DIY fungal nail infection treatment

[Tim+]

I?ve had a thickened yellowed section of one of my big toenails for a long time. Tried a few over the counter remedies with no luck. Happened to mention it to my doctor whilst I was in for something else and he said the the next line of treatment is usually oral anti-fungal drugs taken for some months. Given that the drugs can be a bit toxic and it was hardly life threatening, I just left it.

Well, I was looking closely at my nail which had separated from the nail bed most of the way down to the root. I reasoned that the problem with topical treatments was that they simply couldn?t get to the ?root? of the problem so to speak.

My solution was to drill a couple of small holes through the nail as close to he root as possible and then use these holes to squirt anti-fungal ointment in. Raising the nail slightly with a probe whilst you?re doing this and drilling with a small drill bit twisted between you fingers is pretty easy.

After this I squirted in some Lamisil (terbinafine) ointment which I find most effective for fungal skin infections. I repeated this a few times (no more than half a dozen iirc) and then more or less forgot about it as it takes a *long* time to judge success.

Well it?s been nearly a year now and my nail is no longer yellow or thickened and is firmly adherent to the nail bed so I?m calling it a success.

So, there you do, a new DIY treatment for chronic fungal nail infection.

Hope this is of use to others.

Tim

[Just Jim Dandy]

hhhaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

[The Natural Philosopher]

I have a molar that has a channel between the two roots completely open. I use a syringe and some antiseptic to flush it out. keeps infections at bay

[Dave W]

Thanks for this idea. I have one dodgy fingernail - the doctor has never seen such a thing. The nail is not flakey like it was when I first noticed it, but is still discoloured.

[PeterC]

I used an expensive Scholl system on my toenails for nearly a year and it had some effect. The local pharmacist recommended Daktarin (it seems to be the only topical substance suitable for nails, at least among the 'gunk-in-a-tube' sort). Lightly abraded the nails once a week, used Daktarin twice a day until the tube was empty, cleared up the infection. I did all of the nails, even those that weren't discoloured, between the toes and also any thick skin near the toes, as infection can spred under this. Previously I'd tried three other creams, chosen for differing active ingredient, with only limited benefit.

[ARW]

Am I the only person that decided the definition of old it when you cannot bite your own toe nails?

[Tim+]

That landmark passed so long ago I can?t remember it. ;-)

Tim

[Andy Burns]

I don't know whether it's due to age, height or fat, but my toes can't get closer than 10" away from my teeth.

[Brian Gaff (Sofa]

How do you avoid drilling into your toe. I think also as we age, our nails thicken and do separate, allowing nasty things to gain a foothold (sorry), so you might have just been lucky. Brian

[Andy Burns]

If it's like the technique of releasing blood trapped under a banged nail, I think the general idea is to hand-hold the drill bit rather than use an electric drill. Alternatively try a needle heated to red hot on the hob.

Never tried it, but have heard applying a drop of tea tree oil at base of nail helps.

[ARW]

When I was married Pavla always had an orgasm if I was sucking her toe whilst knobbing her.

And she could put her legs behind her neck so I never had to put any effort in.

[Spike]

Have you tried TePe interdental brushes?

They come in a variety of colour-coded sizes.

I use mine to get toothpaste into the gaps between teeth.

[GB]

Excellent multi-tasking!

[ARW]

There you go. Two jobs at the same time done by a bloke.

[Andrew]

when you can no longer even see your toes is a milestone that many people pass at some point.

[Max Demian]

Reminds me of seaside postcards:

[Pancho]

Sainsbury's and ASDA do cheaper versions, but yes, very good.

Interdental brush in the morning, floss at night.