Gross details warning! LOL!

I have a bad fungal infection in my L big toe, plus it's ingrown on the L side of my big toe. I have finally had enough of the pain if someone steps on my toe or if I bump it on something (even the dog would step on my toe once in a while!)

So, I tried to call my primary MD. As luck would have it, he is out for the week. The PA was booked solid through Wednesday and thought I should just go to the walk-in clinic. Of course, I was trying to avoid that option, since I work there! So, I just got back from there. Busy as they were, it wasn't that bad a wait. I was back out to my car in just under an hour. I know sometimes people wait in the waiting room over an hour or longer. The doc said I should probably just have the nail removed altogether. So, at 9:15am on Wednesday, I have an appointment with a podiatrist at the clinic to do just that. Doc T. gave me some Augmentin XR samples to take in the meantime to deal with the infection, since I have a little cellulitis there, too. LOL! My toe is a mess and I know I should have seen someone a lot sooner. I'm just dreading the numbing shot! Ouch!

So, keep me in your thoughts and prayers on Wednesday morning.

By Trina~moderator on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 07:17 pm:

{{{Dawn}}} Thoughts and prayers coming your way! Hope everything goes smoothly and you're back to normal soon!

By Trisa on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 07:25 pm:

So sorry Dawn. I pray that shot isn't all that bad.

By Gammiejoan on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 08:22 pm:

Thoughts and prayers from here too, Dawn.

By Kym on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 08:27 pm:

OUCH! I had an ingrown toenail removed and that was enough for me, I cant' imagine! Try soaking in some Tea Tree essential oil, it will alleviate some of the discomfort until you are treated.
PS the numbing shot works instantly, as soon as you feel the needle, it works so you dont' feel it long! Make sure to get some big ol ibuprofens for afterwards

By Kay on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 08:29 pm:

I'm so sorry, Dawn! It's amazing how such a relatively small part of our body can be the source of such pain.

Good luck, and I'm sending positive thoughts.

By Bobbie on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 09:04 pm:

Both of my grandmothers had their big toe nails removed and one of my neighbors has too. Sounds painful but once it was healed they were so much more happier. Best of luck...

By Sunny on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 09:48 pm:

Sending good thoughts and prayers your way! Try and do what I do: picture yourself somewhere else when it's happening. Doesn't always work, but it's worth a shot (no pun intended )!

By Coopaveryben on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:11 pm:

I once heard someone say, a minor procedure is when it is happening to someone else.

I get nervous at anything that involves needles, okay I become a down right baby. But it is never as bad as I think it is going to be.

I'll be thinking about you, best of luck.

By Dawnk777 on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:12 pm:

Yeah, when I bump this toe, it is exquisitely painful, so I'm to the point that the surgery can't possibly be as bad. The doctor's name is Dawn M. T****! LOL! I've been dying to know for the longest time if she is a "Dawn Marie" like me! Now I will get to find out!

By Dawnk777 on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:18 pm:

My other thought on this. I work casual at the clinic and have a 2 week period without any hours. It's the first time in a little over 1-1/2 years that I have had this few hours. Last summer I worked my tail off covering people for vacations. So, I want this toe fixed before summer!

My school job isn't all the strenuous. I will ask off for Wednesday for sure. I'm going to call the podiatrist people tomorrow to see if I should ask off for Thursday, too. I don't know how long I will be uncomfortable.

By Annie2 on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:22 pm:

Dawn, I had a bad fungal infection under my right big toe in 1998. It was yellow, raised and extremely tender. Well, my dh opened the bathroom door and it caught the nail just right. OUCH!!!! I screamed bloody murder it was so painful. But the nail ended up falling off the next day. I was pain free. I started applying topical anti-fungal cream (I went to the dr. and this is what she recommended.) to the spot and it has been gone ever since.
I think you will feel immense relief. Good luck!

By Mommyathome on Monday, March 22, 2004 - 10:35 pm:

Ouch!! Hope everything goes well!

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 03:42 pm:

Well, the podiatrist gave me three options. Just cut out the ingrown part and let the nail grow back, cut out the ingrown part and use a chemical to kill the cells at the bottom so that portion of nail doesn't ever grow back, and remove the whole nail. I went for the first option. I really didn't want to have the whole nail removed. For the fungus, my insurance will pay for all but $50 of the anti-fungal medicine, so I will go that route to treat the fungus. She said that between the oral medicine and some topical cream, it would be 90% effective against the fungus. Lamisil is hard on your liver, so I imagine no alcohol for 3 months, but I don't drink that much anyway.

So far it hasn't really hurt too much. I have a big dressing on that I can't wait to take off, but I have to wait until morning. I should probably go back to bed and put my foot up, since I have been up for a while getting Emily from school.

The sun is shining and it's in the 50's! Yay! It is very nice outside.

By Bobbie on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 10:46 pm:

Well sounds like things went okay. How was the shot???

By Dawnk777 on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 11:43 pm:

The shot was good and bad. She sprayed some kind of stuff on my toe so that I wouldn't feel the needle prick and I didn't. Unfortunately, it doesn't take the sting away, so I still felt the anesthetic being injected. On the good side, it really is only a few seconds and of course, I started going numb pretty soon after that, so didn't really have lasting discomfort at that point. She must have put in a LONG-lasting anesthetic, since I had this done about 9:30 am and only just recently started feeling my toe again. I only have pain now if I gently press on it. If I'm not touching it, I don't have any pain at all.

There's just no good way to give a numbing shot. It was nice not to have to feel the inital prick, though!

By Bobbie on Wednesday, March 24, 2004 - 11:55 pm:

Yeah I am afraid I would have been at the other end of the table if they would have just given me the shot. Toes and fingers.. Surely no place to stick something. To many touch sensors in them...

By Dawnk777 on Thursday, March 25, 2004 - 07:42 am:

Yes, so true! Way too many sensors! LOL! I was still all grimaced up by the end of each shot.