That is a problem that I've hem-hawed (sp?) around about with Bob. Before his stroke, his toenails were perfect. But something has happened since. I don't know if it was the stroke itself, or some meds he takes. Here is the weird part - it started with the big toe nail on his GOOD foot. It started looking paste-y and I noticed that it looked like it was pushing out at the bottom of the nail bed. It looked like it should be real painful - but he said no, and remember this is his GOOD side. Then it began to happen to the big toe nail on the stroke side. He never has had any pain from it. It would appear that the beds of the nail have finally made it out from under the cuticle, and the nails do not grow, as nails grow from the beds. I guess that makes them dead nails. hmmmm.... Still no pain, not even when I touch the area to see if he makes a face or reacts. I think sometimes about having them off, but then I _KNOW_ that will hurt, and he's in no pain the way it is. It's a mystery. Keep a good record on how long the pain last on this toenail removal thing, would like that info for Bob! Tell Dan we hope his toe heals quickly

Dans started out looking waxy , then gnarly , then it literally in the last couple days turned to a mushroom... dan never complained of pain of the toenail either - he hated how it looked - but no pain untill - the other night..... it was a quick no big deal procedure --- didnt think the doc would have time.... basically she numbed it with a cold spray , injected novacaine around, deadened it, detached it, wrapped it and sent us on our way, dan was able to walk on it - since he dosent really feel his foot anyhow. but he was fatigued from the whole circus of it.... tomorrow we will soak in epson salts and rewrap... and i will post on this blog how it goes... so sandy look for it under this blog even if i happen to post a new blog - i will message you when i write about it... liven the dream babe - livin the dream....grrrr

OH and it definatley was a fungus that caused it. from some injury or another during the stroke. and the nail will grow back and that will also have fungus but, the hope is less so. If it has more issues then they will do a actual surgery where they cut nerves or something of the like (?) ...

Ray's toenails look disgusting but they always did. We've been told he has some kind of mild fungus, but he's has had it since I've known him. I remember him trying to cure it himself with various things on and off. One was Vicks Vapor Rub, believe it or not. Now he has a podiatrist whom we see every other month just to cut the nails, and he said the good anti fungus prescriptions have side effects so just let it be.

But last time we were there, I noticed he trimmed the one big toenail almost halfway down, although he didn't say anything about it. Glad I finally got the scoop from you guys, guess that's what he was doing. I thought he just went a little too far by accident! Anyway I do like having him take a peek periodically, feet can be a scary thing healthwise. When Ray was in the hospital for three months, you know he never took his socks off the whole time, and they let him keep them on. Never figured out what that was all about!

My toes (nails) look like crap. Last year I had a incident with my big toe. I was landscaping with large limestone and was of course in my flip flops and the stone rolled over my foot somehow. : ) I went and they removed the nail. I did't think they were going to stop trimming my toenail. Sounds like everything worked out ok!

My mom had a mayonnaise toe she called it --- similar to dans but didnt stick up like dans started to his really looked like a little button mushroom and about that high --- moms was just gnarly for years she dealt with it... BUT vicks did work for her, about 15 years ago when the vicks thing " came out" she tried it. and it took at least a year but it worked... her nail looked so much better..... I should add she called her mayonnaise toe cause she dropped a jar of mayo on it causing the injury ......... LOL ( thinking of mom)

Nancy, don't worry, I'll see it. If you post to the thread, it will go back to the top again. I've had some problems with 2 of my toenails - the same 2 toes that it seems I always rammed into things. They are pasty and I deal with them by using one of those big foot emery board things - the really rough side. I just file from the bed toward the tip in a sweeping motion, to keep them thin. But that leaves a rough top, so they never look shiny, even when painted. And now they have split, and the little split places catch on the sheet when I turn over, pulling backward and making OUCHIES! I sometimes put a bandaide or tape on them to sleep, and sometimes forget. I used prescription cream for years and it never really did anything. I thought if one did get a nail removed and put that salve on the nail bed, it might prevent the problem from coming back.... because the fungus is actually under the toenail and you could finally reach that area.

I know that med causes liver failure, so with my luck, I'd expect that to happen, so didn't use it.

oh, and P.S. - there was a time that I was soaking me feet in alcohol 2ce a day, for an hour each time, because I had a plantar wart and no foot doctor to remove it. It dried up the wart and my toenails became beautiful, like little pink shells. However, they reverted. I guess the fact that that foot has other problems and those toenails never get a break from pressure and me ramming my foot into things, will never let them be happy. I don't know if there are any risks in that much exposure to alcohol. My dog I had then kept trying to tell me it was wrong, he would smell it and didn't like it and would keep standing there shaking his head and sneezing, trying to tell me I was using something that stunk so why?

I've heard vics turns nails black?

i've had nail fungus many years. (compliments of walking in jungles of Vietnam) my podiatrist said he could remove the nails, but, no guarantee it would stop the fungus. I opted out of the surgery, so now I use eucalyptus oil and it seems to help. I still get toenails clipped every three to four months. Just, another thing we take for granted.

-Will

no vicks never turned moms nails black, i suppose each fungus could be different though.... changed the bandage today - lots of blood ( seemed like it) but looks claen no issues and dan has chosen to walk on it - he does feel it .. but refused to use the chair in the house.. soooo we all know dan, he will do what he insists.... but overall it has been "good" so far.......

And Will i worked with a vietnam vet who also had the dreaded foot rot , on the bottom of his feet - he literally does his own surgeries ( cuts the excess tough skin growth) himself as the docs have messed it up everytime he trusted them... he does ok so far , he has ran about 20 full marathons .. so you are in good company compliments of the jungle ....

Sandy, my Mom went to the ER to have a wart removed once, they sort of laughed at her and said that's not exactly an emergency. But then the nurse took pity on her and said, don't you know you can remove warts with masking tape? Just leave it on for a few days. I think she tried it and it worked, but I'll have to check with her to make sure.

Since it's 1:30 in the morning, figured I'd just look it up myself. So it's true but it's duct tape, here's the instructions http://www.mckinley.illinois.edu/handouts/wart_duct_tape.html

Foot warts are different from all others, in that they go INSIDE, under the skin, because of the weight of our bodies standing on them. When they are removed, the doctor has to actually use special plyers to remove the foot pad that is over the wart so that he can get to it. It looks like a clear bubble on the bottom of the foot, unlike the rough warts found in other locations. Nothing works on it, because nothing can reach to where it really is, under the skin. We once went to a foot doctor who wanted to scrape it a little at a time, and spent something like 9 months doing it - making a fortune off us, and he never got it done. Actually my husband and I both ended up with about 14 foot warts each, from the exposure of this wart always open around the house/shower. He had warned that surgically REMOVING them could cause a piece of scar tissue that would feel like you were walking on something, when in fact, out of all removed surgically, his long drawn out scraping was the only one to leave behind a bad scar.

I don't know about the duct tape, I've heard others say it did work on warts on OTHER parts of the body. But I can say one has to be very careful, because once you have an open wart, it can infect everyone you're around.

Yeah I always noticed when people have a wart, they seem to have a bunch of them. My Mom for example. Glad me and Ray never had any ourselves, I'll make that my "grateful" thing for the day!

I got my toenail cut down because it was infected last year. Between wearing "flats" with no socks and the seizure I had that knocked me off my bed and hurt my foot, my toenail had turned black and was loose. I took some fungus pills for it but it took a very long time to grow out and I think it might still be a little bit there. I worry about my other toenails since they stay curled and I cannot move them. Dan is lucky to have you

right now dan is a little peeved at me -- so he doesent "feel" very lucky --- we have done so much the last few days even with the toenail issue - that i had to "ground" him.. so he is in one of his moods.... he wasent sure why or where he wanted to go yesterday , but i knew he was gonna crash.. so i said no - to which he threw his plate on the floor - refused to eat and went to bed ( this was at 4 in the afternoon) it is 10 am and he is still asleep - soon the nurse will be here to hook up the IV - and check hime over ( including the toe) ... hope it is a better day.... i hate always being the grown up...nancyl

Hope things have improved since you wrote this. Ray is OK rght this minute but we are in the middle of a snow storm with 8 inches predicted by dinnertime, hope he hangs in there til then. You know how those two have psychic telepathy.

I just realized, you mean he didn't watch the Superbowl?!

Hope he gets to feeling better before you head down our way. Looking forward to seeing you two again!

He is better at least the stormy moods don't stay like they used to.... and i think given our freezing temps and snow dan will be happy to go to AZ --- and NO dan did not watch the Super Bowl .... thats my Dan - if he decides he is mad he will just get stubborn. but at least today is a better day. so far..lol

thank God for a new day with a fresh start!

Update on the toenail -- it is looking good - clean no problems - soaked a few days - no biggie kept it covered for 3 days with antibiotic salve -- and then in bed at night now just gonna " air" it out.. i will wrap it when he is gonna walk on it for a few days to prevent "whatever" since he cant really, really feel everything so i don't want it rubbing and touching something.. and get an infection - he complains of no real pain - ... so far so good..

Hope it continues good, Nancy

Just have been reading all the posts of toe nails. mine are terriable! They are black, do not hurt, but look bad. My husband is the only one who cut's my nail, thay are so hard!!!!!!!!!!

I went to a feet doctor, but he gave me some cream and charge me $148! so i keep then short and clean. I used to put on vicki's I try that again.

Yvonne