Ingrowing Toenail

[#bob#]

Last six weeks I've had a Baxtard big toe nail giving me hell. I've tried to operate on it myself because doctors don't know their arse from their armpit. It needed lancing last week, as the puss sack had got big again on its left hand side. After that I took a couple of paracetemol and started grinding the nail away with a scalpel, got it around half way down the nail bed and it bled like hell. The toe is now a plum! The puss sack is growing again now too! Think after my operation the toe will be ok. Anyone else had a bad toenail ?

[Sinatra]

Last six weeks I've had a Baxtard big toe nail giving me hell. I've tried to operate on it myself because doctors don't know their arse from their armpit. It needed lancing last week, as the puss sack had got big again on its left hand side. After that I took a couple of paracetemol and started grinding the nail away with a scalpel, got it around half way down the nail bed and it bled like hell. The toe is now a plum! The puss sack is growing again now too! Think after my operation the toe will be ok. Anyone else had a bad toenail ?

** NOT FOR THE SQUIMISH **

I have had many ingrown toenails in the past and have always successfully managed to dig them out myself.

My advice to you Bob is to first sort out the infection, either use anti-biotics or use a hot sugar and soap poultice. I swear by the poultice myself after my nan taught me how to make one!

Once the infection has gone, sterilise some pushpins (see picture below), bath your toe for a few minutes and then use one of the pins to dig out the toenail. There will be some bleeding of course but it isn't usually that painful.

Once you have dug it out of the skin you can then use some tweezers to pull it out from the root.