A stitch in time

I stepped on a discarded brake cable strand on new year's eve (one strand of the braided cable). I thought it was just a splinter's length, so I didn't think much of it when I failed to remove it with a needle. It wasn't until the next day that the pain really became unbearable. Unfortunately, I couldn't find a doctor available to see me on new year's day. ARC has an after hours and weekend clinic, so rather than going to the emergency room, I decided to wait another day. X-rays confirmed I had a 3/4" wire embedded in the ball of my foot, and that the wire had traveled about 1/2 an inch deeper diagonally into my flesh in those 2 intervening days. First doctor tried unsuccessfully to remove it. They called in a foot specialist - who made a longer and deeper incision and finally found the wire after 20 minutes or so of digging. Some stitches later - and I was good to go.