Ingrown Toenail Syndrome - update had the procedure

[Dedpuhl]

I'm having a hard time with ingrown toenails. I've decided to go to a podiatrist to see if I can have the procedure where the sides of the nail are cut off and the nail matrix is chemically burned on each side. Has anyone had this procedure? What are the costs? Will insurance cover this?

I'm just asking questions before the initial visit to the doctor. Is there anything else I should know about the procedure?


update

I went to the doc on March 2. He examined my toes and said I did have a problem. However, he said he only does the procedure on Wednesdays. I had to schedule to have it done. Today, I go in at 4PM to have this crap taken care of.

I can't wait to end almost 10 years of agony

update 2

2 hours and some vicodine later, and I'm feeling good

My toes are/were bleeding pretty bad. I'm all bandaged up. The doctor had a hard time numbing my right toe. He had to stick me 4 freaking times before it went numb. I don't see how people can go to work the next day. I can't even removed the bandaging until friday afternoon.

 

[minendo]

I had one of mine burned with a laser. Pretty interesting procedure and I don't think it cost more than $150.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl
I'm having a hard time with ingrown toenails. I've decided to go to a podiatrist to see if I can have the procedure where the sides of the nail are cut off and the nail matrix is chemically burned on each side. Has anyone had this procedure? What are the costs? Will insurance cover this?

I'm just asking questions before the initial visit to the doctor. Is there anything else I should know about the procedure?

do it and you'll be a happy camper. Yes insurance covers it (at least mine does...no stinkin HMO for me).

It is the most wonderful thing you can do for your feet if you have problems with ingrown toenails. Make sure you see a pediatrist and not a general doc.

 

[Toasthead]

I had this done also. BOth borders of both big toes. They were REALLY bad. It actually didnt work the first time so they did it again for free. Im not sure how much it cost though as I was under my parents insurance at the time and they scheduled it all. I am SOO HAPPY that I had it done.

Its been about 10 years since I had the second procedure done ( both were done within months of each other ) and I have been ingrown free since..

 

[Dedpuhl]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl
I'm having a hard time with ingrown toenails. I've decided to go to a podiatrist to see if I can have the procedure where the sides of the nail are cut off and the nail matrix is chemically burned on each side. Has anyone had this procedure? What are the costs? Will insurance cover this?

I'm just asking questions before the initial visit to the doctor. Is there anything else I should know about the procedure?

do it and you'll be a happy camper. Yes insurance covers it (at least mine does...no stinkin HMO for me).

It is the most wonderful thing you can do for your feet if you have problems with ingrown toenails. Make sure you see a pediatrist and not a general doc.

I need to see a baby doctor?

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl
I'm having a hard time with ingrown toenails. I've decided to go to a podiatrist to see if I can have the procedure where the sides of the nail are cut off and the nail matrix is chemically burned on each side. Has anyone had this procedure? What are the costs? Will insurance cover this?

I'm just asking questions before the initial visit to the doctor. Is there anything else I should know about the procedure?

do it and you'll be a happy camper. Yes insurance covers it (at least mine does...no stinkin HMO for me).

It is the most wonderful thing you can do for your feet if you have problems with ingrown toenails. Make sure you see a pediatrist and not a general doc.

I need to see a baby doctor?

DOH!

ped, pod, whatever...foot doctor!

 

[EyeMWing]

Heh. I have a tough time with ingrown toenails on one of my feet.
I had one of them cut, and had the edges of the nail cut off. I have since decided that rather than having to see that DISGUSTINGness again, I'll just live with it (It grew right back). Doesn't hurt or anything, just tends to accumulate a little extra gunk there and look funny when I've been on my feet all day.

 

[Gyrene]

I had both of my nail beds scraped out...long time ago, before lasers were used. 15 shots per toe to numb, then cutting of the nail off, then removal of the nail bed. Good thing is I haven't had an ingrown toenail since.

 

[SWScorch]

I had both my big toe nails lanced. Took about 5 minutes; easy procedure. One grew back though and became ingrown so bad that blood seeped under the nail and the nail turned black ans fell off. Seems to be hunky dory now!

 

[Ornery]

Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

That's all fine and dandy except for when the toe actually grows downward into your toe on the sides. GOD is it painful.

 

[thomsbrain]

I had it on one toe. I went to the doctor and he cut the side of the nail off, which was the most painful thing I've ever experienced. It grew right back, of course. So I went to a podiatrist, who did the same but also killed the root. I was expecting it to hurt really bad again so I clenched my eyes shut. After a few moments, he said "all done." I hadn't felt a thing, but sure enough, he'd done all he needed to do. Lesson: specialists > general practictioners.

 

[Saulbadguy]

:camera:'s?

 

[EyeMWing]

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

I believe it can also be hereditary (sp?). One big thing is to cut your toenails straight across with the sides of the nail extending beyond the fleshy sides of the toe.

 

[StageLeft]

I had that problem some years ago. I had 2-3 removals, where the side of my big toe would be cut out with local anesthetic. It wasn't pretty, but it worked. A few months later it would come back. I was about to get my nail matrix removed, but I'm glad I didn't. I've not had the problem in a while. Some can be cause by improperly cutting your nails (since afterall the ingrown is when the nail grows into flesh), but to be honest I got to the point near the end where, with my penknife (that because it has very small-profile scissors - allowing me to press far under the nail on the side without too much pain), I could deal with the ingrowns myself with no problem.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

I believe it can also be hereditary (sp?). One big thing is to cut your toenails straight across with the sides of the nail extending beyond the fleshy sides of the toe.

Yeah, DOESN'T FRIGGING WORK

DOctors just LOVE to use that line. What is the problem you say? By the time your nail grows out long enough to do that, you will have had the world's worst ingrown toenail for a year!

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

I believe it can also be hereditary (sp?). One big thing is to cut your toenails straight across with the sides of the nail extending beyond the fleshy sides of the toe.

Yeah, DOESN'T FRIGGING WORK

DOctors just LOVE to use that line. What is the problem you say? By the time your nail grows out long enough to do that, you will have had the world's worst ingrown toenail for a year!

heh, you shoulda seen some of the ones they've pulled out of my big toe. About 3/4" long growing straight down into the toe.

 

[SarcasticDwarf]

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

I believe it can also be hereditary (sp?). One big thing is to cut your toenails straight across with the sides of the nail extending beyond the fleshy sides of the toe.

Yeah, DOESN'T FRIGGING WORK

DOctors just LOVE to use that line. What is the problem you say? By the time your nail grows out long enough to do that, you will have had the world's worst ingrown toenail for a year!

heh, you shoulda seen some of the ones they've pulled out of my big toe. About 3/4" long growing straight down into the toe.

I'm working on one I have had for about 8 months. I have slowlly managed to slice away the entire left section of my nail. Only about 2mm to go!

 

[Dedpuhl]

hm. So it seems relatively inexpensive to get done.

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

I believe it can also be hereditary (sp?). One big thing is to cut your toenails straight across with the sides of the nail extending beyond the fleshy sides of the toe.

Yeah, DOESN'T FRIGGING WORK

DOctors just LOVE to use that line. What is the problem you say? By the time your nail grows out long enough to do that, you will have had the world's worst ingrown toenail for a year!

heh, you shoulda seen some of the ones they've pulled out of my big toe. About 3/4" long growing straight down into the toe.

I'm working on one I have had for about 8 months. I have slowlly managed to slice away the entire left section of my nail. Only about 2mm to go!

Umm, go to the doctor. People have died from ingrown toenails and trying to perform "surgery" on them.

I'm not trying to scare you, but one word..."Infection" which in turn can get into your blood stream and bammo. There's some funky stuff growin' on ones feet.

 

[DrPizza]

Originally posted by: DeathByAnts

Originally posted by: spidey07

Originally posted by: EyeMWing

Originally posted by: Ornery
Nail fungal infection

• Wear absorbent cotton socks. Change them often, if your feet sweat excessively. Take your shoes off occasionally during the day and after exercise...

Ingrown Toenails

• Do not wear shoes that are too small in the toe area. Wear cotton absorbent socks or sandals to prevent excessive moisture of the toes.

Unfortunately, NOBODY FREAKING MAKES ANY SHOES THAT ACCOMODATE MY TOES. If I want shoes big enough for my toes, I have to buy size 15, which is 4 sizes too large and look like clown shoes. It's disgusting.

I believe it can also be hereditary (sp?). One big thing is to cut your toenails straight across with the sides of the nail extending beyond the fleshy sides of the toe.

Yeah, DOESN'T FRIGGING WORK

DOctors just LOVE to use that line. What is the problem you say? By the time your nail grows out long enough to do that, you will have had the world's worst ingrown toenail for a year!

Yeah, that was the strategy I was using. Let the toenail grow out. I was in incredible pain for months. My strategy was to let the toenail keep growing until it finally worked its way out the end. I hadn't really noticed (since the change was so slow) that my toe was getting extended out instead, as a result of a massive infection under the nail. When the pediatrist was done cutting it out (novacaine first) (and relieving me from daily pain) he showed the side of the nail to me... tapering to about 3/8 inch wide, about 1 1/2 inches long. And my toe covered in blood and pus that was able to drain once that piece was off. I came -->||<--- that close from passing out at the sight.

New strategy: go to pediatrist, have nail bed altered with laser to eliminate the nail growing almost 1/2 inch down on the sides of the nail, into the toe. Analogy: The "let it grow out" works when you're talking about the hood of a car. But for some of us sufferers, it's not just the hood, it's also the front quarterpanels, down almost to the ground.

 

[Nitemare]

Originally posted by: Dedpuhl
I'm having a hard time with ingrown toenails. I've decided to go to a podiatrist to see if I can have the procedure where the sides of the nail are cut off and the nail matrix is chemically burned on each side. Has anyone had this procedure? What are the costs? Will insurance cover this?

I'm just asking questions before the initial visit to the doctor. Is there anything else I should know about the procedure?

Did this about half a year ago, Blue Cross/Blue Shield covered it less the copay and I am so pissed I did not get it done earlier. It is like shear heaven to be able to bump my toe into something and not hit the floor in agony.

It looks really bad afterwards, all puss filled and what not, but doesn't really hurt. I didn't really miss that much work either. You just have to soak it twice a day in hot water with vinegar and apply betadine in the AM. A week or 2 later and you will be better than ever.

 

[iotone]

ingrown toenails suck really bad... i usually get them like once a year or so, but i get them taken care of... they're getting better tho, they don't come back as often...

 

[HiTek21]

Worst ingrown toe nail I had the doctor used silver nitrate or soemthing like that on the inflamed part of my skin to make the swelling go down then I had to take antibiotics for a week.

My brother had an ingrown toe nail so bad they froze his toe with liquid nitrogen and cut half of his toe nail off and lanced the swolen area with a syringe to let the puss out.