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[Robot Parade Leader]

This is a duplicate post. I'm sorry. The rest of the thread is good for posting though and please reply if you have something nice to say.

[nenjin]

I generally "air" on the side of "airing out."

Things do get gross if they're allowed to stay moist for too long, especially in a healing context. Neosporin also prevents air from getting to the area, which is by design. Air causes new bacteria to possibly get introduced, but NOT airing out allows bacteria to maintain a high moisture situation which can cause it to proliferate.

So....I would let it air out for a couple hours at night before bed. You don't want to sleep with it uncovered or it may end up sticking to your sheets, get fibers in stuck in the wound, etc....

If you're going to be sitting around doing nothing, I'd take the bandage off for a few hours while you sit to let it dry a little, then re-apply a fresh bandaid before bed.

I don't even know how I'm going to deal with surgical dressing after the procedure and am going to have to really ask about that and hopefully get it in writing.

They'll give you some supplies. Generally, change it once a day and keep it dry and you should be good. When it comes to showering it may be ok to the shower water hit it, as long as you adequately dry it afterward. I would write down your questions on your phone or something so you can ask once they've done the deed. It can be easy to get flummoxed and forget to ask things you cared about immediately afterward.

[Robot Parade Leader]

I just wanted to thank you both so much again. I had no clue about any of this, because no one told me anything growing up. I am very grateful for anything you can tell me about this or any help.

Thank you for the idea of writing some stuff down too. I know I would forget stuff to ask the day of.

I talked to the podiatrist's nurse and she explained the difference between the "removal of nail plate," and the "removal of nail bed."
She explained it is basically the same procedure for me where it is partial and 2 millimeters on the ingrown side. I asked her how much that is in inches and she said just over 1/16 of an inch.
The difference is once the doctor cuts back to the base, the bed or source removal thing involves acid to make sure that 2 millimeters of nail does not ever grow back. The rest grows normal.
I asked her why anyone would do that, and she said one was temporary and one was permanent. That little strip of nail won't grow back ever from the base to poke you.
The temporary one would grow back and might cause problems in the future depending on how it grew. It is more money but you only have to do it and recover from it once. 

I asked her if I would have a hole or a strip of my toenail missing forever and she said no that it would eventually grow to look normal.

I really don't get what she meant by that, because I thought the whole point of the permanent version was that part of nail does not grow back so it won't tear into the side of your toe.

I can't seem to find long term results for this surgery, like before and after or whatever.

That and I hope they teach me how to deal with the dressing. Other than putting on a band aide.... I think here has to be some special bandage or something for a toe thing like this?

[Truean]

Perhaps call your doctor's office hopefully well in advanced of the surgery and ask to speak to someone who can tell you what you need to buy/stock up on prior to the surgery (of any kind) for aftercare....

Found out this is of paramount importance if you are alone/don't have someone else to care for you.
Politely but firmly keep asking for answers and don't accept "O it's simple" or "They'll go over all that after."

************ No ***********  This is not an answer.... Polite but firm ask for a list of things to get.
You don't want to come across mean, but you'll be the one suffering if you need something and don't have it, cause they didn't say.

People telling you "It's simple" don't care about answering you. Or they care about shutting you up, quickly much more.
If it was simple, then they'd tell it to you, simply, and it would be simple to do it. However, they don't....

Stock up on whatever supplies they might say you need beforehand.
This goes for food too. If possible you don't really want to be grocery shopping or whatever immediately after recovering.

Some of these will deal with aftercare:
1.) Bandages? (of what type etc.)
2.) Antibiotics?
3.) Can you shower/get it wet? (If not then when, and until then should you use a cast protector (from experience with different surgery for broken bones. Ask them if this applies)
https://www.walmart.com/browse/health-medicine/cast-cover-for-shower/976760_1005860_1230858_5161969
4.) Footwear <---- In your case especially. Can you wear shoes after (when?)

Sandals around the home.
See this thing right here where the sandal has the piece between the toes? AVOID THAT Piece between the toes.
https://www.walmart.com/ip/George-Men-s-Casual-Flip-Flops/465334570?athbdg=null%26athbdg%3DL1600_L1600
If you do not, then that thing will be right up against where the operation happened. Get a sandal that does not have that there.

See how the one below this sentence does not have anything between the toes? See how it opens up and closes around your foot with Velcro so you don't have to try and even slide it through? You can just put your foot on the sandal and then strap this around the foot?
https://www.walmart.com/ip/George-Men-s-Comfort-Slide-Sandals/1278528061?athbdg=null%26athbdg%3DL1600_L1600

Question: What do people think about Crocs if you have to go out the first couple days rather than a shoe?

Verify you can drive after (Worse if right foot than left, but yes).

[nenjin]

I just wanted to thank you both so much again. I had no clue about any of this, because no one told me anything growing up. I am very grateful for anything you can tell me about this or any help.

You're welcome.

What you'll probably want is:

-Gauze bandage
-Adhesive bandage wrap to keep the gauze on. Either that or medical tape. You probably don't want to wrap it up super tight but tight enough that the bandage stays on.
-Epsom salts
-The soap (I assume they provide that?)

Your toe and by extension your foot will probably hurt for a couple days. Probably not enough to prevent you from driving or limping along, but obviously you want to stay off your foot as much as possible. So buying some groceries for a week's time is probably a good idea. And make sure if you do have to go out or do something, you've got the right footware. Under no circumstances should you try to stuff your bandaged toe into a shoe.

[ChairmanPoo]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaYDLIswEV4

[Magmacube_tr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QaYDLIswEV4

So RPL should just cut the toe off?

[ChairmanPoo]

Cutting the toe off is a clinical call, which should be made by RPL and his local mob enforcer, when appropriate.

[Robot Parade Leader]

I don't even know how I'm going to deal with surgical dressing after the procedure and am going to have to really ask about that and hopefully get it in writing.

They'll give you some supplies. Generally, change it once a day and keep it dry and you should be good. When it comes to showering it may be ok to the shower water hit it, as long as you adequately dry it afterward. I would write down your questions on your phone or something so you can ask once they've done the deed. It can be easy to get flummoxed and forget to ask things you cared about immediately afterward.

Thank you very much. You actually gave me more explanation than they did after it was done. They didn't give me any supplies either so I bought some stuff at Drug Mart like bandages, wound care kit for small to medium wounds, bactrican antibiotic zinc ointment. I'm a little surprised at the hospital. I get that it's not open heart surgery or whatever, but still. I would've expected 5 minutes with the nurse or someone on aftercare.... I told them I didn't know anything.

Its been like a day and a half or so. They said to keep the original dressing on for 24 hours, clean, dry and intact, then take it off.  Then, soak it for 10 to 15 minutes with epsom salt and mild antibacterial dish soap like Dawn in a basin. I did. I stayed off it and am pretty much staying off it. When I took off the original dressing there was blood and drainage soaked through, and I don't know why because I stayed off it and nothing even bumped it. I called the nurse and sent the podiatrist a picture to be safe. No reply yet, still a bit red but the bleeding stopped. Well there's a little red on the new dressing but nowhere near what it was the first time.

Weird thing yesterday was about keeping the foot up. If I kept it at normal height it felt heavy like it had water in it and a a bit wet outside, which I guess was that blood through the dressing. As long as I kept it up high it felt less painful. Seemed like I couldn't keep it up too long without it feeling weird. Oddly, the toe itself is a little numb still, which might be a good thing?

Someone told me to sleep with it elevated on pillows with a spare blanket under it like a trough with pillows on either side of it like guardrails to keep the foot from falling in my sleep. Thank you, because this helped a lot and the pain is better. The advice to keep it higher than my heart was very helpful.

Right now the toe is a little red and not happy looking. To be fair little part of it got removed by a doctor so I guess that makes sense. He said he had to to "get the whole offending part of the nail out," and that he expects it to heal closed in time and I "will get used to the slight difference." Right now, I am just airing it out elevated on those pillows. There's a a slice of nail gone, and a little bit from the toe's side right where the nail dug into it bad. At least the nail ends in a straight edge now instead of the jagged torn edge it used to have.

Thank you for helping me, and explaining. I really appreciate it. I am staying in touch with the podiatrist's office, but some people here have been very helpful with details they seem to think are "simple," and "common sense." Maybe to them, and that's cool but I haven't done this before.

[Truean]

I'm a little surprised they gave you nothing.

Well hopefully they instructed you to look for signs of infection and instructed you what those were to be safe. Things like red lines moving up your toe/foot? If you see one of those, immediately contact a medical professional. Also, while avoiding the wound area, make a gentle mark on your body with a pen where the line ends. That way you (and the medical professional looking at you) can know if it is moving (sort of spreading up your body). Hopefully you won't see anything like that but just since you're looking at the area anyhow....

Also sterile dressing changes help. Washing hands thoroughly and I always used disposable nitrile gloves. Maybe some might say that's overkill but at least none of my numerous surgical wounds got infected.


Glad to hear you are staying in touch with your doctor. Hopefully they respond helpfully. That's important. Hope it goes well. Best of luck.

Also, $1.99 and these things look like they fit over a big toenail while wrapping around a toe more or less:
https://discount-drugmart.com/products/details/?id=000933511242504473302

[Robot Parade Leader]

Thank you. Those are really good points. I sent a picture to the podiatrist. He says I am doing ok on antibiotics now.

I'll put on gloves it if keeps things from being messed up. Using those bandages is so much easier than doing the other stuff and for like 20 cents a pop, sure.

I really appreciate the helpful responses. Nobody taught me anything about this and I didn't know there was even surgery for it at first.

So far it is a pain but I mean if it goes better long term I can handle it. Tylenol not just for the pain, but the swelling helps a lot, because it feels like there is a lot of that without that pill.

[nenjin]

That's just the healing. Within another week your pain should be? down significantly. Depends on how good of a healer you are.

You might try Ibprofen as well. It will help with the pain and reduce inflammation and swelling, which will also help reduce the pain.

[Djohaal]

Oh fuck I'm late to the toenail party. I've struggled with ingrown nails all my life and tried all kinds of remedies and proved (or not) solutions, so I could have suggested some things. Surgery is very annoying but by far the most efficacious way of treating it though. Hope you make a speedy recovery.