OT - Enter at your own risk (skull and crossbones!)

Thanks for your response. It's so helpful getting the perspective of folks who work in the medical field!

I take my own manicure set in with me. I know it is sterile and they use it only on me. Just an idea so you don't have to give up the pedicures.

I had some fungus under my big toe once from having a can fall on it.  I tried all these over the counter and nothing worked.

One day at work I hit that toe on the file cabinet during last summer. Ouch! I had to go see a podiatrist. and  she said the medicine only works in half the cases so she took off the toe. ( after giving me a shot for the pain) and it heeled up in about 3 months and looks great now.  I also had asked her will it hurt when you take the nail off?  She said well tell me because I took it off 5 min. ago. She had been wrapping it the rest of the time.

I know some people even bring in their own tools when they get pedicures now.

 

 

Hmmm...  Well, FWIW, I wouldn't spend the money and time on a visit to a podiatrist (and I certainly don't think it warrants a visit to an emergency care facility!).  It IS just fungus after all, not gangrene.  

After having red polish on my toes non-stop all summer (and therefore couldn't see my nails), I developed some fungus once that covered about 1/3 of the toenail on my big toe, and I simply used an OTC product called Fungicure on it (and was sure to keep both my feet washed and well dried every day).  After about a week, the spot started getting smaller.  Between the spot slowly shrinking and the nail growing out and getting trimmed, it was gone in a couple of weeks.

Lora

I have this too, I broke my big toe when my son was a baby and it seem like after that, it came up....my Dad always had a problem with the same toe and the same thing!  I will say, (sorry TMI), I have sweaty feet and wearing boots and winter shoes, where they can't breathe....pheeeeew!  

Ironically, I went to a podiatrist....I had a few days off for my 40th birthday of all things....that man ripped off my toe nail..which was fine...cause he deadened it..but dear gawd after that wore off, I had to take some pain med's and walk around in a flip flop or sandal when I did go back to work for a week or so.  That thing HURT!

I've had it come off once before when I soaked it in some epsom salt and water....and then just trimmed it as far as down as i could....I am now diligently treating it with some medicine from the drugstore because I have no insurance and I just don't want to go through the pain of having it ripped off again....the podiatrist told me it wouldn't come back!  Well, helllo, i'm not sure it ever went away to be honest! 

So, I'm hoping that if I am diligent in treating it and keep going for a regular pedicure as the nail grows out, so will all the yucky stuff....my nail is currently in the stages of white to black...talk about nasty!!   I'm about ready to see if I can cut it down as far as I can so I can get enough medicine down in there so come spring/summer I'll hopefully have a pretty toenail.  

One can hope!  I hope I've helped some...but I'm curious as to what others will post!

Sherry

Ok, now i'm skeered.

sorry!! it's basically painless but i'd let your doctor look at it.....it only bothers me when i do go get my toes done and they start digging in there....and I'm mortified that it looks pretty bad.    You can get it pulled off..and you may be fine...but it did hurt to me.  I would probably go again cause it's looking pretty raunchy but like I said, no insurance so I'm trying to self medicate.  lol 

I would be, too!  No way I would let someone do that unless I had tried other things first!! Seems extreme to me.

Lora

I've regrown my big toes on left and right plus smallest on my left foot. It feels strange wearing shoes and socks while it grows back but it is not painful. I would first try some at home treatments since this is such a common thing.

I have had a fungus in both of my big toes for years.  When i first found out, i was a little freaked out, but then when i found out how much the medicine would cost me, I was like forget it ... I believe it was prescription.  It does look ugly, but I keep my toes painted and keep it moving.  Blessings on your adventure ...