While we are discussing toenails....

[HadEnuff]

More asides.

True story: My dad and uncle were doing a project and one of them slammed the hammer on a thumb. The blood started welling up under the nail and causing pressure and pain. Dad and my uncle solved this by having a few drinks, and then using a power drill to put a hole in the nail. One needed the drinks for the pain, the other for the courage to perform the surgery.

My mom and aunt were basketcases. But get this, the surgery actually worked!

I performed this procedure twice with my dental handpiece. Once on my partner's thumb, and once on my finger. In both cases, fingernails were slammed in screen doors. Actually doesn't hurt to drill through the nail, as long as you stop when you hit blood, rather than get into the nail bed.

 

[msefren]

I tried vaporub...no dice. Started using hydrogen peroxide 3% on all my toes as well as the big toenail that has the fungus. Doesn't go away but helps a lot. Also helps whiten
all the toenails.
Hydrogen peroxide also helps kill fungus, so brush under the nail bed and over the top of the nail (per Doctor Google)

 

[trumpeting_angel]

And thinning means going to the podiatrist? Or will the pedicurist do that?

I don't so much care about a cure, I would just like it to look a little better, and especially thin it out a bit.

I'll give the vape-o-rub a try too. Why not?

JoeWras!

DO NOT vape that Vicks. Repeat: don’t do it.

 

[Svensk Anga]

I cured fungus under the nail of one big toe with a low dollar, quick cure. I squirted a bit of ethylene glycol (otherwise known as automotive antifreeze/coolant) under the nail. I think I applied it only a couple times. I used a syringe with the needle removed to squirt the stuff up under the loose nail, then worked it around a bit by pressing on the nail. It does take a long time for the old ugly nail to grow out and be replaced by a healthier version.

The same procedure failed though on another, smaller nail. Haven't bothered to try again.

Don't leave a pan of the stuff lying around because it might kill Fido or other critters. (It supposedly tastes sweet.)

I've seen ethylene glycol suggested as a means to kill rot in wood as well. I have used it for that and think it works. But it will wash out and a more permanent fix is called for. See write-up here: Chemotherapy for Rot
He also discusses athlete's foot/toenail fungus halfway down the piece.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

Per a suggestion from my doc, I tried Lamisil every day, the topical OTC version. It is not indicated for this.

Probably for good reason. It didn't work. Even after a few years application.

There are some nuclear bomb type drugs that do work. But they may also kill you or give you organ failure. I think one is an internal pill form of Lamisil. There are others too. When you read The Internet, many people are very happy with the treatment, yet there is an undercurrent of worry about the side effects.

For now, I guess I'll try a pedicure -- maybe even go for a nice application of color.

I'm in the process now of using Lamisil topical OTC. Prior to using it, the fungus had spread to cover two-thirds of my big toenail on my right foot. What may be different in my case is that I filed all of the visibly diseased portion of the toenail with an emory board to expose the nail bed, being careful not to injure myself. I've been applying Lamisil cream on the exposed nail bed at least twice a day since around April of this year and have noticed a dramatic improvement. I estimate over 95% of the fungus is not visibly detectable anymore and the pain associated with toenail fungus has mostly gone - although the pain on the remaining diseased nail bed does flare up if the toe is covered.

It helps that I'm retired and hardly ever have a need to completely cover my feet with socks as I usually try to wear sandals. When I do need to wear socks and shoes, I apply the Lamisil and wrap my toe in tissue paper and secure it with tape in hopes that the Lamisil won't completely rub off. As soon as I can, I remove my shoes and socks and reapply the Lamisil. I always keep my feet exposed while in bed, even when I cover the rest of my body in the bed sheets.

It takes obsessive persistence, dedication and patience. Will I be completely cured? Who knows. Ask me in a year or so when my toenail has completely grown out.

 

[Vincenzo Corleone]

As someone else mentioned, terbinafine seems to be the key - at least for some types of fungus. Lamisil cream contains terbinafine. Here's a link that will lead you to a paper in Medical Mycology, Volume 39, Issue 4, 2001, Pages 321–328 that discusses the efficacy of terbinafine.

https://academic.oup.com/mmy/article/39/4/321/1012473

 

[Lvus101]

So this is the closest I have come to cleaning the large toes up.

Went to the foot doctor and he took a Dremel and ground the top of the toenails down a bit. Doc gave me a prescription for Ketoconazole cream 2% RX only. I used this cream one month on and one off. I apply it in the morning after a shower.
New socks and shoes can help.

Keep feet exposed to the air as much as possible. My toenails clean up pretty good and occasionally I will get a pedicure. The problem will never go away unless you attack the problem from the inside with medication that can harm your liver. The same cream works for dry cracked feet.

 

[NW-Bound]

3) if #2 doesn't work, amputate.

....

I do not suffer from this toe fungus disease, or know someone who does.

But just now made a mistake of looking on Youtube. OMG, some poor souls look like amputation is the only way to get rid of their infection.

When I first noticed my toenail fungus I made an appointment with my doctor to seek professional medical treatment. I asked him how and why I got it. He said a better question is why doesn't every toe on everyone have it? He said the stuff is very common in our environments but our immune systems usually keep it in check...

Fungus is a scary thing. I know a person who died when fungus grew inside his brain, and another when it grew on his spinal cord after having a surgery.

There are a lot of things that modern medicine does not have an explanation for, nor a cure. And people keep thinking new drugs will help us live to be Methuselah. Heck, how about just cure people's toenail fungus?

 

[dawgster]

I've had toe fungus for a number of years on 2 toes, it never really bothered me until last year my 4th toe started swelling up while wearing shoes for a extended time. I stay mostly in sandals, flip flops.
Finally broke down and visited a Podiatrist for help, he prescribed Laser treatment. He didn't recommend oral drugs due to complications from them. I've had 2 sessions so far, the fungus is clearing out and the new nails are growing out clear. Might need another laser session, but so far so good!!
it was $200 a session, I also use a spray for my shoes and ointment daily.

https://www.mytucsonpodiatrist.com/pinpointe-laser-toe-nail-fungus-treatments.html

 

[Smcmasters]

Tea tree oil helps, but you have to apply consistently. It is an annoying, pervasive problem.

 

[zedd]

Starting to sound like the "What old person thing do you do?" thread

 

[NW-Bound]

Starting to sound like the "What old person thing do you do?" thread

Your body and mind fall apart, then you die?

Not so much what an old person does, but rather what happens to him/her.

See my signature below.

V V V V

 

[jjuneau]

Vick's

I have also heard that Vick's Vaporub works. Inexpensive too. One person I know got rid of it by soaking in apple cider vinegar (diluted somewhat with water).

 

[PawPrint53]

I've had it since I was a kid, mostly on the big toes. I remember taking Ajax cleanser and trying to scrub my toenails. I could never wear sandals without wearing reinforced toe nylons. Had the toenails removed about a decade ago, but noticed a couple of the other toes are affected. My DH got it after his bout with breast cancer. He took some kind of oral medication for awhile, but it didn't help. I've lived with it so long that it doesn't bother me especially now that the two main offenders are gone.

 

[jasg]

This is a decades old problem for me too. I have it on both feet but not on every toe. It's odd that way. Vic's Vapor Rub works as well as anything and I will see improvement with it. But it always comes back.

I had success with this. For many months (9, I think) I kept the affected toe covered in Vicks by using finger bandages. Replacing after every shower. For the last couple of months I added ProClearz - Tolnaftate (1%) and let it dry before wrapping with Vicks & bandage.

No fungus for nearly 10 years now.

 

[mabuhay]

I've had toe fungus for a number of years on 2 toes, it never really bothered me until last year my 4th toe started swelling up while wearing shoes for a extended time. I stay mostly in sandals, flip flops.
Finally broke down and visited a Podiatrist for help, he prescribed Laser treatment. He didn't recommend oral drugs due to complications from them. I've had 2 sessions so far, the fungus is clearing out and the new nails are growing out clear. Might need another laser session, but so far so good!!
it was $200 a session, I also use a spray for my shoes and ointment daily.

https://www.mytucsonpodiatrist.com/pinpointe-laser-toe-nail-fungus-treatments.html

Great info - thanks. I've had it on one big toe for 20 years after damage from backpacking in new boots. Just that one toe. I once had the nail removed and it was coming back clear, then I had to spend a week traveling for work and being in shoes constantly brought it back because the nail bed is apparently damaged and sensitive to fungal attack.

I'm going to get that laser treatment done for sure. Here in sunny, dry AZ it should clear up.