Toenail fungal infection?

Healthfreak95 · 2023-07-19T23:49:01+00:00

Hi! So my toe has been itchy for ages and now showing yellow parts and kind of crumbling? Toenail fungus? Any tips / home remedies? It was itchy for a longggg time.

SchoolMama · 20/07/2023 00:57

I’m not a dr but had something similar once. In my experience topical creams etc don’t work. You need to get oral medication for this which you take for 3 months and you can’t drink or be exposed to the sun too much. The medication works and stops it spreading to other toes. Camphor (found in Vicks Vapor rub) is supposedly a good anti fungal and some people swear by it. You could try that or at least put it on neighbouring toes to try and stave off spread?

FlowersInTheSky · 20/07/2023 04:29

As soon as one of these starts you must see a doctor, otherwise it will become embedded and spread and you won’t get rid of it.

Home remedies don’t work. Don’t bother trying because the likelihood is the end result is that you’ll just need toenail surgery and will lose your nail(s).

It’s not worth risking.

sunshineandstarsgirl · 20/07/2023 20:37

SchoolMama · 20/07/2023 00:57

I’m not a dr but had something similar once. In my experience topical creams etc don’t work. You need to get oral medication for this which you take for 3 months and you can’t drink or be exposed to the sun too much. The medication works and stops it spreading to other toes. Camphor (found in Vicks Vapor rub) is supposedly a good anti fungal and some people swear by it. You could try that or at least put it on neighbouring toes to try and stave off spread?

Hi. I too have fungus (I think) on my thumbs on both my legs. It's blue colour. I read online that oral medication could give you diarrhea. So was put off by that. So purchased a cream from boots. Should I go to the doctor? I just started applying the cream today. Won't the cream work?

FlowersInTheSky · 20/07/2023 21:04

@sunshineandstarsgirl The cream is very unlikely to work. It’s topical, it can’t get to the root of the problem. They’re selling you snake oil.

Once it’s set in (and it’s properly embedded if it’s been allowed to spread), your only options really are to hope the oral medication works, otherwise it will be nail surgery.

If that is unsuccessful and it still comes back with the nail because it’s been allowed to go too far you will need nail surgery again but the nail will not be allowed to grow back.

sunshineandstarsgirl · 20/07/2023 21:26

Is this fungus?

FlowersInTheSky · 20/07/2023 22:09

I don’t think it is. I’m not a doctor but I’ve had toenail fungus on both big toes (and lost both nails after the oral medication and multiple surgeries) and they didn’t look like that.

You really need to see a doctor.

Changingplace · 20/07/2023 22:13

Go to the doctor now and get the tablets, I messed around with the over the counter stuff for a fungal nail infection for months and it never got rid of it.

The tablets were fine, had to have a couple of blood tests to check I was ok to take them but had no side effects at all and now my nail has grown out it’s absolutely fine, wish I’d just done it straight away.

gonetogreece · 20/07/2023 22:15

Looks just like my toe did, also very itchy. Dr said I had covid toe, took ages to go. Have you had covid in the last few months?

sunshineandstarsgirl · 21/07/2023 06:56

gonetogreece · 20/07/2023 22:15

Looks just like my toe did, also very itchy. Dr said I had covid toe, took ages to go. Have you had covid in the last few months?

No, never had Covid.

sunshineandstarsgirl · 21/07/2023 06:58

Changingplace · 20/07/2023 22:13

Go to the doctor now and get the tablets, I messed around with the over the counter stuff for a fungal nail infection for months and it never got rid of it.

The tablets were fine, had to have a couple of blood tests to check I was ok to take them but had no side effects at all and now my nail has grown out it’s absolutely fine, wish I’d just done it straight away.

Did your doctor take a sample of your nail to know what it is? It says here in this link they should do that.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fungal-nail-infection/

Opt1234 · 21/07/2023 07:08

I've had a fungal toenail/s for years and years. I have tried everything over the counter nothing worked. I started taking the oral tablets but got side effects. So I'm still left with a fungal big toenail. I would go to see GP first and then go from there. They would need to take a little sample

WeAreOnTheRoadToNowhere · 21/07/2023 07:12

Emtrix® Fungal Nail Treatment Cream – Extra Strength Nail Fungus Penetrating Formula – Binds Moisture into the Nail – Softens Nourishes & Conditions – No Filing Needed https://amzn.eu/d/6S6zUJi
This works. I've tried many different treatments. This is the only one that actually works rather than just improving the look of the nails slightly
It'll probably take more than one tube to do it

Baconking · 21/07/2023 07:12

sunshineandstarsgirl · 20/07/2023 21:26

Is this fungus?

That's not fungus. It's just bruising. Could be from shoes too small and pushingon the big toe.

I have bruised nails which I think is from a pedicure where they were pushing quite hard with the file.
I don't think there is much to you can do as it probably the toe under the nail. If it gets worse then see you GP, otherwise it should hopefully grow out or go away with time

hashbrownsandwich · 21/07/2023 07:16

Go to GP, you may need Terbinafine.

sunshineandstarsgirl · 21/07/2023 07:16

Baconking · 21/07/2023 07:12

That's not fungus. It's just bruising. Could be from shoes too small and pushingon the big toe.

I have bruised nails which I think is from a pedicure where they were pushing quite hard with the file.
I don't think there is much to you can do as it probably the toe under the nail. If it gets worse then see you GP, otherwise it should hopefully grow out or go away with time

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Thank you 😊

Rachaelrachael · 21/07/2023 07:17

Tea tree oil worked for me. It did take months for the nail to grow out and you need to keep using it every day

Original poster

Healthfreak95 · 21/07/2023 12:01

gonetogreece · 20/07/2023 22:15

Looks just like my toe did, also very itchy. Dr said I had covid toe, took ages to go. Have you had covid in the last few months?

I had Covid in may/June! So I should avoid using anything topical? I heard before vicks worked but not sure!

OP posts:

FlowersInTheSky · 21/07/2023 13:26

Healthfreak95 · 21/07/2023 12:01

I had Covid in may/June! So I should avoid using anything topical? I heard before vicks worked but not sure!

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Topical won’t work.

Mercurious1 · 15/08/2023 08:39

I had similar looking yellowing and thickening to OP. Tried all sorts, cream from boots, Vicks, tea tree. What worked for me was canespro 40% urea cream which you apply and cover with a plaster, after 2 to 3 weeks all fungal bits dissolved leaving behind healthy nail. I was amazed how quickly it worked! I still sometimes get the beginnings of white fungal patches appearing after wearing nail varnish for too long. I just use a dab of the ointment and it's gone in a couple of days. So glad I tried before going down the heavy duty medication route.