So is this thing going to fall off of my body or what?

Factual Questions
1

I think my toenail might be getting ready to fall off, but I’m not sure.

This past Saturday, I caught the edge of my left big toenail in such a way that the top right side folded up, back, and over to touch the bottom left side. It was quite painful. Events then unfolded thusly:

Immediately after: Some blood. I was getting ready to go whitewater rafting at the time, so care was nonexistent - I washed the blood off in the river and didn’t look at it for another three hours.

Three hours later: Weird. You know how it’s normally pink with white across the top? Now it’s white everywhere that the nail separated from the bed with a white…bubble…in the middle. Super painful to the touch.

Yesterday: Very painful to even the slightest touch, but no visible change. I noticed that under the nail it looked…gooey. I’m not sure if that was different from Saturday because I didn’t look then.

Today: Started to drain an amber liquid very, very slightly this morning. I needed to cut my nails today, so I cut all of them - including the damaged one. Since then, it has been draining more steadily and the separated portion of the nail is changing from white to a purplish-black. It still hurts, but not nearly as much as yesterday.

Now, I know you’re not my doctor and I’m not looking for medical advice. I’m not going to the doctor unless this thing gets scary. I’m washing it in hydrogen peroxide pretty regularly and keeping it clean, dry, and exposed to the air as much as possible. I just want to know - what’re the odds on this thing falling off? Part of the nail still seems healthy and attached. If the rest of the nail detaches, will the detachment just spread to that part?

I could just cut the freaking toe off and have done with it.

2

It is possible for all or a part of a nail to fall off. The damaged part will almost certainly fall off; whether the rest of it does or not, only time will tell.

3

First, let me just say “GAAAAAAH!” The folded-back toenail description! GAAAAAH!

IANA podiatrist, but I know people who have lost toenails. If your toenail falls off, it will grow back in.

[hijack] I went whitewater rafting this weekend, too! Where did you go? [/hijack]

4

I don’t get it - how can just part of it fall off? I mean, I can understand why the detached part would fall off, but the detached part is still attached to the attached part (my, what a graceful sentence). It seems like I’d have to either cut the detached part from the healthy part or…or…pull the whole thing…off…urk.

freckafree, I went down the Ocoee river with Adventures Unlimited. It was a blast! Where’d you go?

5

The last toenail I damaged only had 3/4 die off. The left side didn’t and I had to cut the dead part off and file off the edge. It took months before it was close to normal looking.

The toe nail starts growing again at the base and it’s not connected to the damaged nail. The new growth normally grows under the damaged nail and eventually the damaged nail pops off.

6

Oh man, that was a full-body shiver. Thanks, I understand now.