, he was sleeping, and dreaming of something that made him kick the wall as hard as he could.. his toenail fall off, and he screamed like mad and freaked my mother out.. they turned the light on, the nail was on the floor, and blood was everywhere.. so they woke up our first neighbor, and the guy drove them to urgent care..
ReplyDeleteand, to answer your question - he wore flip flops for the next month i think hehe.. and, eventually. new nail replaced the old one, like nothing ever happened (just a crazy story to remember)
Well, we wound up renting a condo in the same complex we already live in. Everything was booked up in Galveston. I think it will be good for me to spend another summer in the Heights with friends and the park. I'm all over a day trip to Galveston though! Thanks for asking around. I hope your toe is improving!
ReplyDelete