Toe nail removal. How painful?

[BadFoot1]

So I’ve had a really painful toe/toenail since March. GP has been exceptionally useless. I rang a chiropodist today who as led me to send a photo and he says my toe nail is growing backwards and needs fully removing.

This sounds like medieval torture to me. I get that I will have local anaesthetic but how bad will it be when that wears off. Will I be able to work the following day? I need to drive to work or walk to and from a train station and then be on my feet most of the day.

He also said something like I can choose whether to never have a toe nail again in which case he needs to do something extra (sounded like fennaling) or whether I want a toe nail again. I said I’d like a toe nail to grow back, he said it’s possible it grows back with the same issue but he’d be able to advise better when he sees me.

If you’ve had this done what did you do. It’s my big toe so will be noticeable in sandals with no nail.

Sore but not awful. Will be well bandaged up. I went straight back to work a day later, walking up and down corridors. Just wear comfy shoes and follow advice. It is a pretty common procedure and nothing to worry about.

Sorry also meant to say some people paint their toenails on, others leave it. I am in the latter camp, I can't be bothered and no one comments except on rare occasions and only in passing.

I pulled mine off myself about 5 months ago! I’d done it some damage around Christmas time and it went black for a few months. I was prodding with it one day and I could see it was lifting, so out came the tweezers and off the nail came. But as I said, it was lifting. It is also growing back. Is yours lifting at all?

No, doesn’t appear to be lifting at all. Which is a shame because if it was loose it might be easier? Hopefully the anaesthetic works well.

So did you choose to have the extra step to have the thing done to prevent a new nail growing back?

It's Phenol, the chemical they use. I had to have it done after I broke my toe walking (Ehlers-Danlos syndrome yay) and it was never going to heal.

Local anaesthetic doesn't work on me and I can't say the procedure itself was painful. What was was the nerve pain for two weeks afterwards because of the triple dose of anaesthetic he'd pushed to try and numb it! So if you don't have that I'm sure you'll be fine.

My 18 year old had it done last year and my 13 year old is waiting to have it done. My 18 year old had to be off college for 2 weeks but he said it wasn't really painful. His pain threshold is really high though.

Long time ago I had both big toe nails cut back but when they regrew the infection returned. So I had them permanently removed - and one still grew bag, a bit squint. I avoid open toe footwear sometimes but who is looking? Fake nails didn’t sit neatly and fell off. I just painted the other nails. Toes were tender afterwards but the before pain had been excruciating. I imagine things have improved over the years

The actual injections are very painful. It will then be sore for a few days. You will need to take flipflops or something to go home in. It will be sore for a few days. I would book a few days off to rest

A toenail came off after a badly fitting pedal at spin class, and I never felt a thing! It is growing back. I think it will be well-padded and a relief to you.

Id say its uncomfortable for a day or two but it really doesn't hurt, it looks gross for the 1st couple of weeks especially if they use the chemical to burn the nail bed to prevent it from growing back which btw id recommend if you are offered it.
It will take up to 4 months to fully heal and scar over so autumn/winter is a good time to get it done if possible

This. I found the injections hugely painful
actually but I still say it was the best thing I ever did after pain in my toes for years. The pain of the actual removal and recovery was fine.

I had it done, never again. Local anesthetic hurt as they injected several times right into the nail bed.
It was supposed to never grow back but it did, with issues (it never grows back as a normal nail). I have far more issues with the 'new' nail even several years down the road.
Healing was a nightmare, I had it done in the middle of winter. Couldn't wear a shoe but you have to keep it clean and dry, impossible in flip flops in winter in London. I had daily dressing changes from the district nurse for 2 weeks.
I had the first week off work, see note about keeping it dry, clean and elevated. Took months to heal and had a few infections along the way.
I dont mean to scare you but I absolutely regret getting it done (with NHS, private may have had a different outcome)

My daughter had this in July. She said the injections were painful but not unbearable. The procedure itself was painless and she was sore for a couple of days but nothing a couple of paracetamol couldn’t deal with.

She also had the chemical to stop it regrowing and it doesn’t look bad now.

She had big dressings for two weeks so wore flip flops. Once she didn’t need the dressing anymore she went straight back into normal shoes without any issues.

I had a severe ingrown toe nail for months it was absolute agony. I had it removed. Was completely numb. It was over in minutes. Bandaged up and even when the numbness wore off it was still much much less painful than before

I had it done a few years ago, It will be painful. Expect to be off your foot for a few days after (you'll be able to hobble to the toilet/kitchen etc, but not much more). I don't drive, so I can't say exactly, but give it a week or two maybe. I couldn't put any shoes other than sandals on for about 10 days as pressure right across the nail bed was way too sore! My nail bed scabbed, but also hardened so it was much more like normal top layer skin. Eventually my nail did grow back, but it took about a year to grow like a proper nail. Initially it was more like a thick covering only attached to the nail bed at the bottom where it grew from the skin, after couple of years it grew normally again, but is still thickened.

Sadly I do have EDS so was already expecting the anaesthetic to not be very effective and complications greater 🙈

The injections HURT but it's fleeting.
The toe then hurts as you walk, when you step down and the pressure goes through the foot. So you can walk on it a bit, but more on your heel. Andnit will really hurt if it gets knocked. I think being on your feet all day (the ñext day) isn't going to work.

I had 2 big toenails removed, and the phenol done. One came back eventually, like PPnsaid, thick skin that eventually hardens. That's fine. The other is an awful sideways Dino claw that is such a bother to deal with.

Ok, think I’m going to get the phenol done. I don’t want a weird toe nail coming back.

Horribly painful but worth it. Pain is temporary, at least you'll be rid of it on a daily basis. It'll be worth it, good luck

Did you have the phenol chemical afterwards to stop a new toenail growing?

People were right about the injections being painful. Was literally screaming. Worst pain I’ve ever had. The nail removal was fine after toe went numb. It’s throbbing and stinging now.

The pain before was much worse compared to the local anaesthetic injections and the removal of my big toenail. I was walking on it in about 3 days I think.
I had the treatment applied so that it wouldn't grow back.
But it still does grow back to about halfway, then painlessly falls off every now and again.
This has been going on for 20 years now!

Agree local anaesthetic injections were horrendous, both toes! I screamed too. I had to take deep breaths to cope whilst gripping the podiatry assitants hand! Actual procedure fine. Slept all afternoon afterwards when home. Wore open toe sandals for several weeks...with socks🙂Take things easy and try not to walk too far for the first couple of weeks.

They really are awful aren’t they!! You’ll be so glad you had it done though, no more pain long term which is brilliant