athena1277 Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 The discussion of what to do with a possible broken toe has gotten me concerned. My 8yo dd dropped a big, full jar of Nutella on her big toe about 2 months ago. It turned purple under about half of the nail, but there was no bruising or swelling of her toe. We decided not to take her to the doctor. It hurt off and on for 2 days, but within a week she was able to go to an event weekend that had lots of walking was fine. We didn’t worry anymore about it, but she was a bit bothered by the toenail a few days ago and when I looked at it, it looks like it has detached from the nail bed. After reading the comments on the other post, I’m wondering if I how concerned I should be about this. Does it need to be seen by a doctor? If not, what, if anything, do I need to do for her toe, both now and when it falls off? Do I need to do anything special to protect it from being smashed while it grows out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
klmama Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 That happened to me when someone stepped on my toe with a sharp-edged heel. In my case, it only partly detached -- as the new nail grew in, it pushed under the old one that was partly off, and the two of them "grew" together until eventually the old one came off completely. As for your dd, I think what to do depends on what's bothering her about it. Is it painful or just weird looking? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
athena1277 Posted June 4 Author Share Posted June 4 2 minutes ago, klmama said: That happened to me when someone stepped on my toe with a sharp-edged heel. In my case, it only partly detached -- as the new nail grew in, it pushed under the old one that was partly off, and the two of them "grew" together until eventually the old one came off completely. As for your dd, I think what to do depends on what's bothering her about it. Is it painful or just weird looking? If I remember right it was snagging on stuff a little on the end and needing clipping, but that’s when she noticed that the nail was separated at the bed if you put a little pressure on it. It’s not hurting, but I hope it doesn’t snag on the bed end and rip off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wintermom Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 I've lost my big toenail more than once and both times the new nail grew partically in behind the old one, then the old one came off. Mine were from my toe pushing hard against my shoe or boot repeatedly, so no potential of it being crushed. Does your dd feel any pain on the toe where the jar landed? If not, and she's able to function 100%, then it was likely just the nail that was damaged. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rosie_0801 Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 A bandaid for a week or so while the skin hardens up a bit should be enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
J-rap Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 We've had toenails fall off before.... (Once a horse stepped on my dh's big toe!) Usually the new one underneath starts growing in while the old one is turning black and dying. But I think one time the whole nail just fell off. It all depends on the injury. We didn't think anything of it. Keep it clean, protect it with a bandaid or gauze for awhile. You can apply a little antibiotic ointment on it now and then if that eases your mind. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 Agreeing with covering it with a bandaid to protect it from snagging. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ali in OR Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 I have lost toe nails a few times and my disabled dd lost a big toe nail once. While interesting to see how the toe nail replacement and healing process works, they were pretty much no big deal. It does take some time to have a fully restored toe nail (months), but we never had any problems other than it looking a little weird in the process. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wendyroo Posted June 4 Share Posted June 4 My oldest had a big toe injury about 9 months ago. The nail turned black within a couple days, and then it just stayed black for a loooooong time. He had his annual visit to the pediatrician two months ago, so 7 months after the injury, and we asked the doctor if there was a larger issue since it was still solid black. He said the old nail would eventually fall off...and we were shocked that it would take that long. But then, about a month ago, the old nail did start pulling away from the nail bed on one side, and we were able to see that there is a new nail about 75% grown in underneath. I've been cutting off pieces of the old nail as they have loosened from the nail bed and filing what is left to prevent snagging, though, honestly, at this point if it did snag and get ripped off the rest of the way, I think it would hurt and bleed for a few minutes and then the new nail would have more space to grow in the rest of the way. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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