Enuff pain! Doin' surgery---

[tallpines]

Got the Dremel tool and the Exacto knife and the antibiotic ointment,

Other than using the bottle of whiskey for a general I would prefer a good LOCAL anesethic.
What do I have around the house, other than ice, that would work?

I always thought I knew what an ingrown toenail was------but now I know (at age 58) that those few episodes in the past were probably just infected hang nails.

This bugger is really twisted and curled and deeply inbeded.......

Could see a fancy podiatrist on Monday..but I hope to get it taken care of before then, right here at home.

Advice?

[Snowdancer]

An extra strength toothache med will numb the surface-I can't remember the name right now but it's sold in the drug stores and dollar stores. Find the adult version with the highest level of lidocaine.

If you have a vet or farm store around, you might be able to get some local anesthetic from them. But beware, there's many nerves in the toes and if you insert the needle wrong it will only add another layer of pain

Before starting the 'procedure' soak you foot in very cold water which will help with the pain and also any bleeding..

Make sure you've got some good antibiotic ointment around for aftercare. Keep it clean and dry. Wear cotton socks for a few days and don't put on any shoes that have been in mucky/barn yard areas to lessen the chance of infection.

Good Luck, I would be doing the same thing.

Kathy

[Gimpy_Magoo]

I spent a fair amount of time in the hospitals a few years ago - long story.

anyway. I had a severe ingrown nail. The nurse came over with a needle and cotton soaked in peroxide.

she used the needle to force bits of the cotton under the nail edge where it was ingrown. Pushing it real deep untill it was under the offending nail. This was a buffer between the nail and the infected skin. Hurt like He|| but only breifly and inside of a week it was 100 percent better. Change it once to a few times a week, you can tell when to change it out.

I have used this many times since then on my children, myself, spouse and friends and has worked everytime.

I was told to never round my nails when I cut them. Always cut flat across otherwise you get hangnails and ingrown problems.

only other remedy is the complete removal of the nail.


hope that helps.


Gimpy

[cowgirlone]

man Tallpines....I feel for you!
I had two ingrown nails removed about 5 years ago. I cost about 300 a toe, but it was well worth it!! Maybe your Dr will accept payments?
When mine were real bad and I had nothing at all on hand, I soaked a piece of bread in cold water, squeezed it out and wrapped it in cheesecloth around the toe. This was a treatment my grandmother told me about years ago. It really does ease the pain some.
I know everyone is different, but my nails have grown back and they are completely straight, no curling at all. I feel soooo much better!

Good luck to you, if you can...getting them removed sure is worth it!!

In my teenage years I got hangnails on my thumbs often. One infected hangnail drove me crazy, to the point that I pulled back the skin as long as I could stand it and soaked it in peroxide. I did this a couple times, thinking it would kill the infection. About a week later I noticed an empty space under my nail. It had become soft and peeled away like a banana, with a new nail underneath. The nail was lumpy and took quite a while to grow back but no more infection.

[tallpines]

The thing is---my toe IS NOT infected.
Its just that the side of the nail has done a 180% turn and is growing into the flesh-----kinda like being stabbed----very slowly----with a very dull knife.

If I don't succeed on my own, I will see Dr. on Mon.
Going to get some Ambusol now.

How does Dr. go about removing the toenail?
Sounds very painful either way---whether I do it or he does it........'cept his pain will come with a higher price.

[Bob in WI]

Tallpines:

Last spring I had my two large tonails surgically, permanently, removed. I had heard horror stories about it being a very nasty operation.

The truth is though the only thing a felt was a little pain where they injected the pain killer into the top of the toes about a half an inch from where the nail starts. Within seconds, no more pain. I also almost had no pain during the recovery. I needed no pain killers Etc. I was on my feet the next day, albeit in funny looking slipper like things.

Both of my large toenails were ingrown when I went in for the surgery, so I figured I will pay them either way to remove the ingown nails, so for a little more I will never have to deal with that pain again. Actually the pain was less after the surgery than when I went in. That is when I knew I had made the right choice.

I would reccommend the surgery for anyone who has this problem. I had it for 35+ years before I did it. Wish I had done it sooner.

There are several ways of doing this procedure, so make sure what they are going to do before you agree to it. I have heard stories of injecting pain killer between the toes, or even under the nail itself. That to me would be much more painful than the method that was done for me.

If you would like to know more about it just send me a PM.

Bob

[SueD]

Here I thought..... Anyway - I've been dealing with the blasted things forever.

First - score it with your exacto as deeply as you can (Make sure to NOT leave a 'hook' at the very edge of the nail - this is what will grow in in the future, and you want to do this faster and less painfully next time.... DO NOT go all the way into the skin, just get it loose.

Take an icecube and apply directly to the toenail in the corner that's ingrown - leave as long as you can. Bare minimum would be about 15 minutes - yes - it will drip, so have a towel on the floor! This will not only freeze the area (will still burn when you yank it, but not as much!) it will also soften the nail so that it will bend instead of having to pull it straight out.

Now, with a tweezers - get as high up that nail as you can - brace yourself - and - YANK.

It'll only bleed a little, and after the first day you won't feel it anymore.

If you cut it out, it will be worse the next time, and it will HURT like the dickens for days this time...

Good luck!! (on rare occasions - they might not grow in again!)

Sue

[tallpines]

Job is finished.

Removed about 1/4 of big toe nail from top to nail bed.
Had to use a skinny nosed pliers to get out the last part attached to the nail bed.

Slathered it with anti-bacterial ointment.
And now, we'll see how it grows back in.

Ambusol seemed to help. But it was NO PICNIC!
Thank you all.

[Bernadette]

I'm gritting my teeth as I'm reading all these posts - I had an ingrown toenail back in the 80's and the pain is right up there with root canals, dry sockets and childbirth!!! My surgery consisted of exactly what you have done. Dr. cut a wedge of nail out. I was off my feet for a week. Toenail grew back and I had to watch it while it did to make sure it didn't do the curl-back-around trick. Now, I'm pleased to say, my feet still look good in sandals. HOWEVER, I do still get ghost pain. You know how they talk about itching and in amputated limbs? Well, I get a kind of pain memory in that toe - not to the degree as when I had the ingrown nail, but uncomfortable. Still beats the real thing. Good luck.

[Sarah K.]

My SO had surgery to correct an ingrown toenail some time ago, and the postsurgical care included soaking the toe in water that had epsom salts dissolved in it. Can't remember specifics, but just thought I'd pass the information along, such as it is.

[jillianjiggs]

I had a toenail surgically removed once. It's not THAT bad of a procedure. I've had worse. They spray a topically anesthetic on the toe joint, and then stick a needle into the joint to numb it locally. That hurts like hell. After that, you don't really feel anything but slight pressure when they remove the toenail. They cut out the toenail, and an area of skin on either side of the toenail. They'll wrap you up and have you soak it in salt water a couple times a day, apply some ointment, and wrap it up again. It hurt like hell for a few days after the surgery, so I'd ask for something other than tylenol if you're sensitive to pain. It healed pretty quickly, and I've only had a few small problems with it in the past ten years or so since I had it done.

[Bernadette]

Tallpines - how's the toe? I had sympathy pains all day today just thinking about you! I also remember (vaguely) something about soaking it, and cotton under the edge as it grew back in until it grew out even..

[Gercarson]

Keep everyone posted - I hope you have a little "moon shine" somewhere. Ouch!!

[Ardie/WI]

I had the worse case of the heebee jeebee's reading this thread. Oy vey!

Anyway, I just want to add to this a hint on foot care. For years, I had a problem with the skin between my toes peeling. Yuck. I tried several OTC products and they didn't help. I started spraying my feet with vinegar and air drying them and that cured the problem. When my mother came to live with us, she had toenail fungus. I had her soak her feet in vinegar every day and air dry them and, you know, the fungus went away!

[countrygrrrl]

Vinegar is a miracle worker, especially for feet!

I have an ingrown toenail and have been using oil of oregano on it. The process is slow --- I've been using the oil of oregano since December --- but I am actually beginning to see results.

I chose this route because I've always had blood sugar problems. Stupid me, however, decided to become a vegetarian last fall --- meaning lots of brown rice and homemade bread. :no: Which sent my blood sugar through the roof and caused my feet to become infected. :no:

The whole thing scared the dickens out of me. But it's also why I chose oil of oregano --- and regular dunkings in white vinegar --- over more drastic treatments, like surgery and yanking the stupid thing off myself.

In any case, it IS working. Not only did the oil of oregano whomp out the infection (of course, getting my blood sugar back to normal helped ), but my ingrown toenail is growing back in normally. It looks very strange right now, but I am betting that by summer, it's a normal toenail again.

[tallpines]

Toe is sore and painful but NOT as painful as when was when the nail was still there and cutting into the flesh. Took a couple of Tylenol yesterday and when I got home from 6 hours (at a really GOOD auction) I elevated it.

Per your suggestions---I soaked it awhile this morning.

[mpillow]

I broke my big toe by dropping a half sheet of plywood on end on it on Halloween '02.....there was a buck goat involved-long story...anyway the nail split due to swelling I iced alot ....never did see the doc or miss a day of work...but I had to slowly cut that dang nail off because it was catching and cutting. I got it piece by piece and one big piece when the other nail started growing in. It did hurt more than childbirth...I had two drug free...but I wanted to steer clear of infection....lots of epsom salt soaks too and experimental biomagnetic treatment through some smart friends.
I feel for you but its gonna be worse before its better.

I wonder if that caustic paste used on goat horns would inhibit growth ???

[Paul Wheaton]

Gotta endorse the thing about getting your big toenails removed. I had problems all the time and getting them permanantly removed was the smartest thing I ever did. It was also pretty cheap! In the long run, I know it was ---- cheap!

[Hank - Narita]

My mom used to cut a small V in the toenail. Sounds silly but the nail grew in towards the center where the V was and came out of the skin on the sides. Works for me too. Try next time before "surgery."