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this is sick but what should i do. it doesn't hurt if i poke it it does. i don't want it to get worse. What should i does and if i go to a docter what would the doc do to it.

Thanks


P.S.
don't say don't poke it. i looking for the options.

Thanks

Plan9Senior

Soak it in warm epsom salt every few hours. It will keep the skin soft and it will also help draw the infection out.

WarWagon

Try soaking your foot in warms salt water, dry it well, then use an antiseptic and bandage it. If problems persist, doctors can either remove part of the toenail, or they can remove portions of the overgrown skin and treat the infected area.

I know how painful they can be. I had one caused by a severely stubbed toe once and it was agony.

a1t3r3g0

I've gotten an ingrown toenail on both of my big toes twice (second time happened because the doc didn't cut enough off).

The pain.. the pain!!!!! Oh man, I haven't experienced much physical pain in my life, but nothing topped that!

Also, make sure you see a Podiatrist, not a general doctor.

meff

Better take steps now to fix it, or else you'll get what happened to me, an infected foot and leg.

They inject a numbing agent *between* your toes and roll your entire nail off and you have to wait for it to regrow while you're in pain for a few days.. eeggh ouch. This happened when I was moving!!

The infection went up my leg and I had to take Keflex, which at the time I didn't know I am allergic to. It ripped up my stomach a good one and I had to go to the ER. What a mess.

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JStrider

well if its a chronic ingrown toenail... you could have your toenail completely removed so it wont grow back... i had a scoutmaster that had that done...

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raeanna74

If it's just a minor ingrown toe nail that you haven't had for a while you might be able to avoid seeing the Dr. Especially since you say is doesn't hurt unless you poke it. I have had more than one ingrown nail simply because I cut them too short a few times. Hubby used to have them all the time because he would tear his nails instead of cutting them. I have avoided a few trips to the Dr's when I did what I'd already seen them do to help the nail. I have even dealt with it when there was a pocket of puss already. If there is it's probably best to see a Dr though.

As mentioned above - its an excellent idea to soak your foot in an epsom salt bath. Best if you can handle the toe to file the corner of your nail until its more rounded and won't "dig" as much. Then lift the nail and push a small piece of cotton underneath. Just under the corner. This will lift the corner away from your toe so it doesn't dig in. This little manuver has helped me avoid going to the Dr's MANY times. It's best to remove before you shower each day and put a clean one in afterwards. Make sure keep it clean. If it is very painful to handle you could use some orajel or any topical mouth pain reliever with Benzocain in it. That will numb it just long enough so that you can mess with your toe without biting your tongue off. Use some antibiotic ointment on your toe before putting the cotton on as this will help prevent infection. It should only take a couple days before it doesn't hurt anymore but you may want to keep replacing the cotton until it looks like the corner of your nail isn't pressing into the skin when the cotton isn't underneath. Just long enough for it to grow out past that point.

Good Luck and I hope this helps.

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sailor

Yeah, good answer. I always soak them well, then grit my teeth and try to dig out the offending corner and file it down or clip it.

This is of course assuming that it isnt too bad.

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VitaminH

A good idea is to cut a small V in the center of the nail. It gives you a kind of jagged edge that you'll probably get your sock caught on for awhile, but the advantage is the nail will grow, sort of inward toward the center of your toe and not outward into the fleshy part.

It has for me in the past...

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Rubyee

I have an ingrown toe right now as well. I soaked, bandaged, soaked, sanitized, soaked, prodded, soaked, and poked. Nothing helped. I think I have removed half of my toenail trying to get at it. I finally made an appointment to have it looked at. Hurts like hell. Problem is, I still have a week and a half until my appointment because I had to make it at the community clinic. I hope what happened to meff does not happen to me.

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bobbles

I had badly ingrown toenails on both large toes, needed operation, basically they make an incision from the base of the corner of the nail on the side its ingrown, and peel the skin back, completely remove the nail down to the root so it cant grow back, then sew you back up.

Its amazing how good it felt a few days later because i could stub my toe on something and not sit there for a few minutes trying to sit through the pain.

I had to wait like 6 months for the operation, so it was definately a great relief

raeanna74

Like I mentioned - put some cotton under the nail. I've seen 2 Dr's treat ingrown nails that way and both times it worked wonders. Just keeping the edge of the nail up away from your skin is all it takes in a minor case.

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aurigus

Once I had an ingrown nail for too long, like 6 months of constant pain or so. I went to the podiatrists and they fixed it up in 10 minutes or so, took a week to heal. Its certainly well worth the $15 copay (or whatever).

I occasionally get them now but they grow out after a day or so. If you go to the docs they can fix it so that doesn't happen anymore. It's probably the only doctors visit I would recommend, and I can't stand going to the doctors. They usually just tell me what I know already.

spived2

I've had about 10 ingrown toenails, and everytime I just went to the doctor and had about half my toenail removed. A few times they cut it all off and were supposed to make it so it never grew back, but it did anyway. They suggest to soak your toe in hot water for a while and try to just peel the toenail out from under your skin. Otherwise, have the pediatrist cut it out.

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omega2K4

I had a ingrown toenail, I didn't notice it until I was playing basketball. Being the genius that I am, I thought I could "operate" on it myself. Don't worry, I sterilized everything. I cut away at the skin the toenail was growing under (It didn't hurt, the skin was hard and dead.). I pryed up the part of the toenail that was embedded under the skin, and puss and blood started coming out, I used alcohol and peroxide on that, then I got a toenail clipper and cut a huge chunk of the toenail off that was ingrown so it wouldn't grow back to that same spot. Don't try that at home, you might fuck it up. Mine wasn't a major ingrown toenail.

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Wulf_Hunter

Just go see a Podiatrist. Your toe will thank you.

Even if you don't have insurance the cost shouldn't be too much. I had one removed without insurance it cost about 50 bucks.

Grew back nicely

pazza

i have a friend who had an ingrown toenail, so he went to a doctor to have it removed but in his operation he contracted something and he had to get his toe amputated. I doubt this happens often but i just thought id tell you so you know it can happen

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