Advice For Treating An Infected Toenail...

4

40something

Guest
Okay...***huge sigh***...my teenage son let an infected toe go waaaaay beyond the point of no return. We have seen the doctor, he has done a course of antibiotic, the next step is taking the nail off so it can heal. We soak this thing EVERY night, have been for 4 weeks now. It is better...but it's a long way from healed.

Here's the problem, he's in baseball now and this is absolutely his favorite sport so he does not want to be sidelined with this toe, even for one week. I don't know how he plays ball now with that sore, inflamed toe but he does. So, he doesn't want to have the nail removed at this point. I don't want to spend the next 12 weeks soaking his gross toe and scraping at the proud flesh.

Does anyone here have any advice to get this to heal without taking the nail off? I'm willing to try anything at this point.
 
Did the doctor say that removing the nail would cause him to be sidelined? I've never had an infected toe nail so it's most likely different, but I have lost them because of poorly fitting boots and over training - I never had a problem doing anything without a toenail that I could do with one - one year I had 5 total (on BOTH feet) and still climbed Mount Whitney in under 15 hours.
 
The doctor recommended he not go to ball for a week after removing the nail because of concerns of infection's, getting his foot stepped on by another player, (DS plays 1st & 3rd base so that is a very real possiblilty).

I'm wondering if we couldn't try some over-the-counter med. to shrink the swollen flesh. After weeks of soaking and pushing the proud flesh it has gone down significantly and it isn't that his toenail is too short or grown into the flesh. I think he got stepped on during basketball and he just doesn't remember it happening and that caused the toe injury and subsequent infection.

Anyway, doctor wouldn't even discuss doing such and made the appt. with podiatrist to have the nail removed (half of it they figure).

This after we spent all winter doctoring with a broken elbow on same child. Argh!
 
40something,
I've never lost a toenail, but when I was in middle school I did suffer from ingrown toenails due to ill-fitting basketball shoes. These definitely were very painful (I also don't know how your son can stand it!), and at times they did become infected. Besides soaking in epsom salts, making sure all socks were white cotton, and keeping the toe bandaged my mom used this brown ointment called, I think, Boil-Gone or Boil-Drain, or something like that. I'm not sure what's in it, but I do remember is helping. And then once a day with a concoction of goldenseal root and vitamin E oil. Also, when I went the the podiatrist he used to cut of the sides of the infected toenail pretty regularly and I was never instructed to avoid sports because of it. With the large sections off each side, it was almost like half a toenail. Also, he used to wedge a wisp, and I mean a wisp!, of sterile cotton under the edge of the infected nail in order to alleviate the pressure on the nail and let it grow out straight.
That's all the advice I can think to offer, except that you may want to ask the podiatrist yourself, as they would know what might be best.
HTH,
Mattea
 
So maybe the Podiatrist won't be as conservative with treatment. I suppose we'll just keep the appt. and see what that guy says. He can't get in to see the specialist for three weeks anyway. Maybe it will have improved by then. I'm still supposed to soak the dang thing every night, as we're doing right this moment, and keep pushing the flesh back and holding it there.

I am going to try your idea of putting a piece of cotton between the nail and the proud flesh. If anything it will help to get some air in there.

I have plenty of surgical supplies on hand, crimony!
 
Hi 40something. You should listen to your podiatrist and have that nail removed. It just so happens that I am a podiatrist also and the reason the nail needs to be removed is to avoid the infection spreading to the bone in the toe. Once this happens it becomes a much more serious infection to treat. Your son may only need to be sidelined from sports for 1 week at most and would feel much better after that piece of nail is removed. Unfortunately there is no other way to get the rest of the infection to resolve without removal. Sorry not better news.

Lisa
 
Hi Lisa...yes, I'm afraid "The doctor knows best".

I think tonight the toe looks worse than it has the last two weeks. We are not making any progress with this at all. What kills me is that ds says it doesn't hurt...but as soon as I start pushing the extra skin over he comes unglued and has tears in his eyes. Even his foot gets sweaty while we work on it. I don't know how he can stand to run and play baseball with that infected toe as sore as it is.

I just wish we could get in sooner to see the podiatrist and get this taken care of once and for all. I'm to the point I don't care if he has to miss ball all summer!
 
Sounds like an ingrown toenail. I have had that happen on both feet and YES IT HURTS! In fact, its like a swarm of bees stinging you again and again. It oozzess green stuff and yellow stuff and if you touch it, it hurts so bad! I had to wear shoes with extra room in the front and forget trying to cut it because it hurts too much to do anything...soooo


I saw a pod. and he injected it with novocane and then cut it off, half the toe nail. He then put stuff on it to deaden it so it would not grow back and it did not.

Two years later the other foot followed. I went to a different doc (I moved). They removed it but it grew back worse! I went again a year later when it got that green and yellow oozzing point and a different doc removed half of it. That was a year ago and it hasn't grown back.

They tell you once you have this done (I only had half the nail removed remember) to stay off your feet for several days. I went to work that same day. When the novacane wore off, it hurt but not as bad as it did when the nail was there. I had so many bandages on it and I wore steel toe'd shoes to make sure, no harm done, if someone stepped on it.

I can happen from overclipping your nails/bad footwear/moisture trapped in the foot and so on.

Your son probibly has a high tolerance for pain and is able to push it aside for now. But it hurts.
 
Thanks kazze. Actually, DS had this infected/ingrown toenail for WEEKS before he ever brought it to my attention. He thought it would eventually go away. So, by the time I was involved it was way beyond the oozing anything stage. It was just a gigantic beet-red-mishapen mess. The proud flesh was half way across his toe nail...HALF WAY! I have seen alot of nasty, nasty business in my day but that toe was one of the grossest things I have ever laid eyes on. I don't know how the heck he was walking around with that mean ugly thing and trying to ignore it...and still is.

Anyway, that night I immediately had him soaking it in hot water and Epsom salts. I was scared to touch it for fear it was something beyond the 'ordinary' toenail infection.

So, we've since had a long discussion on what is 'normal' for our bodies and what isn't and needs to be seen by a doctor! Hello?!??
 
Was the infection caused by bacteria??? If not, why antibiotics? Did the infection get worse after the antibiotics? Did you follow up with probiotics?

I am not an advocate for antibiotics. I think drs give it out way too much. Sometimes toenail infections are actually caused by fungal infections rather than bacteria. If an infection is due to fungus (mycotoxins), then antibiotics will make it worse.

Sara
http://www.picturetrail.com/saraburnham1
 
I had a pharmacist suggest to us a product called Domeboro. It is a soak. Don't really know the mode of action, other than it shrinks the tissues and allows healing. It really worked for my daughter, but hers was not as severe as you are describing. You might want to ask your DR. about this.
 
40something, I know it's late in the day, but I'm putting my foot down.
Take your son to a podiatrist either on Thursday afternoon or Friday and have them do an avulsion or a matricectomy. The avulsion is them simply removing the nail, or a portion of the nail. A matricectomy is the same procedure but they add in a chemical that will kill the nail growing cells and prevent a future ingrown nail. I expect that with your son's infection, an avulsion will be the best they can do for now.
If he goes late in the week, I would expect over the weekend he'll be feeling three thousand times better and will be good to go by Monday afternoon. If it's not school sports, then go on a Monday and he can play by the weekend.

THIS WILL NOT GET BETTER. Your son is in a *ton* of pain with his infection and every moment he is not in the podiatrist's chair is a waste of quality living!!!

Okay, I know you can tell I feel rather strongly about this... :p I had recurring ingrown toenails for years when I was growing up. Hot soaks and my mother with scissors digging into my toe while my father held me steady and my mom held my leg and dug away. When I was *finally* fortunate enough to have a podiatrist take care of me when I was 16, he changed my life. I swear- I've had both sides of both big toes permanently solved, and it has been one of the most beneficial medical things I've ever had done. My toe was sore where he injected the local, but my nail was basically okay, especially once the infection cleared up. If the infection is not better after a week of antibiotics, he's on the wrong antibiotic/strength.

And, did I mention, shortly after the first procedure I started working for the man, and stayed there 10 years?? For a simple procedure, the benefits are just AMAZING.

I'm not normally this passionate about toes, LOL. Feel free to PM me or have your son PM me if you need any more of a push!! ;-) :p
 
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