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"A former soldier cut off two of his gangrene-ridden toes with a pair of tin metal pliers without anesthetic in his living room after becoming frustrated at a six-week delay to being operated on by the National Health Service (NHS)."
[...] "He says he eventually developed gangrene and his doctor said his infected toes would have to be removed. Rather than wait six weeks for the operation, Dibbins took matters into his own hands.
He says the operation, performed without pain killers and in his living room while biting on a rolled up towel, took about an hour. His wife of 40 years was in the house but says she did not want to look.
“Knowing that it would take at least another six weeks to get me in front of a surgeon again, that’s when I bit the bullet and cut off the toes,” Dibbins told the North Devon Journal.
“I did it because it’s what had to be done. My doctor told me my toes were going to kill me."
https://www.rt.com/uk/364152-gangrene-frostbite-toes-cut/
(Score: 1, Interesting) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday October 29 2016, @09:55PM
For me it was infection. In-growing toenails that were imbedded, and producing swelling, heat and pus. I was reliably informed that in just a few weeks (more than a month) somebody might get around to it.
In that time I actually might have developed gangrene.
So I did what I had to do. I took a razor, and carved my toes open. I drained the pus, cut the toenails way back, swabbed everything out with isopropyl, packed it all with antibiotic wound cream, and dressed it.
When they finally got around to me, my toes were fine, the toenails were growing back normally, there was no sign of infection, and I asked for a medical note saying I could wear sandals.
The doctor was so pissed off, he refused me a medical note and told me not to come back if I wasn't willing to take medical advice - not why I did it, but who cares? Not him.
So. Yeah. Single-payer can suck me off and fluff my balls. Since then, I pay for private care and feel good doing so.