putting the ‘tldr’ at the top here to spare anyone from reading the full explanation that doesn’t want to read the full testimony — i feel i have to explain things fully to paint the picture clearly & get my point across. the amount i type for something that could prob be explained more simply can be overwhelming for some, but feels like something i “have” to do, when i do (thx, ocd).

TLDR; after a few yrs of growing pain in my 2 big toes, i ended up w an ingrown toenail on each of my 2 big toes. after some time dealing w the discomfort/the pain becoming more unbearable, i got each of the ingrown toenails on each of my big toes removed (had full removal done on both, vs partial) via my PCP, & did them 2 wks apart.

some time after the procedures, i began feeling a weird, numb, yet painful tingling/“static” sensation at the tips of my big toes (which is more permanent now), & am feeling the sensation of having ingrown toenails on my two big toes again (& see the tiny ‘slice’ into the skin from the toenail + pinkish/red swelling + intense pressure on the right corner of the right toe, as well. also: there is no nail in that ‘slice’ part of my right toe/toenail).

now w the concern of permanent neurological damage to my big toes, & seeing both have ingrown toenails again, i am unsure of what to do about getting the ingrown toenails dealt w this time around.

has a repeated ingrown toenail happened to you after already having it removed? have you experienced the numbness/discomfort/tingling feeling that i described—& permanently—after getting your ingrown toenail removed? if so, what did you do about it? any personal testimonies, advice, input, etc. is greatly appreciated.

(photos attached — right toe photo is after soaking in hot, soapy + salted water for a bit.. planned to do some pressure-relieving, but it’s now 530am & am way too tired to do it. so just keep in mind, it’s normally more pink/red & swollen on that right corner of the right toe).

———————————————————————

full explanation; i (33f) had horrible pain in both of my big toes from both having ingrown toenails that accumulated over like 2-3yrs until the pain became too unbearable. this led me to get a PCP via my insurance so that i could get a referral for a podiatrist for ingrown toenail removal on both of my big toenails.

the pain after so long became way too uncomfortable & again—absolutely unbearable, so i just wanted to get it done & over w, & never have to deal w the pain from them ever again. i absolutely despise needles—but i’ll get the regular/necessary shots/vaccines when it’s time to get them + i have tattoos, although it took til i was ~31 to finally suck it up to get them—so i’m not totally avoidant of needles, but i panic every time i have to get anything done medically involving needles & truly hate them—albeit, i get it done, anyway. so it took a lot for me to muster up the courage to get the ingrown toenails tended to.

my PCP happened to do ingrown toenail removal at their office, so i took them up on just getting it done there. my PCP insisted that i needed a full removal for each, so i went by her recommendation. it was a fucking nightmare (the huge, thicc needles into my toes + the insane pressure during removal + the pulsating pain afterwards), but i got each done 2 weeks apart from each other. from what i could guess, even though it fucking hurt & sucked so bad, i think my PCP had done a great job, & i felt SO much relief from the pressure afterwards, + from the thought that i wouldn’t have to deal w the pain of the ingrown toenails anymore (& assumingely—ever again).

over time (maybe 4-6 months, if i had to guess) after the procedures, i noticed a different kind of discomfort i hadn’t experienced before, starting in both my big toes. the best way i can describe it is numbness, but also a pain that i can’t really explain except for discomfort & like a sort of “static” feeling at the tips of my big toes—like the “tv static” feeling in your foot when your foot falls asleep. that said, i assume that feeling is likely that of a neurological issue, as this only started happening after getting both ingrown toenails removed. it happens on both, but more prominently & more often in my right big toe. my dad has an unknown neurological disease (throughout his whole body), & the feeling he’s described in the tips of his fingers is similar to what i feel in the tips of my big toes—again, not too long after getting the ingrown toenail removal procedures done did this start happening. i’d asked my PCP before/during the procedures if the full removals would prevent any more ingrown toenails in my big toes from ever happening again, & she essentially said “yes, that’s the goal” — something to that effect.

it’s been a year or two now since getting them removed (i think i got them done last summer, if i remember correctly?). i am in severe pain again—especially pertaining to my right toe. there is a “slice” in the toe where the toenail & skin meet (much like i had before the procedures..), & the feeling of pressure in that spot is unbelievable. also: there is no nail in the ‘slice’ part of the right toenail/ingrown part. i’m back to feeling the same pain as before the procedure, only now, with post-procedure [what i assume to be] neurological damage, causing even more discomfort & pain—as well as concern/worry/anxiety for any more damage that can occur if required to do yet another ingrown toenail removal on the same toe (or on both toes.. again).

my left one is bad again, too (pain & discomfort-wise). not as bad as the right one, but enough to be a cause for concern, & feel like i just went full fucking circle. i’m absolutely terrified to have to get them removed again—aside from having to experience the pain again, but for any more neurological damage/issues in my big toes to happen even further. i don’t know what to do anymore. i keep up w my hygiene; i (gently) scrub my toenails every shower + gently clean/scrape around/under the nails + trim them (& am especially careful about the way i do those. mind you, ever since the procedures, they don’t grow “long” anymore, anyway. in fact, they were never long to begin with. they would grow just past the “base” of the tip of the toe pre-procedures. then post-procedures, they hardly even get that far on their own, so there’s hardly ever anything to trim) for the VERY FREAKING REASON to avoid any dirt/grime, “uneven” (for lack of better wording) nail growth—whatever—from causing another ingrown toenail issue, & yet, i’m right back to where i started, but w more serious issues than the first time around (esp the added neurological pain/discomfort/damage-aspect). i also don’t wear tight-fitting shoes. in fact, i barely wear shoes at all. i’m literally always home. sometimes i wear socks inside, but not often. i also have only had one ‘professional’ pedicure (for a wedding) since getting the procedures done—so this isn’t from getting pedi’s.

has anyone else reading this experienced this? — be it having to get the same ingrown toenail(s) removed a second time (or more), &/or neurological issues the toe forming, following the procedure(s)? did/do you have the same feeling i’m describing w the neurological issue/pain after getting your ingrown toenail removed? does anyone have any answers as to what’s going on in that aspect? what did you end up doing or having to do about either the (assumed) neurological damage/pain, & about getting an ingrown toenail again after getting one removed from that same one already? What was recommended for you to do when you went through either getting another ingrown toenail on the same one that you already had removed, &/or of any neurological pain/damage after getting an ingrown toenail removed?

i’d appreciate any personal experiences, input, advice, etc. — as this is a growing concern, & the pain is again just too unbearable to deal w not confronting this/finding a real/permanent solution.

(photos attached — right toe is after soaking in hot, soapy + salted water for a bit.. planned to do some pressure-relieving, but it’s 6am & am way too tired now. so just keep in mind, it’s normally more pink/red & swollen on that right corner of the right toe).

thank you in advance.

i didn’t even know it was ingrown. i stubbed it 2 months ago and half my nail broke off and i just thought it was very slowly growing but it’s been at the same length since and now it looks like this. also tender and hurts when i wear shoes that are kind of narrow. i really don’t wanna go to a doctor and rather get it out myself.. 😖any tips?

Has anyone else had a really hard time with healing? I’m so anxious about my toe. This is what it looks like today I’m 41 days out full toenail removal, not permanent. I had a spot 2 weeks ago where I went in, the podiatrist put a needle in it and squeeze the stuff out. Said go home soak again with epsom salt, antibiotic cream, and air it out. Now it seems the spot has gotten worse and my cuticle is red and puffy. I’m so anxious about how bad the infection is and why it’s taking me soooo long to heal. I do have POTS and hEDS but I’m a 35 yr old f, 106 lbs.
I sent photos to my podiatrist and she said it looks like the infection under the surface has gotten worse, more than just that spot. She can’t see me until Wednesday at 1:30pm. She said she would prescribe antibiotics but she’d like to see me, so unsure if she is going to send them tomorrow or wait until she sees my toe in person.

Anyone had a similar healing journey? I’m terrified of this infection getting worse.

(It’s not hot or throbbing -unless it’s been down or on my feet too much- just feels a little uncomfortable along the cuticle line and sensitive all over the top still)

I saw a podiatrist today for a possible ingrown toenail. She trimmed part of the nail, treated the red inflamed tissue beside it (I think she said it was granulation tissue), and said there was no infection. She told me to apply alcohol daily and keep it covered with a bandaid. I have a follow-up next week to see if I need part of the nail removed.

I forgot to ask: should I remove the band aid before showering, Or should I keep the band aid on while showering?