Okay, it's time for Ad's Gross Question Of The Day:
How can you tell if your big toenail is going to fall off? I hurt my toe this past Saturday, and it hurts like *%)$^#. My toenail is not looking good at all-- all raised and swollen underneath the nail. Losing a toenail has always been the one thing that gives me the total heebie-jeebies, and I'm freaking out.
This is *so* not good. I can't even wear 3/4 of my shoes!!!!!!!!!
Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together. ~Anais Nin
I did that once and I poked the skin and got the dried blood out from underneath. The dark purple looking stuff is dried blood, it's not that the toenail is necessarily gonna fall off. It might just be dried blood. But getting it out HURTS because you gotta dig with tweezers or something. It'll go away on its own, though, eventually.
Cranberry wrote:I did that once and I poked the skin and got the dried blood out from underneath. The dark purple looking stuff is dried blood, it's not that the toenail is necessarily gonna fall off. It might just be dried blood. But getting it out HURTS because you gotta dig with tweezers or something. It'll go away on its own, though, eventually.
::quietly freaking out even more::
Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together. ~Anais Nin
peeplj wrote:If you haven't yet, you might consider getting a doc to look at it.
I have insurance for the first time in 10 years. I guess now might be a good time to take advantage of it. I've gotten so used to *not* going to a doctor, that it's weird to think about going for my toe! ::
Music melts all the separate parts of our bodies together. ~Anais Nin
peeplj wrote:If you haven't yet, you might consider getting a doc to look at it.
I have insurance for the first time in 10 years. I guess now might be a good time to take advantage of it. I've gotten so used to *not* going to a doctor, that it's weird to think about going for my toe! ::
I understand!
My thought is along the lines of if it's going to come off anyway, probably a doc could take it off gently (and probably ease your pain quite a bit at the same time), whereas if you just wait for it to pull loose, it's probably gonna hurt like hell and might be more likely to get infected.
Sure sorry that happened to you. Just the thought is awful.
I wouldn't poke around under it. It might get infected. And you can't really wash underneath your toenail or put medicine under it. Go to the doctor or let nature take its course. Don't poke. Sounds very painful indeed. Don't be heebie jeebed though.
Cynth wrote:I wouldn't poke around under it. It might get infected. And you can't really wash underneath your toenail or put medicine under it. Go to the doctor or let nature take its course. Don't poke. Sounds very painful indeed. Don't be heebie jeebed though.
You can clean out from under it by holding the nail up and pouring peroxide down in the hole. That's what I did. It hurt less after I cleaned it out. It was my big toe, but I forgot how it got that way. I just remember it being that way.
peeplj wrote:If you haven't yet, you might consider getting a doc to look at it.
I have insurance for the first time in 10 years. I guess now might be a good time to take advantage of it. I've gotten so used to *not* going to a doctor, that it's weird to think about going for my toe! ::
Go, and know that many have lost nails before you and survived!! (ouch! who ht me??)
anniemcu
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What a shame! And don't you have a lovely closet full of cute shoes? Hope there are some Birks in there!
Where is Amar when you need him??? And Paul Busman??? And Doc Jones??? You need a pub-side consultation!
As mentioned, you can take it to the doctor or you can doctor it yourself or you can leave it alone.
They can drain the blood from under it or take the nail off. If it's really painful from the pressure, that can be a huge relief. That's the best choice if it's looking infected and is still that painful and gross after 4 days. You can do the same thing with a . . . well, best not mention that here. Someone might be eating. (You can look it up on the internet--try running sites.)
If it's smallish and you leave it go, the nail will lift off over the blood part. It'll eventually grow out. No big deal.
Losing a toenail has always been the one thing that gives me the total heebie-jeebies, and I'm freaking out. 
::quietly freaking out even more::
I've gotten so used to *not* going to a doctor, that it's weird to think about going for my toe! :
:
:
(ouch! who ht me??)
Oops, sorry... that must have been my toenail flying off my foot.