Aaron Rodgers Saved My Toe

Love him or hate him, Aaron Rodgers has brought podiatric awareness to much of America.

Here’s why I owe Aaron!

Photo by Author

Tastebuds:

Doctors say that we’re born with the most tastebuds we’ll ever have the rest our lives,about 10,000. Each year we live we lose a few due to some disease or trauma.

Like the lowly tastebud, if we’re fortunate to live an average lifetime, normal living takes little chips and pieces away from nature’s most complicated creation — the human. When the average person attains the age of 70 or there-a-bouts, lots of chips are missing. That’s maybe why, when my big toe started hurting a few weeks ago, I just looked at it as paying the toll for living so long.

I’m a football fan so I see grown men throwing themselves at each other every Sunday, Monday night, and Thursday night. They do it with unmatched ferocity. The chipping away at nature’s most complex creation is exacerbated by their own doing, playing the sport of football.

An American obsession.

Lethally fascinating for the fans.

Living with pain becomes part of the pro football player’s life.

In his career, Aaron Rodgers has had the following football relate chips chiseled from his body: shoulder clavicle fracture, head cranial concussion, knee MCL strain, pedal toe fracture, another concussion, another shoulder fracture, a leg calf muscle tear, a leg calf strain (bear with me, we’re only up through the 2016 season), another shoulder clavicle fracture, another concussion, another MCL knee strain and the latest — another pedal toe fracture.*

Thank you for your service, Aaron Rodgers.

Although before he ditched his intellectual, condescending, unsmiling arrogance, I had little sympathy for him. I hated the way he was deceptive in his vaccination status.

I watched his recent interview complete with his weak attempt at humor and the COVID toe gambit. I didn’t laugh along with all the other folks who found it humorous but the effort endeared him to me — a little.

It did cause me concern on another front, however.

My toe hurts. Has been for a week. Isn’t getting better.

Do I have COVID? My piggy is all red!

I made an appointment for a COVID test at CVS Pharmacy for the next morning.

The rest of the story:

I Googled Podiatrist around me on Yelp and came up with a doctor within 2.6 miles of my condo.

I jumped on an appointment for the following late afternoon. Meant pushing back dinner but this toe had to be evaluated. Aaron’s interview brought me a greater COVID toe conscientiousness.

The podiatrist's office was in a strip mall exactly 2.6 miles away. I was on time for my 5:00 appointment the next day. The waiting room was filled with suffering feet. People who were wearing flip-flops (it was 35 degrees out), old shoes with the front cut out, there was even a guy in there with one shoe and a Moca-socks covering his affected dog.

When my turn came, I entered the inter-sanctum of the podiatrist’s office with my usual anxiety accompanying doctor's visits. Maybe a little more because the stakes were higher. My toe was killing me by now.

Was it COVID?

Who have I been around in the past couple of weeks? I’ll have to tell them I have COVID!

Shit!

Then podiatrist examined my foot and diagnosed me with an ingrown toenail. The extra pain was a nasty infection that he was able to dig out.

A prescription for antibiotics, advice to soak it in epsom salts twice a day, a gauze wrapping, and a bit of podiatric wisdom, “ Lucky you came in when you did, I’ve had to amputate toes infected not much worse than yours.”

Whatever happened to bedside manner?

But that’s not the point:

Thank you Aaron Rodgers! If you hadn’t, all of a sudden tried to make a joke on TV, I may have had to have had my toe amputated.

You have 100% of my sympahty and understanding for your broken toe and the fact 300 pound gargantuan lineman try to tread on it.

You da MAN!

Please, nobody get near me, my toe hurts like hell.

My COVID test came back negative.

*Essentiallysports.com