Do I really NEED my toenails?

[mamahill]

While I don't have the most attractive feet in the world, they have never caused me any problems. Until now. Oooh, let me back up and give you the WHOLE story behind my big toenail...

Soon after giving birth to Ainsleigh (and for those of you who don't know, it was a rather, er, traumatic experience) my big left toenail (hmmm, my left foot...) began to look weird and soon a strange ridge emerged from the nail bed. A doctor friend confirmed that sometimes nails reflect traumatic experiences and perhaps the two were tied. Fine. Whatever. I have a weird toenail. It will grow out.

Then, beneath the ridge, the nail began to discolor. It was easy to ignore since my toenails are almost always painted. As the nail grew in, the discoloration got larger. I don't know what possessed me to try this, but I began tapping the dicoloration and it sounded hollow. Eventually part of it reached the top of my toenail and the cleaner-outer thing of nail clippers confirmed that it was a big ol air pocket in there now. A doctor said I had a nail fungus that would most likely spread to the rest of my toes and DH's if I wasn't careful. I never really understood what "careful" meant, so I just kept doing what I was doing. My other toenails, as are DH's, are fine.

So a few weeks ago, my hollow toenail (but it wasn't hollow all the way across until just now), split about halfway down the nail, but across (not up and down). It didn't hurt (thank you hollowness), but at the time I thought, 'Hmm, this can't be good.'

Sure enough, last Friday night, I woke up at 3:30am with shooting pain in my toe. I could feel my pulse. I even tried to pry the nail out by myself and proceeded to black out. I ended up cutting it a little and then soaking it. I ended up going back to sleep at 5 am (and seriously considering taking the Tylenol with codeine left over from post-partum). Now the pain comes and goes. I have these "Ingrown Toenail Pain Relief" strips that seem to be helping at times. This morning I swore I was going to go to the doctor first thing Monday, but now I'm not sure. If I can get it to grow out on it's own, then I'd rather not go have it cut out.

Has anyone ever had the intial pain (and a little pus - eeeew. sorry) but NOT had to go to the doctor? A friend told me their doctor said the nail doesn't actually serve a purpose. Why DO we have toenails? Perhaps I'll just have the whole thing removed to avoid future problems. Then it would look weird in sandals, though, I suppose. I could get a press-on nail for it? Or just wear a band-aid? Maybe I'll just have all of them removed - I DO have weird pinky-toenails. Oooh, then they'd be all smooth... Obviously I need to have something else to think about.

But seriously, why does something so SMALL hurt so MUCH? I swear that little thing is machete-ing it's way to the bone (for any Fawlty Towers fans...).

[deborah_r]

Sorry to hear it - I am battling toenail fungus problems on 4 nails of one foot here. got much worse during pregnancy.

An acquaintance of mine was having surgery to fix ingrown toenails and the doctor accidentally removed her whole toenail - she had a press on fake one last I knew. She was waiting for the nail to grow back. Anyway, didn't know if you were kidding about the press-on, but it really is a possibility!

I definitely think you should go to the doctor, but honestly I haven't been for mine, so who am I to tell you?!? :)


Edit: Oh, by the way, as tempting as it is to paint over the fungus (believe me, I KNOW) I've heard thst is really bad for the toenail because then air doesn't get to it, so the fungus actually gets worse. Could be wrong, that's just what I've heard...

[AngelaS]

EWWW! LOL My sister did the same "dig at my toenail with a sharp tool until I pass out" thing you did. The things we will do to avoid a trip to the dr!

I've had ingrown toenails surgically removed, but all they did was cut down along the edges of my toes and removed about a 1 to 2mm wide section. Does that make sense? The key was that they NUMBED it before starting!

Call your podiatrist, tell him you're in horrible pain and GO! :D You will feel better..... :D

[Sarah1]

Sarah, I have NO advice or insight on this, just wanted to say I hope your toe gets BETTER! That sounds SO painful. It is weird how something so small can just KILL. Maybe you can get Ainsleigh to massage it for you (LOL!)

Do they make prosthetic toenails (hee hee??) Just be glad it isn't summer so you don't have to expose your toes (unless you are fortunate enough to live in someplace with warm weather!).

[brubeck]

Sarah, GO to the doctor! Now! If it's a fungus perhaps all you need are some antibiotics or some such.

One of my ex-boyfriends had some ingrown toenail problem before we met and he had NO toenails (on either foot). It was totally gross. I mean, it was just smooth skin there but looking at it was very creepy. The doctor said they'd never grow back in. Perhaps it was the way they'd been removed?

Anyhow, if you're that worried about it it's time to head to the podiatrist.

[amp]

Never had the fungus, nor have I had exactly what you speak of. I do have ingrown toenails, though, which I despise. DH would like to have his toenails removed permanently and he is only half joking! We've even passed this malady on to our DS! He had his first ingrown toenail (pus and all) in Dec and had to have antibiotics to clear it up! DH and I do not go to the doctor for ours. I usually drain the pus and put something on it (peroxide and/or antibiotic ointment or cream). Another thing I do (but mine is ingrown in the upper corner of the nailbed where it touches my toe while it grows out) is shove a bit of cotton under the part where it starts to ingrow. This helps lift the nail so it can grow out without growing into the skin. A doctor taught me this. You can also soak an ingrown toenail in hot/warm saltwater to reduce swelling. Good luck from a fellow toenail hater!

[parkersmama]

Sarah! GET YOUR FANNY TO A PODIATRIST, NOW! Sorry for yelling at you but you really need to do this! :) Now, {{{BIG HUGS}}} for the pain you're in. My heart goes out to you...I've been there.

I haven't had a nail fungus before so I can't help there but I've struggled off and on with ingrown toenails since I was a teenager. Let me tell you...they don't "just get better on their own". I've tried it. Just ain't gonna happen. I have had a family doctor fix them before and it was always painful (the shots, the aftermath) but they did get better. That is, until I had an ingrown that I got while pregnant (apparently all that extra blood and swelling in your body isn't too friendly). When I got an ingrown toenail while pregnant with Wesley, I tried to let it "fix itself", no dice. So I went to the family doctor. It was a terrible experience (I'll spare you the gruesome details) and it didn't fix it. The whole thing was worse in a couple of months than it started out. So, I bit the bullet and called a podiatrist. Well, that was certainly the way to go!! I made an appointment thinking he'd put me on antibiotics to help with the infection and make a followup to "surgerize" the toe. No such thing...he said, "Okie-dokie, let's fix this sucker" and did it right then! The shot DID NOT hurt, the surgery DID NOT hurt, and the toe felt better IMMEDIATELY!! I was so happy and haven't had any problems now two years later. Yippee!!!! Anyway, he said that the key is knowing where to do the shot (so it's not painful) and then cauterizing the nail bed after removing the sliver of nail. That way the nail doesn't grow back. It looks normal but just a hair narrower than my other toenail. And best of all, my insurance covered it as an office visit with just my co-pay. It was so worth it and I've been extremely happy with the results.

So, no more procrastinating. No more trying to wait it out. Get a recommendation for a good podiatrist and get yourself over there and out of pain, girl! :)

[dogmom]

Ummm, OK, it is probably not a big deal. And even if you do not go to a doctor, it will probably turn out fine, but....

This sounds like the beginning of one of my change of shift reports on an ICU patient. "So, whe had this toenail thing and ignored it, then it turned into cellulitis, then it spread........." , And now I'm looking at a previously healthy person who's gone to surgery already, missing some previously healthy part of their anatomy, and is horrible sick with septic shock on three medications just to keep the blood pressure above 90/60. There is a woman in my unit right now that had a pimple that turned into necrotizing fascitis (don't ask, do a google search if you have a strong stomach) and is probably going to die. Go to the doctor!

Jeanne
Mom to Harvey
1/16/03

[Sandy]

Sarah,
Go to the doctor please. My toenail started throbbing reading your story.


Sandy mom to Alexander Thor 3/16/02

[amp]

Denise - your response is very interesting to me! DH has long said, "it's obvious that our (his and mine) toenails are too big for the nail area on our toes, so why can't they just take a sliver of nail out?" You are saying that they do. And then prevent it from growing back in the same ingrown way? Very interesting! I'd be interested in this, as would DH, I'm sure! How did it all work? Just curious. We don't have a podiatrist and I don't know if our insurance would cover such a thing, but I'm very interested!