# When was the last time you lost a toenail? **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 11, 2006, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278 "2006-04-11T22:03:58Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![rwhbyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/da6949/32.png) [@rwhbyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rwhbyu)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/21 "2006-04-12T04:37:43Z")
I lost 2 nails on each foot after I participated in [Vierdaagse](http://www.4daagse.nl/), which is a 4 day 100 mile(or so) roadmarch held every july in Holland. Good times. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/22 "2006-04-12T04:40:53Z")
> [@cardsfan1975](#): > > Until we get pictures, how about a [video](http://www.ebaumsworld.com/videos/nasty_toe.html) to hold you over? 😃 > > cf’75 That was incredibly surreal. It just sort of popped right out. However, if I was going to pull out my toenail with a pair of pliers, I sure wouldn’t do it on a white carpet. It didn’t bleed very much, though. Weird stuff. ---
**Author:** ![flamingbananas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f4b2a3/32.png) [@flamingbananas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/flamingbananas)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/23 "2006-04-12T04:44:06Z")
I lost half a toe nail after a particularly long session of pointe work. The nail cracked and a blood blister formed. Nassssty business. It did grow back in a month or two though, and once the nail was gone the blister could heal because there wasn’t any nail stabbing at it. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2006, 12:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/24 "2006-04-12T12:03:58Z")
> [@flamingbananas](#): > > …once the nail was gone the blister could heal because there wasn’t any nail stabbing at it. It does feel better once it’s gone, doesn’t it? Makes me wonder why we need toenails at all. ---
**Author:** ![minor7flat5](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/minor7flat5/32/258_2.png) [@minor7flat5](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/minor7flat5)\ **Post date:** [April 18, 2006, 10:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/25 "2006-04-18T22:19:57Z")
The other one came off today! I now have a matched set 🆒 [![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/minor7flat5/right-toenail.jpg) ](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/minor7flat5/right-toenail.jpg) [![](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/minor7flat5/both-toes.jpg) ](http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v186/minor7flat5/both-toes.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![Webner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/0ea827/32.png) [@Webner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Webner)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/26 "2006-04-19T01:55:33Z")
Last summer. I tripped coming down the stairs to the patio and it somehow got lost during the fall. The cool factor made it worth the pain. ---
**Author:** ![Muffin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/muffin/32/4341_2.png) [@Muffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muffin)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/27 "2006-04-19T02:24:24Z")
A floor lamp fell on my toe. Eventually the nail fell off. What was interesting was what happened in-between. A lot of blood was building up under my nail in the hours after the floor lamp fell on my toe, so I went to the hospital. A doctor drilled down through my nail with a very fine soldering gun to reach the pool of blood, so as to let it spurt through the hole and relieve the pressure. The last thing he said to me was “this will hurt me more than you.” Turns out he was right. He pushed down too hard, and went beyond the nail into the meat of my toe. That caused me to kick violently. Unfortunately, the kick caught him in the head, and knocked him unconscious against the wall. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/28 "2006-04-19T03:33:29Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > The last thing he said to me was “this will hurt me more than you.” Turns out he was right. He pushed down too hard, and went beyond the nail into the meat of my toe. That caused me to kick violently. Unfortunately, the kick caught him in the head, and knocked him unconscious against the wall. That’s just funny! I am losing both at the moment, courtesy of a chair that fell on both my feet. I have some blood buildup under the nails and the new ones are halfway grown now, the old ones are halfway dettached. No pics. This is the third time I shed toenails. I lose them with the slightest trauma. They grow back looking the same if not better. ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 2:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/29 "2006-04-19T14:01:11Z")
Uh, approximately March 5. 2 of them. Had just gotten back into running after an October knee scope. Was putting a 1/2 sheet of plywood into the car - which involved moving it maybe a total of 20 feet. So I didn’t bother with putting on workboots or anything, just slipped on my clogs. Let me tell you, when you drop a piece of plywood from only waist high, and it comes down on its edge across your toes, it really smarts! Busted the 3 middle toes on my R foot, lost the nails on 2 of them. Actually, as much as it hurt I was happy when I slipped off my clog to find my toes were still attached… Running again 3 weeks later. ---
**Author:** ![Fern\_Forest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/71c47a/32.png) [@Fern\_Forest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fern_Forest)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 2:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/30 "2006-04-19T14:41:53Z")
Ten years ago I was picking up a suitcase while wearing only sandals. The edge of the case caught my right big toe and lifted that sucker right up till it was pointed straight up. Oh my god, the pain! I almost passed out and it bled pretty well too. After a few days it stopped hurting enough so that I was able to use the clippers to clip off most of the nail. The rest fell out as the nail grew back. Thankfully the whole thing has grown back normally. ---
**Author:** ![caveman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/caveman/32/7242_2.png) [@caveman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/caveman)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/31 "2006-04-19T15:16:58Z")
The last (and only) time it’s happened was in 6th grade when I had both of my big toe nails permanently removed because they were horribly and painfully ingrown. The weird bit is that they healed differently. One is a smooth, blank nailbed. The other has a thick, weird pseudo-nail that grows and requires trimming at times. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/32 "2006-04-19T15:18:47Z")
I lost a large toenail twice back when I used to run. Both times, it was the result of new shoes. The second time was gross. I went for a long run up some big hills and I wondered where my new shoe felt so sweaty. When I took it off, I found out the wet feeling wasn’t sweat. It was blood that seemed to have pumped out underneath the nail with every stride. There was a lot of it. My big toenails always took forever to grow back. It was at leat 9 months to get it about right and a year before I couldn’t really tell anymore. ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [April 19, 2006, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/33 "2006-04-19T20:18:21Z")
Oh well, I’m qualified to post on this thread… I dropped a chopping board on my big toe and the nail soon came off. There was some pain, but not as much as I expected. The nail grew back. That is all. ---
**Author:** ![Little\_Bird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Little\_Bird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Bird)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/34 "2006-04-20T02:42:04Z")
> [@Muffin](#): > > A lot of blood was building up under my nail in the hours after the floor lamp fell on my toe, so I went to the hospital. A doctor drilled down through my nail with a very fine soldering gun to reach the pool of blood, so as to let it spurt through the hole and relieve the pressure. That happened to my dad. Except he was the doctor. _Aaaand_ the patient. Mom doesn’t let him self-surgery any more. ---
**Author:** ![Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e56c9b/32.png) [@Mirror\_Image\_egamI\_rorriM](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mirror_Image_egamI_rorriM)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 3:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/35 "2006-04-20T03:06:13Z")
> [@Little Bird](#): > > That happened to my dad. Except he was the doctor. _Aaaand_ the patient. Mom doesn’t let him self-surgery any more. Did he kick himself in the head? Because that would have been hilarious. ---
**Author:** ![Kythereia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/e8c25b/32.png) [@Kythereia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kythereia)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/36 "2006-04-20T03:27:45Z")
I have a distinct tendency, at times, to bang my big toe into the corner of my bedframe, hop around the bedroom, and shriek and swear bloody murder. Yes, it’s happened more than once. :o ---
**Author:** ![Kiminy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Kiminy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiminy)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/37 "2006-04-20T03:33:55Z")
The only toenail I’ve lost was when I was hiking in Germany when I was in my 20’s. It was actually a painless and bloodless experience. After the hike, I pulled off my boots, and then cleaned my toenails. When I went to clean the fourth toe (next to the pinky toe) on my left foot, it just came clean off. (It wasn’t black or bloody or anything. It just wasn’t stuck to the toe bed anymore.) It did eventually grow back, but it made me wonder how often this kind of thing happened. I have since learned that black toenails don’t necessarily come off. Our son went through a massive growth spurt a few months ago. His growth pattern has typically been MUCH slower than normal, to the point that he wore the same clothes for more than three years (at the age of 7, 8, and 9), and the only reason I bought him new clothes was because the old ones had worn out. When he hit this growth spurt when he was 10, we just weren’t used to checking shoes. His feet grew two sizes in about four months, and he didn’t tell us how much his shoes hurt until one of his big toenails was completely black and starting to separate from the bed. We did see the pediatrician to see what we needed to do to treat it until the nail fell off (besides getting him new shoes!), but he just told us to keep it trimmed so that it wouldn’t snag on anything and get pulled off by accident. So we kept it trimmed back, and it slowly grew back in, but it never fell off like my own toenail did. ---
**Author:** ![GargoyleWB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gargoylewb/32/199_2.png) [@GargoyleWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GargoyleWB)\ **Post date:** [April 20, 2006, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278/38 "2006-04-20T19:06:36Z")
I play soccer, and lose them all the time. The process usually goes… Toe gets cleated by someone, gradually changes color across the spectrum over the course of a week, then peels off in a gracefully stringy scabtacular fashion. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-was-the-last-time-you-lost-a-toenail/352278.md?page=1)