Nail Fungus Treatment - Nail Problems Message Board

Merrida · 01-26-2003, 06:56 AM

If you're treated for nail fungus, with internal medication (I forgot the name of it, but it was 5 days straight in a month, 5 days the next month, and 5 days the 3rd month). That was the end of treatment. This was for nail fungus in both finger and toe nails.

Six to eight months later it's about 80% cleared up, but I can still the residual, and definitely feel the residuals,...the linear fragments stippling right beneath the nailbed under the nail that grows out. Everything near the cuticle is clear about 80% of the way up.

I instinctually want to keep trying to "clean" the rest away since it hurts, it's easily accessible, it looks horrible,...but it hurts so badly.

I'm told this takes "months" to clear up, even after the 3 months of treatment... but while I still see it and feel it, the doc says it's gone now. They don't seem to view the thickening and lifting of the tiny bit at the top anything worthy of my attention or theirs.

I see it, feel it, I know it's still there, and I know what it is, but I really don't understand how it can be looked at and then I be told it's "nothing?"

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Life isn't what happens to you -- it's how you react to it!

Thoughts don't make us who we are -- Actions do.

Marti · 01-26-2003, 10:22 AM

The tablets are called Lamasil and work internally to kill the fungal spores that are deep into the nail plate layers. Once the spores are 'dead', the inffection is no longer active. This does not mean that the nail plate will reattach itself to the nail bed. It will only do so as a new nail emerges from the matrix and pushes the lifted portion out over the free edge where you can trim it off during normal toenail/fingernail maintenance.

The actual time one should take Lamasil is 12 weeks for the toenails and 6 weeks for the fingernails. If your doctor took you off the medication before this time span, the fungus may actually still be active. An active fungus is characterized by evident debris between the lifted nail plate and the nail bed. I imagine that this is what you are montuioning when you say you are still scraping 'stuff' out from under the lifted portion. Do not attempt to scrape it out as the pain from doing so is telling you that you are tearing the plate from the bed where it is firmly attached. Doig this can actually allow the fungus to go deeper into the portion of attached plate and allow the fungal spores to go further back toward the matrix, allowing for even more nail plate lifting.

If there is still evident debris between the plate and the bed in the lifted portion, the fungal spores are still active. You should go back to your Doctor and ask him to do a scraping and grow a culture to determine if there are no more active fungal spores at the site. All it takes is ONE active spore to turn into a full-blown infection.

If this is not something you want to do, do a search on the web for Woodward Labs and purchase a product called Dr. G's Clear Nail. Apply it twice a day to the effected nails until the debris is completely gone and you can see that the nail is 'well'. This means that there is no more debris between the plate and the bed in the lifted portion and you can also see that the lifted portion is now growing forward on the plate as it should.

To keep fungus from coming back, follow these simple hints:

1. Don't share shoes, nail clippers, files or any other implements used for nail grooming.

2. Wear protective, properly fitting shoes or work and sports.

3. Air out shoes regularly and use anti-fungal spray or powder. Live fungal spores can live in the moist leather of our shoes.

4. Don't go barefoot in public places, and wear shoes when doing gardening or anything else that will allow your feet to come in contact with 'dirt' as the spores can live in soil.

5. Use only implements that thave been properly sanitized when doing your toenail/fingernail grooming. This means that the implements should be washed in hot, soapy water, rinced really well, then soaked for 10 minutes in 100% alcohol. Rinse the alcohol from the implements, dry them thoroughly and store in a clean, sealed container between uses.

6. Wear protective gloves when having your hands in water a lot, or when using any type of household cleaning solution, gardening, washing your car, etc.

franjo · 01-26-2003, 12:26 PM

Just a thought....My brother-in-law's doctor didn't want to put him on Lamisil because evidently it can be hard on your liver. But he told him that alot of people swear that Vicks VapoRub, applied to the nail after a bath when the nail is softer, will kill the fungus. He tried it and it worked. His nails turned dark as the fungus was dying off, but then grew in healthy and pink. It probably wouldn't hurt to try it if you think the fungus is still active....franjo