Help son has ingrown toenail and it won't get better **update on post #16.

[nukeswife]

We've been battling this thing for months now. We can't seem to see where it's digging in so we can't remove the offending piece of nail. He was to see the Ped back in Oct and was on Keflex for 10 days. It helped but the thing never healed completely. It doesn't appear infected, but is very sensitive and "raw" looking.

 

Any home remedies we can try first? He hates needles and is fighting me about going to the doc again because he's afraid they'll give him a shot in his toe and cut it apart. When I say he hates needles I'm saying he passes out anytime they have to give him any kind of shot or take blood. He's 13 and 103lbs, so he's not easy to catch when he passes out.

[EKS]

We had this. My son finally had part of his toenail amputated and it has been fine ever since.

 

I know that's not what you wanted to hear.

[nukeswife]

We had this. My son finally had part of his toenail amputated and it has been fine ever since.

 

I know that's not what you wanted to hear.

 

 

This is what he's afraid of, because this has happened in the past once. Back then we just soaked it in epsom salts twice a day and swiped it with peroxide a few times as well.

[The Girls' Mom]

My dd ended up having to go get part of her nail removed...they DID give her the option to be put lightly under (but we didn't go that route)

[mlbuchina]

I went to the doc with a really bad ingrown toenail. It wasn't infected, and he told me that he could cut it out, and run the risk of it just growing back, or I could leave it alone and let it grow out on its own. Either one was going to be painful. I chose to let it grow out. That was a painful couple of months, but once it grew out, it was all better. I haven't had an ingrown nail since. He also told me I was cutting my nails too short. I keep them a little longer, and trim more often, but I haven't had an ingrown nail for several years now.

 

I don't know if letting it just grow out on its own is an option for you, but it was what worked best for me. I feel your son's pain with the toe AND the needles. *shivers*

[amo_mea_filiis.]

I get really bad ingrown nails because I've always picked or cut them down really, really short. Now when they grow, they grow into my toe. There is never enough nail to use the home remedies (like sticking a piece of cotton ball under to guide it out).

 

I soak my feet and pick the crap out of it until i get the piece of nail. Then i swear I'm going to care for the nails daily while they grow. I do for about a day lol. Once the pain is gone, i forget all about it.

 

I have urea 40 cream that softens the nails. If i could stay on top of it, it might make them soft enough to guide into growing right.

[nukeswife]

I went to the doc with a really bad ingrown toenail. It wasn't infected, and he told me that he could cut it out, and run the risk of it just growing back, or I could leave it alone and let it grow out on its own. Either one was going to be painful. I chose to let it grow out. That was a painful couple of months, but once it grew out, it was all better. I haven't had an ingrown nail since. He also told me I was cutting my nails too short. I keep them a little longer, and trim more often, but I haven't had an ingrown nail for several years now.

 

I don't know if letting it just grow out on its own is an option for you, but it was what worked best for me. I feel your son's pain with the toe AND the needles. *shivers*

 

 

He swears he isn't clipping his nails but if he hasn't then it hasn't grown at all in months. I would be more comfortable with letting it grow out to. It must not bother him much as he never complains about it and often forgets to do the soaks or peroxide on it. I think I may just have to remind him to do those things while we wait for it to grow out.

[I.Dup.]

My dh had this at the beginning of our marriage, because of his Marine boots. It was terrible and would bleed every day. He finally had part of his toe nail amputated and it took care of the problem completely. He'll have to buck up and get through it!

[tex-mex]

I've had numerous toenails ripped out... and truthfully, it is not that bad.

 

Keep in mind, your son will have to face the "needle" thing. But if you talk to the Podiatrist in advance, he can prescribe something in advance or use a freeze spray/numbing cream before he uses the needle to make the toe go "numb". That part alone is the uncomfortable part as he uses the needle (once it is under the skin) to move about and inject the anesthetic. He will then allow the patient to sit in the office for 15 minutes (or more) and then check for numbness. I usually bring a book, crochet or stitchery to pass the time for this part. Your son can bring a PSP or DS video game, perhaps?

 

The actual procedure is super quick. He will feel pressure... but no pain. Bring a slipper or sandal with a toe opening to go home in as the bandages will be big and you cannot wear shoes. He will need a pain prescription as it will THROB for the first 24 hours and all he will want to do is sleep. You will need to keep clean the nail bed, use prescription cream, soak the toe in Espom Salt baths, and wrap in new bandages, etc. For maybe 4-5 days and keep the leg elevated periodically. Then let the nail grow back in on its own.

[tex-mex]

Forgot to mention...

 

My husband has terrible ingrown nails and once he saw what I went thru numerous times -- he chose to let the nail grow out on its own. Now, he has longer toe nails but it makes it easy for him to keep trim by cutting across straight.

[The Governess]

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[swellmomma]

Ds14 got badly ingrown nails on both big toes. He has chosen to let it grow up but picks at it a lot. both had gotten infected, 1 is healed up and no longer causes him pain and infection is gone. The other it not great but getting there. Lots of soaking and peroxide. A couple times a week he has me lift it a bit to relieve some of the pressure and release any trapped pus. He had it checked a few weeks ago at the ped,and he said keep doing what we are doing. The infection is localized and nearly gone, and it is lookingmuch better than when he first saw it a few months ago. Ds had a biopsy on the sole of his foot several years ago and has a panic attack at just the thought of another needle or knife near his foot, so I have been willing to work with him on this. But he knows if the infection was to get worse he would no longer have a say in it. His looks raw from his picking of the skin surrounding it. I think it would be like that anyway since one of his "things" is picking at the skin around the nail on his big toes and thumbs.

 

I get them too, but I just dig out the offending bit of nail and rip it out. It hurts for the digging part but the pain is instantly gone once that bit is out. I only have to do that 1-2 times a year. I am not letting someone near my toes with a needle if I can help it, so I have done this dig out routine a couple times a year since I was about 13 or so. The only time I have let a dr near my feet with a needle and knife was on one foot for surgery and the other foot for stitches. I went barefoot for 2 years even in -30 winter temps before I consented to the surgery(I very rarely left the house in the winter back then)

[Pawz4me]

We went through this with 14-yo DS this past spring/summer. He's a toe picker. Both big toes became ingrown and infected. We were doing Epsom salts soaks three times a day along with oral antibiotics to clear up the infection. Our pediatrician referred us to a podiatrist and DS had the surgery on both toes and it really wasn't a big deal. DS did say he had some significant pain in one toe during the surgery. But it was very quick, and he has a high pain tolerance, so it wasn't that much of an ordeal. He needed two more rounds of antibiotics afterwards to completely clear the infection. I would be very careful to make sure any infection doesn't spread. The podiatrist told us that many people let ingrown toenails go for way too long, and he's had people come in with red streaks going up their leg from the infection. From your description I suspect your son's is infected. When I first took DS to the pediatrician I didn't think his toes looked that bad, but she took one glance and said they were pretty badly infected.

[Lolly]

Take a pair of nail trimmers and cut a V into the middle of the nail. You can go down into the nail bed a little bit. That will relieve the pressure on the sides of the toe nail and allow the area to heal. Other than the V, the nail should be cut straight across. If that doesn't work, you can try "drilling" a hole in the center of the nail, right in the bed, with a knife to relieve the pressure. It sounds worse than it is; and most people just opt for the podiatrist at this point. If you try cutting the V into the top of the nail and it works, keep the nail cut like that from that point on to prevent another ingrown nail.

[nukeswife]

Take a pair of nail trimmers and cut a V into the middle of the nail. You can go down into the nail bed a little bit. That will relieve the pressure on the sides of the toe nail and allow the area to heal. Other than the V, the nail should be cut straight across. If that doesn't work, you can try "drilling" a hole in the center of the nail, right in the bed, with a knife to relieve the pressure. It sounds worse than it is; and most people just opt for the podiatrist at this point. If you try cutting the V into the top of the nail and it works, keep the nail cut like that from that point on to prevent another ingrown nail.

 

 

Thanks we'll try the v-cut and soaks and see if that helps. It doesn't look any worse than the last time we took him to the Ped and the antibiotics they gave him then were as a "just in case" they didn't believe it was infected, but wanted to play it safe.

[nukeswife]

Take a pair of nail trimmers and cut a V into the middle of the nail. You can go down into the nail bed a little bit. That will relieve the pressure on the sides of the toe nail and allow the area to heal. Other than the V, the nail should be cut straight across. If that doesn't work, you can try "drilling" a hole in the center of the nail, right in the bed, with a knife to relieve the pressure. It sounds worse than it is; and most people just opt for the podiatrist at this point. If you try cutting the V into the top of the nail and it works, keep the nail cut like that from that point on to prevent another ingrown nail.

 

 

Just wanted to update that we have tried the "V cut" along with epsom salt soaks daily and so far things are looking much better. The puffiness has gone down by at least half and the yucky crusty stuff is down by about 3/4.

 

Thanks for the tip.