What's wrong with my nail

[MrsWembley]

Don't want to bother my GP with something that feels trivial and Dr. Google is being useless. What the hell have I done to my nail bed?????

Ouch! I'd be down at the pharmacy ASAP with that this morning TBH. I winced when I opened that photo. Maybe keep it covered with a fabric plaster until then, I imagine it could easily get infected.

Have you had a bang to the finger recently?

I’d go to the GP. Could be fungal or something else. Your nail doesn’t look great overall, so worth a visit.

No bang that I can remember, though I'm menopausal so my memory is shot to pieces

Is it really worth a GP call?

I'm a former nail tech and was trained to never diagnose. However(!), a split in the nail plate like that is generally caused by trauma to the matrix (where the nail grows from). Your nail looks quite ridged which implies that you rub it at the base and that can cause an interruption to the growth of nail cells. That split will need to grow up and you won't know yet if it will reform behind it or not.

How bad a trauma? I'm used to seeing ridges and I've had a fungal infection in a toenail so I know how that develops, but I've never had anything like this before!

If we're talking day-to-day knocks then I suppose I'm as prone as anyone, but I honestly don't remember doing anything serious in the last few weeks?

@MrsWembley

How bad a trauma? I'm used to seeing ridges and I've had a fungal infection in a toenail so I know how that develops, but I've never had anything like this before!

If we're talking day-to-day knocks then I suppose I'm as prone as anyone, but I honestly don't remember doing anything serious in the last few weeks?

I'm talking day to day knocks!

Ahh...
Ok then.
So I just check that it's closing up at the other end (closest to the cuticle) and use lots of heavy duty hand cream to help repair everything?