I have seen a podiatrist every two months for toenail fungus of all nails and one recurring ingrown toenail supposedly due to the fungus. I can tolerate the trimming, the electric filing hurts and stings but I can get through that also. When he sweeps some kind of instrument underneath the nail, the pain is absolutely severe. Lancinating, scraping, as if he is scraping the bone. I hobble out, toes red raw and extremely sore, swearing I'll never go back but the nail problems recur and I am unable to fix them myself. Can you please tell me if it is normal for debridement to hurt so bad? I considered seeking treatment elsewhere but am wondering if the outcome will be the same, it just goes with the territory. I have read of toenail fungus and the cosmetic concerns but have never really seen much mention of pain. I have lupus with cold & purple feet supposedly due to Raynaud's. Any insight you could offer would be most appreciated as it's "that time again" and I'm dreading another appointment. Thank you very much.
If it is painful, he is scraping too close to the attached portion of the nail plate and not just scraping away the debris in the area of separation. Some of the pain may be associated with your Lupus, but cleaning under the nails shouldn't be that painful. Why not just have the ingrown nail removed from the root so it won't grow back? You don't have to have the entire nail root removed, just the portion that grows inward. You could always clean under the nails yourself. You can get a Curette from your local Sally Beauty supply and use the small end to scrape under the nail. Are you taking meds for the fungus?
Thank you so much for your reply. I will definitely head to my local Sally Beauty supply today. I didn't think it should be so painful but assumed it goes with the territory. No meds for fungus, he said there is nothing to be done except diligent routine nail care. When he files with the "dremmel" he takes layers off every nail, leaving holes in some places, as he said that is the only way to remove the fungus underneath the nail.
I am learning quite alot from this board with some great suggestions to research further. Many thanks again.
DO NOT let him use the dremmel tool on your nails again!! Thinning them out every 2 months can cause permanent damage to the nail bed due to friction burns from the speed of the drill - they can spin in excess of 35rpm's per minute. OUCH!! Cleaning the debris out from under the nail will not get rid of the fungal spores because they live deep within the soft tissues of the nail bed and in the layers of the nail plate. While you are at Sally's, get a bottle of Dr. G's for fungus and apply it twice a day and make sure it gets under and around the nail.
The debris he scrapes out is only the waste of the infection as it eats the proteins in the nail plate for food. It is my opinion that you have wasted a lot of money going to this doctor. There are numerous medications, both over the counter and by prescription that can get rid of fungus. It can take upwards of a year of diligent application to kill all the spores.
Do not file the nail plate surface anymore but keep the length short. As they grow, cut away as much of the damaged portion as you can so the medicine has a chance to get under the nail plate. Toenails grow very slow, so you should only have to trim them once every 4-6 weeks.
I don't have the same problem as you but wanted to let you know of an alternative remedy for toe-nail fungus that has appeared in columns in our local paper written by Dr. Peter Gott. He recommends using Vick's vapor rub; rubbed into the nail and nail bed several times a day. Many readers have written in saying that it has cured their fungus, although it takes months, or until until a new nail has completely grown in. I am not kidding! A search may give more details.
Thank you all very much for the advice and information. I will diligently keep working on my problem, and will most likely find another podiatrist. The dremmel stings like the dickens but the debridement part is the most intolerable. You've made me feel like much less of a "baby". Thank you again for all your help!
