Ingrown toe nail due to be operated on. Now it looks like the other foot needs doing too

[elliejjtiny]

Not sure whether to phone the gp, the hospital admissions team or just talk to the surgeon on the day.

Ds2 (aged 17) is having his badly infected and swollen toe treated by removing the sides of the nail under general anaesthetic next week. He's been waiting nearly a year. But now the big toe on his other foot is looking really red and swollen too. The GP saw him a few months ago and said he didn't need to see anyone unless the redness and swelling started increasing up his foot. Neither toe is doing that but both are bright red, swollen and leaking pus.

I sympathise! I had this done under local many years ago and it still nloody hurt a lot!! I wish I could have had general! I'd just tell the surgeon on the day I bet it would take him 5 minutes to do the other one too.

Watching (DS age 19 in similar spot)

Thank you. He says neither of his feet hurt at all now despite being huge and bright red so hoping the recovery will be ok too.

Can they do the 2 on the same day? Ds had his big toenail removed last year and I did notice him hobbling on the good foot for a day or two. And he wore a slipper for a few days as the shoe wouldn't fit on. It would be great if they could and he could manage, we were quite far from the clinic so I took over a lot of the aftercare and changing the dressing was not for the fainthearted.

Sympathies - I had horrendous ingrowing toenails in my youth and after a few attempts at just removing the nail (with local! ) ended up having the nail beds on both big toes removed in my teens. This was both at the same time under GA and the nails would never grow back at all. As this was 50 years ago they probably used stone axes, as I had the most enormous bandages on my toes.

I had to shuffle about on my backside for a week or so, and yes, the dressing changes were a bit traumatic. Be prepared to sacrifice a washing up bowl for a salt water soak.

Today's anaesthetics and surgery techniques are so much improved, I'm sure they will do a great job and your DS will bounce back quickly even if they do both - and I hope they will, as it is a horrible thing to have to live with.

Thank you. They ended up doing both feet. Toes are still bright red and swollen when the nurses take the dressings off but he is going back to college on Monday which he is pleased about.

I literally have a bandage on my big toe now as had a full removal last Friday as taking half away didnt work. Unfortunately mine has turned into an infection after the removal so been on antibiotics last 3 days aswell. But I was told for most people the pain goes within a couple of days but it didn't happen for me I can't even get my sock on never mind a shoe or drive yet