Toe nail fungus?
I have been having problems with my big toe nail for about 2 years now. About a year and 1/2 ago, I was seeing the doctor for something unrelated & he noticed my toenail. He prescribed a very expensive antibiotic. I had bad side effects from it, so he had me stop that medicine and he removed my nail… he said that it would remove all of the fungus and would grow back normal. It grew back in about 4 months and it grew back but was the same. About 1/4 of the left side is thick and discolored.(yellowish) It doesn’t seem to have spread any at all.. on that toe or others. It still covers the same area, but my nail seems to keep getting thicker. About 2 months ago, I started having constant pain where it is thick. I am at high risk for being diabetic, so I know this needs to be checked again.. but.. I don’t have insurance now… and can’t afford any that I have found… so I am looking for home remedies to see if I can find something that helps! (sigh) I have read about tea tree oil and also Vicks Vapor rub… I’m going to try my luck with those.Could this be something other than a fungus? Having the nail removed… does that always “cure” it? I take medicine for high blood pressure and have taken in since my early 20’s. (now 37 y/o) I do not wear shoes very often. I am going to read more of the questions and see if I can find more information too.
3 comments
Vivian Abrams DPM
Yes other things can also infect the toe nail besides fungus- bacteria, yeats and molds. Only a culture will tell for sure. A nail can also be damged and/or deformed without an infection. There is no absolute 100% cure for onychomycosis. Having said that- there are numerous treatments available. Oral medications such as Lamisil and Sporanox have been used by many patients. Topical medications such as Penlac are also available. There has been much written about all of these medications. They are also prescriptions and if not covered by insurance can be expensive. Stories about home remedies abound. These stories usually point out that the home remedies (bleach, vineagar, Vicks etc) are cheap. There are no creditable studies I am aware of that show any home remedy to be as successful as the prescriptions. Most all that are written are anecdotal. One of the things patients do not understand about nail fungal infections is that it is not just on the surface. Generally it goes through the nail. This is why simply removing the nail and allowing it to grow back is usually doomed to failure. However, permanently removing the nail usually works because no nail=no nail fungus. You might consider seeing a podiatrist and having this evaluated again. If you need relief, then the nail can probably be trimmed down and cleaned out. This may be temporary, but still helpful.
A Zinnia
I’d skip the toe nail removal–my hubby tried that and so did I to no avail. I am trying the Vicks cure–my feet are sure soft now at least. I too have heard of side effects from other meds. Good luck!
Rachel
HI! I jsut wanted to let you know that I have had toe nail fungus on almost all the toes on my left foot for 3 years and I was jsut about to go on lamisil when I heared about the vicks vapor rub treatment. I have been using it for 2 weeks twice a day and I can already see the new nail growing at the bottem! I am so excited I hope it works for you too!