the drawback of googling symptoms

[alison]

So, I have this ingrown toenail. I used to do ballet, and blisters and blood on my feet were an everyday thing. I ignored the swelling on my toe for the first few days, but now my toe has been bothering me for over a week and it hurts. I googled "ingrown toenail" and one of the sites that came up totally freaked me out. "After 2-3 days, go have it looked at." And then there was this picture of a surgically removed toenail. Dh is going to have to get his butt home soon, because I clearly have too much time on my hands!

[Stella]

Re: the drawback of googling symptoms

And then there was this picture of a surgically removed toenail.

Ummm... I've actually had to go through that process. I used to dance too, though I doubt it was from that. I just ignored it for far too long and had to get the toenail removed. It was in high school, so I don't remember all of what happened, but it was naaaaasty.

[MissCrabette]

I thought I was the only one doing all this googling. I'm glad to see I'm in good company. :>

The problem I've run into is not knowing the medical terms needed to search with. I also came across some pretty disgusting photos. Some warning, please. Not for the squeamish. They have porn warnings, they should have warnings for disgusting images too.

[alison]

Re: the drawback of googling symptoms

And then there was this picture of a surgically removed toenail.

Ummm... I've actually had to go through that process. I used to dance too, though I doubt it was from that. I just ignored it for far too long and had to get the toenail removed. It was in high school, so I don't remember all of what happened, but it was naaaaasty.

I guess because I put my feet through the wringer with ballet, I'm more apt to leave an ingrown nail alone until it's too late. Shoot! This sounds disgusting--I'm going to watch it over the weekend and see what it's like on Monday. A few days ago I was able to get some pus out of it. Usually after I release that pressure it heals up quickly, but this time the soreness seems to have spread. I cut my nail back last night to see what was going on, but I can't really tell.

How bad was yours before you, uh, went in to have it looked at?

[Stella]

If the pus is coming out, that's not good. When it started doing that for a couple of days, I went in. It was operated on in less than a week, but it's not like a "surgery" or anything. A general doctor should be able to do it. Besides the obvious alcohol and peroxide dousing, I stuck cotton under the tonail to keep it raised and prevent it from digging into the side. I kept it wrapped and padded and didn't wear shoes other than slippers or tennis shoes. My toe was also very red, a little swollen where it was ingrown, and bleeding/pussung periodically.

[DCJenn]

Don't wait Alison- I ended up with cellulitis crawling up my leg from an infected blister on my toe. Red streak going right up my leg. My husband, the ER doc and the ID doc were WAY impressed with my streak. Apparently another 'benefit' of pale skin is that you can see the blood infection Way Better than Normal.

Go to the doc. Get drugs. Get better.

Jenn

[Stella]

Oh yeah, go to the doc now. Don't wait like I did. It doesn't "get better" once it's there. I thought I had mentioned that already. Oops.

[Sheherezade]

Go to the doctor. But until then, stick your foot in a tub of very hot water with salt. It will soften the skin and help clear out the pus. That will relieve some of the pain. This is my DH's answer for everything. Soak it.

[alison]

Oh crap. Are you serious? I'll go, I'll go. Dh says it doesn't look red nor puffy. He seems to think it'll be ok, but it just doesn't feel right. A streak up the leg that started with a blister?!

Do you see a podiatrist or a dermatologist? I am having a toe probem too but it's not an ingrown toenail--it's just that my nail hurts at the cuticle for no obvious reason. It's been like that for about a month now, I have no idea why. There is nothing ingrown and no redness or anything. I have been ignoring it but maybe I should do something about it?

[alison]

I'm just going to go to my primary care physician on Monday. I took everyone's advice here, and called for an appointment. nothing's available, but I was told to go early to see if there's a cancellation or if someone has a spare moment. This is going to suck, but Rachel, it's probably better to have it looked at earlier than later.