The physical had gone well.

At least I thought it had.

Dr. George Scarmon had noted all my vitals — blood pressure, heart rate and such — were better than average. He couldn’t find anything wrong.

He was also more than pleased that I was heavily into bicycling. Logging close to 10,000 miles a year at the time.

Scarmon, who was a runner, told me it was better on my joints than his aerobic passion of pounding the pavement.

And then he told me he was referring me to a specialist.

A podiatrist to be exact.

I asked what for?

His response was “you’ll see” but before I did anything to come back and see him first.

Two weeks later, I was back in Scarmon’s office. And I’ll admit I was more than a bit anxious about what the podiatrist said.

He asked what I was told.

Basically, I had serious bunion issues and that I should consider having them surgically “removed.”

Scarmon then asked whether the podiatrist told me about data that reflects a fairly high percentage of those who have surgeries involving bunions get them again in 10 years or so.

He added when they do, they can be worse.

And while issues with the initial surgery itself was fairly low, Scarmon said it could take upwards of six months before I could return to being as active.

Then he moved in for the “kill.”

He asked if I had problems dealing with my bunions.

I said to be honest I really didn’t think about them that much given they were common in my family.

Scarmon then asked if they bothered me when I was bicycling.

This was back in 1988 before Nike hit the market with the first wide road bicycle racing cleat.

That meant I was squeezing my wide foot, bunions and all, into narrow cleats made in Europe. The saving grace is the upper part of the cleats were thin, soft leather.

I shared that the bunion really didn’t bother me unless it was near the end of a 100-mile ride on a hot day.

Scarmon then made his point.

I should always get a third opinion when it comes to elective surgery.

And the person I should talk with is myself.

He stressed if I can be active and comfortable with the bunions, it was best to leave well enough alone.

The same went for other elective surgeries.

It’s the best advice a physician has ever given me.

And, of course, 16 years later I forgot about his advice in another general physician’s office.

I had an appointment for what I thought might have been a return of gout in my knee that I believed I was keeping in check with dietary changes.

At one point, he had me remove my shoes and socks.

The second I did, my feet got his full attention.

In his words, the bunion on my left foot was the “worst” he had ever seen.

He was alarmed by the redness around both bunions, was worried it might be infected, and insisted I see a podiatrist ASAP.

His preference was I see podiatrists at Stanford as he said they had a reputation for being effective with “extreme” cases.

I’ll admit that the bunion, at first glance, can probably scare little kids but I manage just fine.

I also forgot Scarmon’s advice.

Since Stanford was a three-month wait to get in, the doctor suggested I make an appointment with a podiatrist in Pleasanton.

I made the appointment. I was told to have X-rays done and to bring them with me.

At my appointment, the podiatrist came into the room and asked if I cycled because of my calf muscles at the time.

I answered in the affirmative.

The podiatrist then pulled out the X-rays from the envelope I gave him.

After all of 10 seconds “reading” them, he asked if I had looked at them.

I resisted replying I wasn’t a trained podiatrist and that was why I was paying him to do so.

Instead, I said “no.”

He asked for a quick rundown of how I ended up in his office.

I shared I’d been dealing with bunions since my 20s and was doing aerobics, jogging, and bicycling at the time.

After I finished, the podiatrist ended up telling me basically what Scarmon had told me 16 years earlier — I should take credence in the fact I was not being impeded by the bunions in terms of being active.

He then introduced me to moleskin to reduce friction on my bunions. Years later when I got heavily into hiking, the moleskin kept rubbing against the bunion in check.

Today, as I’m closing in on 70, I’ve cut back on the jogging.

The issue isn’t my feet. It’s what my current doctor refers to as a “slightly arthritic hip.”

The bottom line?

You need to pay attention to your body because no one knows it better than you.