Hi All... Background info...38 yr old T1 for 18 months. A1C's are great; last one was 5.3. No major issues. Now for the question....I just took off my toenail polish and noticed some white spots in the middle of my big toe nails, one very small spot almost looks black (when I put the polish on about 2 weeks ago I didn't see anything). Does this sound like an infection? I called my Dr. and of course they can't get me in for 2 weeks, I just love the military medical system. Has anyone else had this problem and what can I do in the meantime or is it nothing to worry about. I am a warehouse manager and wear steeltoe boots all day and in Florida lately it has been HOT!!

Thanks!!

Could be a fungal infection. I don't use polish, but I've heard that it is not recommended for diabetics, especially on the toenails, as it can set you up for a fungual infection, and hide it if it DOES occur. I understand how hard it can be to get urgent care when you're dealing with the military. Would it help speed things up if you called them back, told them you are a type 1 diabetic and you think you may have an infection on your toe? God forbid, it should be some other form of infection, but if you can't get in to the military clinic, I'd go ahead and pay out of pocket and go to a civilian urgent care clinic just to be sure. You don't want to take a chance of an infection getting out of hand.

My Mom, who does not have diabetes, struggled with chronic toenail fungus for years. All because she used to wear a lot of polish. Needless to say, she doesn't do that any more.

Cora

Welcome to the club. I tend to understate things too and not get quite enough attention quickly enough.

I agree with the others that it sounds like maybe a fungus, and toenail polish, or even adhesive tape around the end of the big toe seems to cause reactions. I've taken Lamisil before, after a simple liver test to make sure it would be okay, had one toenail come off, and the other one is pretty deformed. I'm a grandmother, long-term T2 with all the usual 20+ yrs complications, advanced proliferative retinopathy, some loss of vision, bunion ulcer, with which they threaten amputation, to scare you half to death into buying lightweight wheelchairs and fore-arm crutches to try to keep your weight off. Each recurrence, you have a little greater resistance to antibiotics.

If infection goes into the bone, you're threatened with amputation, and I've read that there's often further amputation needed within maybe a year. I heard about one guy who had intravenous antibiotic, one toe amputated. Calls himself "_____ Nine Toes". Haven't talked to him yet personally. Just hope you'll not let things go that far and will be able to adequately communicate any urgent concerns.

I have a son and his family who've been in the military, Air Force. He was in the Gulf Wars. He's out now, flying for a commercial airline. Hope you don't have anyone in Iraq. Stress! Very bad for diabetics.

Welcome to the club. I tend to understate things too and not get quite enough attention quickly enough.

I agree with the others that it sounds like maybe a fungus, and toenail polish, or even adhesive tape around the end of the big toe seems to cause reactions. I've taken Lamisil before, after a simple liver test to make sure it would be okay, had one toenail come off, and the other one is pretty deformed. I'm a grandmother, long-term T2 with all the usual 20+ yrs complications, advanced proliferative retinopathy, some loss of vision, bunion ulcer, with which they threaten amputation, to scare you half to death into buying lightweight wheelchairs and fore-arm crutches to try to keep your weight off. Each recurrence, you have a little greater resistance to antibiotics.

If infection goes into the bone, you're threatened with amputation, and I've read that there's often further amputation needed within maybe a year. I heard about one guy who had intravenous antibiotic, one toe amputated. Calls himself "_____ Nine Toes". Haven't talked to him yet personally. Just hope you'll not let things go that far and will be able to adequately communicate any urgent concerns.

I have a son and his family who've been in the military, Air Force. He was in the Gulf Wars. He's out now, flying for a commercial airline. Hope you don't have anyone in Iraq. Stress! Very bad for diabetics.

I am a type 2 and have had this happen to me before. It took almost 3 months to disappear completely with no treatment at all. I went to the doctor but he said it wasn't a fungus and it would go away by itself. I called a instructor at the local beauty school and she said it was pretty common when you wore dark colored polish (red in my case) for long periods of time and it was nothing to worry about and would go away. Don't worry about it if its only discolored spots (white or cream colored) on the toenail they will go away in a few months.