Ingrown Toe Nail OUCH

[Tailfeather]

I think I have an ingrown toenail. The skin around my big toenail is swollen and pussy and incredibly painful. I've had to wear flip flops today as can't wear shoes or socks and I can't even bear the weight of my duvet on it. Has anyone else had this? Will it clear up on its own?

Having had to wear a dressing for over two years for a toenail that ‘might clear up’ having had two surgeries and 8 courses of antibiotics, please go see a podiatrist and get it clipped!

@BarbarAnna Oh blimey! So sorry you've had to deal with all of that. OK. I will try and get (an almost impossible) appointment with my GP this week.

@or do I go straight for a podiatrist and pay?

Ouch, sounds painful. Hope you get it sorted soon.

Go to a podiatrist I reckon. PS mine was an extreme situation as it was complicated by hyper granulation tissue but I genuinely wouldn’t risk it.

An NHS appointment is likely to take months. Pay someone for a private appointment if you can. Prices are about £35-60 in London, presumably less in other parts of the country. Get it done asap because even once it's done, it can still take a couple of days to fully stop hurting.

I had surgery on an ingrown toenail earlier in the year. Before I had it done, it was agonising. Anything touching it was sheer torture. Quick local in the nerves on my toe, few weeks of dressings and keeping it dry and it's as good as new. In fact better. But I just noticed earlier that I have one on the opposite side now. Going to get the surgery done on that as soon as I'm able. It's not worth fannying about for months trying to fix something that cant be fixed. I can reccomend a brilliant podiatrist in NE England if you need 😁

@BarbarAnna I had hypergran too. Looked hideous!

A GP won’t fix it, it’s a private podiatrist appt you need

Go straight to a podiatrist - that's all the GP will tell you to do anyway.

I feel for you - I've had ingrown toenails before and it's agony !!

And for anyone reading this who thinks they might have an ingrown nail starting, please get it looked at asap - much easier to sort before they get infected !

The GP took a slice off my ds's ingrowing toenail last week. it probably depends on area whether they do it. it was only 3 weeks from gp appt to getting it done. Yours sounds infected OP definitely try to get a gp appt.

I’ve beeb plagued by this recently, happened to my big toes on both feet never having had it before. It wasn’t so bad I couldn’t have a duvet over it but was throbbing badly and painful to walk on. No word of a lie, I soaked it in warm water for 20 minutes several times a day like the NHS site says and the pain went away. Definitely see someone if it’s serious but I’ve done the soaking both times and it’s helped loads so try that for now.

Make sure you keep it clean. Magnesium sulphate paste draws the pus but throbs a bit

Really?? I had a nurse appointment at my local GPs, was given a course of antibiotics and it cleared up. Toe had been a hideous mess!

I was supposed to have mine operated on- but it went away on its own. I put a tiny piece of cotton wool under the nail corner to lift it away. I also used a silver nitrate pencil on the granulated skin. Ingrown toenails are super painful - I hope you get it sorted.

Like blueshadow has written, that trick with a screw of cotton wool under the nail corner is one I was taught in college.

I went to the gp and he gave me three injections of local anaesthetic and cut part of the nail away. It bleed like a geyser and I had a massive bandage, I had to call my dad to pick me up because I couldn’t get my shoe back on.

The next time it happened I saw a podiatrist, no anaesthetic required, he took the small bit of nail away with a special tool (it healed up really fast), it didn’t bleed either.

The podiatrist explained that he does the procedure every day more than once whereas the gp doesn’t.

Always see a podiatrist first.

I usually squeeze the puss out and get a finger nail down the side to make sure it's no longer digging into the skin. Then it clears up.

Nope it won't clear up. Major surgery unfortunately. General anaesthetic and physio.

Private podiatrist. NHS appointments take ages unless you're a diabetic. Otherwise you're best paying 30-40quid.

I had to have the nail bed killed on both big toes at the side where it was growing in, to stop it happening again. The nail is now slightly narrower. Not obvious. Local anaesthetic. Dressings for a week. Referred to Nhs podiatrist and done free. Private podiatrist wanted £500.

Might be subungal corns. (corns under the nail}. See a podiatrist.

Do not just leave it; it will not clear up on its own it will just get worse.

I ended up having to have surgery on two ingrown toenails and now don’t have nails on either of the toes. The pain was awful.

Trust me, do not leave it.

I usually squeeze the puss out and get a finger nail down the side to make sure it's no longer digging into the skin. Then it clears up.

PatricksRum If this is something you are doing on a regular enough basis to say this is your usual fix, you aren’t solving your problem. You are temporarily relieving it and it will keep returning and get worse over time.

It needs dealing with professionally to avoid complications.

If you want to risk your own feet that’s on you, but don’t give such dangerous advice out to others.

😬 Thanks everyone. I called a podiatrist today and hopefully seeing them on Wednesday. I can't wear socks and it's keeping me awake at night. I think I cut the nail too short...