Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Sporner corner

If you want to see spot squeezing, popping or videos showing the removal of blackheads - this is the place for you.

Original poster

Daughter had flies eggs in her ingrowing toenail

309 replies

Loveatthefiveanddime · 04/06/2022 20:34

That's it. She is 18 and has refused to have the toenails dealt with properly. They have been persistent for a couple of years on her big toes - both sides. Frequently they bled and we have been on and on at her, as they usually look foul.
Anyway, today she saw some little white grains on the toes and after taking a pic to blow the image up, we could see they were flies eggs!! I cannot get over the image in my mind.
I scraped them off and we soaked her feet in water with disinfectant. I can't help worrying that I didn't get them all out.
Obviously she is now going to go to the Dr about them.

Is this too grim a picture for Sporners corner?

OP posts:
OssomMummy1 · 05/06/2022 10:42

Flies eggs are any time better than any fungus, staphylococcus, streptococcus or MRSA. If these eggs mature and larva come out, just put a couple of drops of oil on it; the larvae will suffocate to death. end of story.

Swayingpalmtrees · 05/06/2022 10:49

Holy Cow!

She needs to see a dr urgently, even the colour of the toe is not good at all. I would INSIST and yes I would absolutely not take no for an answer op.

SweetMystery · 05/06/2022 11:01

My GP sent me straight off to the urgent care hub at A&E with something I didn’t think was worthy of their time.
I was put on an antibiotic drip, had a general anaesthetic and surgery the next day and was a in 2 nights…

Let urgent care/A&E decide!

Youaremysunshine14 · 05/06/2022 11:02

Whoa, it's not just her nail that's in a bad way, OP, but her toe too. The colour and swelling looks abnormal and I would be worried about sepsis. I think you should take her to an NHS walk-in or even A&E for someone to look at it urgently.

ArtVandalay · 05/06/2022 11:09

Omg! The eggs. Actually really disturbing.

And I’ve never actually seen an ingrown toenail, but that looks really bad.

UrsulaBursula · 05/06/2022 11:10

That toe needs medical help before it develops into sepsis

ChristmasFluff · 05/06/2022 11:16

Fuck me, I cannot believe a supposed 'specialist' has said this is a salt water job!

I'm not a specialist, just someone who really has worked in a hospital.

This is why these threads are an absolute disgrace and should not be allowed on Mumsnet - at the very least, phone 111 - even their algorithm will be better than advice from randoms on the internet.

Bookbellend · 05/06/2022 11:17

That needs looked at 👀

Fluffycloudland77 · 05/06/2022 11:19

What’s wrong with salt water? Bacteria don’t like it, it doesn’t destroy newly healed tissue and most people have salt in their cupboards.

SamPoodle123 · 05/06/2022 11:27

Get her to urgent care NOW. She can die of sepsis if this infection continues.....sepsis is not a joke. Please take her now.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 05/06/2022 11:33

ChristmasFluff · 05/06/2022 11:16

Fuck me, I cannot believe a supposed 'specialist' has said this is a salt water job!

I'm not a specialist, just someone who really has worked in a hospital.

This is why these threads are an absolute disgrace and should not be allowed on Mumsnet - at the very least, phone 111 - even their algorithm will be better than advice from randoms on the internet.

Not one person on this thread has said it's JUST a salt water job, unless I'm mistaken and you'd like to point it out?

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 05/06/2022 11:34

Fuck me, I cannot believe a supposed 'specialist' has said this is a salt water job

No-pne has said its a salt water job .

Salt water bathing as an immediate Do It Now first line
Not using cream or Vaseline or any other gunky shit .

A good warm salted solution will draw and is a natural available soothing antiseptic. (You need enough salt in boiled water to go cloudy . Sterile saline is just body level salt )
And the posts have all said "Seek Help"

Bear in mind its a BH .
There won't be GPs but there will be OOH/Walk In/PolyClinic/A&E

70isaLimitNotaTarget · 05/06/2022 11:38

Not one person on this thread has said it's JUST a salt water job, unless I'm mistaken and you'd like to point it out?

I think MrsPelligrino I said something like just salt water as a cleansing agent ( not the gloopy creams) but further in my post was getting help , and I did clarify this .
In my first post I did mention the 111/ A&E if spreading infection.

Maybe ChristmasFluff saw that post ?

Dixiechickonhols · 05/06/2022 11:46

Do you have a minor injuries/urgent care. If she’ll agree to go with you. Then at least she could be checked by Dr and start antibiotics today.
It’s probably been made worse by wearing trainers. I know when I suffered as a teen I was embarrassed plus had to wear shoes for hours a day a school whereas open toe shoes would have been better.

IVbumble · 05/06/2022 11:51

I used to be a community nurse & it was quite common in the summer months for patients to find maggots in their leg or foot wounds.

olympicsrock · 05/06/2022 12:05

If you read to the end of the post you will see that as well as cleaning it with warm salt water, I said out of hours Gp for oral antibiotics and podiatry input next week .

Wrongkindofovercoat · 05/06/2022 12:07

Your poor DD, ingrowing toenails can be very painful and I imagine the thought of someone else touching them when they are so painful, has put her off getting help. Also the normal teenage embarrassment of showing anyone anything even mildly not quite right about their bodies.

I think the best course of action is to ring 111 for advice, maybe take a photo of the 'after' it being soaked as well, as they might want to see the photo's. If they think there are signs of infection they can always prescribe antibiotics.

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 05/06/2022 12:28

It looks about par for the course for a nasty ingrowing toenail except for the maggots. This is why I always tell my patients to cover their whole infected toe especially in summer because flies get everywhere. But she has neglected her feet in the most appalling way. Get her to a GP and referred to nail surgery stat!!!!

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 05/06/2022 12:29

Those flies could have previously been on dog or cat poo or days old rubbish so she could get anything from gas gangrene to sepsis.

MrsPelligrinoPetrichor · 05/06/2022 12:33

Shehasadiamondinthesky · 05/06/2022 12:29

Those flies could have previously been on dog or cat poo or days old rubbish so she could get anything from gas gangrene to sepsis.

All the more reason to give it a good soak in salt water as suggested.

Cats1234567 · 05/06/2022 12:49

My cousin nearly died of sepsis. Sepsis is so dangerous, Please get it looked at asap. I doubt it would get better on its own, the longer she has it the more likely she could develop complications such as serious infections or gangrene. She needs strong antibiotics and I am afraid the toenails need to come out through minor surgery.

MalbecandToast · 05/06/2022 12:57

Bloody hell that looks sore! How is she walking and wearing a shoe on that toe?! I too am concerned by the colour of it and hope she gets it looked at ASAP.

Basilbrushgotfat · 05/06/2022 13:13

Really hope she's seen someone about it by now, op!

TirisfalPumpkin · 05/06/2022 13:20

Good flies, they've laid eggs and alerted you to a serious problem. That toe looks actually necrotic and I wish I hadn't been eating when I looked at it.

Also I wasn't even aware this corner of MN existed, although I have a weird relative who is obsessed by those pimple popping videos. The variety and breadth of things humans enjoy is truly fascinating.

Hope the toe turns out okay and some serious conversations are had about hygiene and not letting parts of you literally rot off due to embarrassment or discomfort with going to the doctor.

Basilbrushgotfat · 05/06/2022 13:30

@TirisfalPumpkin absolutely. Maggots have been used for centuries to clean wounds with dead and necrotic tissue, so they're not actually a bad thing in themselves but definitely indicative of a wound that needs serious attention

Swipe left for the next trending thread