Hello,
My little girl has been (finally) diagnosed with Congenital Malalignment of the Great Toenail after 18 months of being told she had ingrown toenails and to soak them in salt water and being prescribed fungal treaments, despite having them tested and there being no bacteria or fungus present...
Her doctor hasn't actually seen her in person due to the pandemic but, we have sent multiple pictures and eventually I asked for her to be referred to a dermatologist. Praise to them as, they did actually come back to us pretty quickly after they had spoken to the dermatologist and they already had a diagnosis but, her doctor hadn't heard of the condition before and so, he was only able to relay the information from the dermatologist.
I was 90% sure already, that it was CMGT as, I have non stop google searched, in the time waiting for a diagnosis and the article I found, is the same one which the dermatologist was quoting from. Basically, the nail plate is not growing parallel to the bone, which for some reason is making her toenail extremely thick, oyster-shell like and causing her big toe to curl inwards, towards the rest of her toes. I don't know this but, I think if left untreated, without getting better on it's own, this could cause long term deformities. (I can't find anything to actually suggest what happens though :( )
They have said they will continue to monitor this until she is 2 years old, at which point they will either make the decision to operate and resolve the problem or, leave them and continue to monitor as, it sometimes will 'spontaneously improve' up to the age of 10 years old. The article suggested that it was better to operate before the patient turns 2 years old.
My question is, has anyone else ever heard of this and can they give me any more information as, I cannot find anything to explain what the problems could be for her in later life if they don't operate or, what would happen if they did operate and what sort of risks/recovery time are involved.
I appreciate the doctors will obviously answer any concerns we have, once a decision is made but, my curse is that I am a naturally anxious person and a worrier so, I have been frantically Googling, since I hung up the phone! It would be really reassuring to hear of similar cases and to be told there really isn't anything to worry about!
TIA!