Well, my years of messing and picking at my toenails has finally caught up to me. I am going to the podiatrist at 4:15 to have the roots on both my big toes cut back and killed with phenol.:eek:
The Doc says he will take approx 1/4" from the side of each toe and kill the root with phenol.
So, here’s my questions:
Is the exposed nail bed of the toe really so much tougher than the fingernail bed as the doc says? I know that my fingernails can hurt like a sumbitch when they get ripped open (was a carpenter-more common then than now)
How does this phenol work? Will the roots grow back?
If you’ve had this done, how was it? How long was the recovery? Do I have to go back to work tomorrow?
::crossing fingers::
…and I am going to watch! blood and stuff has no effect on me at all - plus as I implied earler, I have a guilty habit of self practiced podiatry so maybe I will learn something!
Well, that was mundane enough…
Once the surgery is over, you’ll be fine. But the needle they use to administer the local anesthetic will hurt like a sumbitch. I’ve had my ingrown toenail cut back twice, and both times that needle was the worst pain I’ve experienced, beyond any of my three kidney stones or having my roots planed at the dentist.
Take along a bullet to bite, or be prepared to scream like a girl.
Sorry.
As for your other questions, yes, the root may grow back. Mine did, and it’s a pain (not literally) to deal with. I had to buy a special clipper for it, and sometimes I have to wear a Band-Aid over it for a while to keep from snagging my socks. They told me I should keep it elevated for a few days, but it didn’t hurt at all after the deed was done. It was pretty gross to look at when I had to clean it, put on cream, and change the dressing every day. Ick. Both toes, eh? I feel for you, dude.
There there let’s not have any more talk of big needles and pain and ick. This is modern medicine not medieval torture. You may not have this done every day but I’m sure the medical professionals working with you deal with this every day. You will do fine.
Of course you will have some discomfort, it is impossible to not feel something when they are gouging you with garguatan needles and ripping your toenails out with a pair of rusty pliers. What did you expect?
I always tell my patients they are afraid because they don’t know what’s going to happen. Now Scarlett has spilled the beans,that’s not gonna work with you is it? Hmmm. It looks like I’ll have to resort to what I do when I don’t know what the hell I’m talking about.
There there let’s not have any more talk of big needles and pain and ick. This is modern medicine not medieval torture. You may not have this done every day but I’m sure the medical professionals working with you deal with this every day. You will do fine. …
Mike,if it was me, I’d be climbing the walls from fear and anxiety. Just reading the descriptions of what you having done made my toes curl. Yikes! I can’t even stand having a pedicure. I can’t imagine that. ::shudders::
Mike I’m sure you’ve had it done by now. Doesn’t the needle hurt like hell? But only for a little bit.
I had the same thing on a chronically ingrown toenail. No problems, back to normal next day. Last year someone dropped a couch on my big toe. Over several months, it turned odd colours & finally fell off, leaving me with no toenail. It took months & months to grow back in & looked odd. But apart from the couch landing on my toe, it never hurt after that.
AAUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!!! Shades of last summer, when I was climbing into the back of our van, leading with the foot that had the already sensitive toe. I almost never sit in the back, so I misjudged the height of the step and WHAM! Whacked it right into the step, full force. I saw stars, planets, and I think Jesus. Oh, and my friends’ two young children were already loaded into their seats in the van. I don’t know how I managed to stifle the stream of extreme vulgarity that was exploding in my head, but my friends told me that they heard every unspoken dirty word. And the bleeding was quite impressive.
OK, I’m back home and have my foot up and loving my note from the doc that says I get to stay home tomorrow!
the pain?
You are all a bunch of BABIES!!!
It was nothing! I sat there and talked to the doc abbout the latest cool European cars while he did it…I have hurt myself more with Qtips!
The needle? Pshaw…t’warnt nothing…
We’ll see when the lidocaine wears off but it already is and is just a little sore.
I have to go elevate it now…bye and thanks for NOTHING!
My toe surgery was a bit different. The podiatrist tried cutting the nail out of the part that was ingrown. When he saw that wasnt working, he used a laser to kill part of the root. Now my toe nail is a bit weak on that side…it tends to “flake”. But I can tell you, it’s better than having a painful toe (plus a little work with a buffing pad keeps it from being noticeable).
I had the same thing done to me and it didn’t hurt a bit. The doctor had a curtain in front of me because he didn’t want me to watch but I would rather see what he’s doing to me than let my mind wander and freak myself out so I watched the whole thing. The needle didn’t hurt a bit and when he clipped the ingrown out there was a lot of blood and I swear the ingrown toenail was 1/2 an inch long!! My toe was really infected though because I had let the nail get so long. It curled halfway around my big toe and my toe was full of pus. It was really nasty looking! I had my toe bandaged and had to wear one of those funny looking shoes for a couple of days but I was back at work the next day. I just changed the dressing and poured peroxide over it a couple of times a day and today my toe is as good as new. The nail still grows occassionally (about once every three months) but I just pull it up and clip it off. Doesn’t hurt a bit.
I’m glad your toe surgery didn’t hurt you either. Other people’s horror stories are always the worst aren’t they! Wish I could’ve had the next day off work like you. Have a great day off ya bastard.
