"Nurse going above and beyond"

(I have to start this with a prefix about how bad my GP has been) I have had an ongoing issue with an ingrown toenail for 3 years, having it removed once in 2020, and once in 2021, but it would just grow back and become infected each time. This current round has lasted almost 2 years, and has been infected for 1 year. 

My GPs have been beyond useless, putting me on antibiotics to bring down the infection, and then leaving it too long before taking me in to remove it, by which point it was too infected again to operate on. This has happened countless times, and gotten to the point where antibiotics have no affect. 

In the afternoon, I was doing my daily clean of my toe when I noticed that a splinter of toenail had come up through the front of my toe, completely stabbing its way out. I phoned my GP, and told them I needed an emergency appointment, as this was very concerning, but the receptionist deemed it not important enough for an emergency appointment, and told me that I should phone the local pharmacist to see if they could do anything (what the actual heck!!! She heard that I had a protruding nail coming out of my the front of my toe, and thought that it was a job for a pharmacist!!) So, after an hour on hold I was told by 111 to make my way to A&E, as they believed it sounded urgent enough to be seen.

I got a lift into Aberdeen A&E, and was prepared to sit for hours, just to be told that they could only give me antibiotics, and that I'd have to go through my GP to get it sorted. But to my surprise, less than 5 minutes after checking in, I was called in to be seen. 

The nurse (whose name I sadly failed to get) was very kind, light-hearted, and considerate, making sure I wasn't in too much pain while he inspected my toe. At first he was unsure/hesitant as to what to do, as it definitely required a podiatrist, but after considering the options, he ultimately decided that he would numb my toe, and remove the entire nail. 

I cannot emphasize how glad I am that he made this decision, I wasn't going to argue with him if he couldn't do anything for me, as it wouldn't be his fault, but he truly went above and beyond, taking great care to make sure I wasn't in too much pain, making sure I understood what he was doing, asking me if I was comfortable with him doing the procedure, and keeping a positive attitude throughout; talking to me about my son, what I'm going to be doing while keeping my feet up post appointment, and hearing my frustration over my local GP. 

This nurse understood my long history with this issue, took every measure to make sure I was comfortable and happy with the course of action, and done such a good job with the procedure. I would even go as far as to say this nurse done a better job than both of the podiatrists that had operated on my toe previously combined! 

Once he had removed the toenail (and let me see it, which I greatly appreciated!) and bandaged my toe, he talked me through my course of antibiotics and painkillers (something my previous podiatrists and GPs didn't bother to give me). He made sure I understood my next steps to getting the nail bed destroyed so that the nail wouldn't come back and cause issues again (as he couldn't administer the chemical himself, which I completely understand) and he even went as far as to find me a post-op cast shoe and helped get it on so I could avoid the pain of putting on my sock and shoe. 

At every possible turn, this nurse made good calls, made me feel comfortable, and kept me in a good mood. This was the best experience I have ever had with a medical professional, and this nurse deserves recognition for not rushing me out the door, and taking the time to give me the best possible treatment. Which, from my experience, is a far cry from the norm.