WC Missouri News

Marshall resident Tamara Scott found relief after a difficult experience with a piece of glass lodged in her big toe, thanks to Physician Assistant Miles Romney at Fitzgibbon Orthopedics and Sports Medicine. The incident began when Scott stepped on what she thought was a potato chip in her home office, only to discover it was actually glass embedded in her toe.

“There was blood everywhere,” Scott recalled. After visiting the local emergency room, X-rays revealed the glass but doctors were unable to remove it. “He said it was likely I’d have to have surgery to open up the toe and get to it.”

Scott had previously been treated by Romney for a broken wrist and noted the efficiency of care at Fitzgibbon Hospital: “When I went to the Fitz ED I was in and out in an hour. It was so fast, and everyone was terrific.”

Before her scheduled appointment with Romney, worsening pain led her to seek help at a hospital in Columbia. She described waiting for hours without treatment: “They weren’t able to do anything. They put me in a recliner in the hallway and nobody came to check on me for four and a half hours.” Despite various tests, staff there could not remove the glass.

During her visit at Fitzgibbon Orthopedics, Romney numbed Scott’s toe and used X-ray guidance to attempt removal. “We could see the glass, he just couldn’t get it. I could hear the tweezers sort of scrape along the glass but they just couldn’t grasp it. Then finally, he got it. I think he was pretty proud of himself, because I do think he was getting ready to take me down to surgery,” Scott said.

She is now recovering and will return for follow-up appointments on both her wrist and toe injuries. Expressing gratitude for local care, Scott said: “I feel so much better that it’s out,” holding up the clear container with the removed glass shard. “It still hurts, but it’s a good hurt! I’m so happy to have Fitzgibbon right here. They’ve helped me twice in six weeks. Everybody has been very attentive. I’m very happy with them.”