The Root of the Problem

A few weeks ago mommy took Lawson in to the podiatrist to have his left foot checked out. It appeared that the little guy was just about walking on his inner left ankle, which made us think he might have some development issues in his legs or feet. We were relieved to find out that the problem was that he had little to no arch, rather than any serious bone growth problem. The doctor was great, very patient and nice, and he said that they will eventually get better. However, as preventative measure the doctor created some molds of his feet for some custom arch supports.

While the doctor was doing his check he noticed Lawson had an ingrown toenail issue on both of his big toes. As a result, he suggested a procedure that basically shaves the sides off each toe nail all the way down to the root, which should prevent future in grown infections. The following Friday (May 16th) daddy took Lawson in to have the procedure done and, thank goodness, grandma Cathy showed up to lend moral and emotional support (not to mention her professional insights as a career RN).

Aside from the spinal taps performed on Lawson, when he was 4 months old, for his viral meningitis, this was the most difficult thing daddy had to endure as a father. Prior to this procedure the doc had to inject a syringe full of local anesthetic into each toe. Even though they somewhat deadened the feeling in the toes with rubber bands prior to the shots, it still was the most painful experience Lawson could remember in his young little life. Daddy had to hold his leg still while the doctor administered the shots and grandma Cathy was up by his head hugging and comforting him. After the shots the doctor had to shave the nail and cut out the roots (are you feeling queasy yet?). During this process the doctor had to shove these chop-stick looking things down near the root on each side of his nail. By this time his toes were numbed up, but I think each time the doctor messed with the sticks, Lawson felt some pretty agonizing pain. By this time grandma and daddy had switched places. As daddy attempted to comfort Lawson as best he could, Lawson kept saying, "Are we done yet daddy? Please. I want to be done daddy. It hurts". The only thing that kept daddy from breaking into tears himself was knowing that he had to have a brave face for Lawson. Towards the end Lawson was gritting his teeth, squeezing daddy's hand, and saying "I'm trying to be brave daddy. Am I brave?"

He's such a cute little boy. Although he can drive mommy and daddy crazy at times, he also has the frequent ability to melt your heart with just the right look.

This whole experience was a 100 times better having grandma Cathy there. She was always a great support and comfort to her own boys when they got hurt growing up. It makes daddy so happy that she is there for his own son.


Here is a picture of the little patients' toes after about a week of healing. We're proud to report that he is doing just fine, back to running and jumping like an 8 year old full of energy.