Embarrassing topic... toe nail fungus. Ick!

[weebiscuit]

Has anyone had to deal with this? I understand it's fairly common, but I've never once had a problem with it until about 9 months ago. I was wearing toe nail polish most of last summer, and I think that's what caused me to get it. I have it only on one toe, a big toe, and I just realized that the nail is separating from the nail bed towards the top. Are there any treatments that you know really work?

I'm not going to the doctor for it because I know the only thing he'd do is to give me a prescription for an oral medication, and I refuse to take it because it's very hard on the liver, and I already take a lot of Tylenol which can be hard on the liver, too, so I'm not taking another drug that's hard on it.

I've heard that Vicks Vapo-Rub works, and someone else said they used bleach, on a Q-tip, making sure it got under the nail . I just worry that the bleach could actually kill the skin, making the nail separate from the nail bed for certain. Are there any OTC medications that work?

 

[Ashley]

There is nothing that I know of other then the stuff from the doc that works. I know a few that have taken the meds from the doc and it has worked wonders.

I know what you are talking about as I have the same issue now, but cant/wont do anything about it as I am pregnant. I plan to after. I have never wore nail polish. And if you leave it with out treatment it will spread to your other toes.

 

[anoki]

From experiences of SEVERAL people....this DOES work, but it is a DAILY routine that will take time to work (as long as it takes for your toe nail to grow out completely).

PURE TEATREE OIL. Sand the fungus with an emery board to open the 'pores' of the fungus. Drop pure teatree oil on it DAILY. It DOES work, and you will have absolutely normal toenails afterwards....I've seen it for myself!! But like I said, for it to disappear completely will be the length of time for your toe nail to grow out completely, so it is not a 'quick fix'. I'm not sure what the length of time for the drugs are....

~kathryn

 

[bevann]

I have the same problem -got a prescription to apply like nail polish-not working.I saw an ad for laser treatment.I'm ready to call.

 

[shadowpaints]

i just had to deal with this about 4 months ago! i used tea tree oil, 3 times a day, with in 2 weeks i could see clear nail growing

 

[weebiscuit]

Where do you find the tea tree oil? Do I look for something that says 100% tea tree oil, or is it added to something? Like, is is called "pure" tree tea oil?

 

[Marty]

Here you go kid but listen up: My mom had this in the hospital. The doctor gave her an RX for an antibiotic for around $10. and it was gone in about a week to ten days. Do not rule out an RX from you doc if you want this stuff gone fast.Good luck to you!

 

[AnnaC]

Tea Tree Oil will work on any fungal problem - safe for humans and animals EXCEPT make sure it is the Oil that can be used direct on the skin and not the Oil ONLY to be used in burners (fragrances for rooms etc) The two small bottles are extremely similar, so have a good read of the info - it should say 'for topical use' and give instructions about the few drops on cotton wool applied to the skin.

It's brilliant stuff, but it does take time plus you need to keep going for a while even after you think things have been cured. It was the miracle saver for my old G/Dane who had some sort of nasty fungal infection develop around a claw, then spread to most of her foot and to the skin on her bottom jaw as she licked her foot. Four courses of anti-b's failed to touch it and my vet was talking about having to amputate her toe to try to stop 'it' travelling into her bones (!!). Someone told me about tea tree and although it took about a month of twice daily applications, it worked! What a relief!

Good luck!

Anna

 

[Minimor]

Iodine works too, doesn't look pretty if you're wanting to wear sandals, but it does work. Just the plain 2.5% iodine you buy at the store, dab it around the nail & it will run under the nail as well. Bleach does work (doesn't burn/kill the skin so I've been told by someone that used it) but iodine is better.

You can also buy canesten cream over the counter--anything meant for athletes foot will also cure toenail fungus; canesten is an anti-fungal.

 

[jayne]

I had fungus on one nail too (I think I got it at the pedicure place! ugh) and I used Lavender Oil and it worked great. That big thick nail is GONE and it's back to normal. I made it part of my routine to rub it over my nail and skin around it every morning after I got out of the shower. It went away in the length of time it took for the nail to completely grow out. I bought my Lavender Oil right from the grower in CA where it was distilled, but I think it can be found at health food and supplement type stores?

Here is an article I found. It talks about tea tree and oregano essential oils being effective as well:

Lavendar oil for nail fungus.

I was skeptical but it worked very well and smelled great too! ~jayne

 

[liltnt]

ok guys I dont know about lavnedar oil or oregano oil but... toe nail fungus is actually under the toe nail. so it doesnt seem to me that rubbing it on top of the toenail would help at all. However after taking an prescription for over a year, having to have my liver checked every three months to no avail. I decided to use the drumel on the nail to open up and expose the fungus.Now every bath or shower softens the junk under the toenail and eventually the fungus goes away. Now mind you I got it thirty years ago and have had it spread to all my toes, before I got it under control, I know GROOOOOSS but back in the day they didnt have anything for it. just the sdtory of one little old lady. Oh also the thick stuff under your toenails is the by product of the fungus and it can I say can get so thick it lifts your toenails Are you really grossed out now?

 

[jayne]

I know what you're saying, that it doesn't make sense that putting the oil on top would work, but I am here to tell you from first hand experience that it DOES! Maybe because it's oil, it seeps around and gets under there anyway, and maybe I didn't have too tough of a case, but the nail was all thick and spongy looking and yellow and gross. I think the things I read said that putting it on the nailbed (where the nail grows from) kept new nail from having it, so that eventually the bad stuff grew off. That's what happened in my case, at least.

Thanks for sharing your story. I guess I never realized how many people really suffered with this crazy stuff!

 

[weebiscuit]

Thanks for all the input, everyone! I really appreciate it! I have decided to NOT take a prescription for this at this point. I only have it on one toe, and it started at the top of the toenail (big toe) and went about halfway down. After looking at all the options (and thanks for that video, Marty!), I decided to try the bleach.

What I did was take a really rough file and I filed the surface of the nail bed really well. Then, I cut the toenail down very, very short. It was all dead with fungus under it anyway. Then, I took an old nail polish brush (won't be polishing those toes anyway, LOL!) and cleaned it with polish remover and then washed it with soap and water.

I filled a little bottle with 75% bleach and 25% water, dip the brush into it and then push the brush down under the toenail which I couldn't get cut off. I do this two or three times morning and night, along with brushing the bleach on top of the surface of the nail and all around it. I do this morning and night. I also will get the tea tree oil and plan on using that along with the bleach, as soon as I can get out to the store.

I think part of the reason this fungus flourished was that all winter I was never without socks. I even wore them to bed as it was cold! I realize I'll have to leave the toes uncovered in order to not encourage a moist, dark environment for the fungus to flourish, but man! It's only 60 degrees in the house today, and pouring rain, so I need my toesies covered! (We refuse to start the furnace. We heat with wood and don't want to start a wood fire at this time of year).

I was wearing sandals in the yard the last few days, to air the toes out, but I think that in the long run that might be worse, as I was gardening and my toes were covered with wet mud.

Just an "aside" story.... last year we went about a mile down the road because a new retired couple moved in there and I had "met" her on a local bulletin board/forum. The lady answered the door barefoot, and WHY my eyes went to her feet I have no idea, but I have never seen a worse case of fungus in my life! Honestly, all ten toe nails were yellowed and thick and raised up off the nail beds. It was the most hideous thing I've ever seen, and so I'm freaked out and don't want to be heading in the same direction. On the other hand, I know it was something she probably had absolutely no control over, and I felt so badly for her!

And then a few weeks ago I saw a very heavy-weight man in his mid-30's, walk into the gas station in front of me. He was wearing shorts and sandals, and his toes were the same, and not only his toes, but his heels! I honestly cannot imagine how someone's heels could get that bad, but they were SO cracked and SO dried out. The skin was so thickened on his heels that it looked as if a full quarter inch of the depth of the skin was dead. The cracks in those heels reminded me of cracks in cement after someone takes a jackhammer to it. They were literally so deep you could have slipped a dime in them. In reading about toenail fungus, I read that it can spread to the heels and cause back yellowing and cracking, and I'm sure that was the case with this man. And here I'm obsessing over one stinkin' toenail when others have so much more to deal with. There but for the grace of god.......

 

[Matt73]

From experiences of SEVERAL people....this DOES work, but it is a DAILY routine that will take time to work (as long as it takes for your toe nail to grow out completely).

PURE TEATREE OIL. Sand the fungus with an emery board to open the 'pores' of the fungus. Drop pure teatree oil on it DAILY. It DOES work, and you will have absolutely normal toenails afterwards....I've seen it for myself!! But like I said, for it to disappear completely will be the length of time for your toe nail to grow out completely, so it is not a 'quick fix'. I'm not sure what the length of time for the drugs are....

~kathryn

Yep, I can vouch for this as well. Kev got rid of his (on a big toe, too) with this. But it took a lot of perseverance and, like Kathryn said, daily doses.