Nail fungus

Nail fungus is notoriously difficult to get rid of.

I suspect the pain is a result of the nail thickening, so you son needs regular visits (every 5-6 weeks) so that the thick nail can be drilled and cut away.

Regular use of lamisil will help a bit.

Has he been to his GP he needs long term help as it is a horrendous thing to get rid of and he may need longer oral meds
Why not ask in the medical doctor thread on here

How old is your son ?
Is his general health good ?
As we get older fungal infections become more frequent .
I'm convinced that I developed nail fungus from going to a dirty nail salon .
I went with a friend and didn't realise that the instruments weren't sterilised until my treatment had started .
I should have walked out .
Now I have nail fungus in two toes .
Over the years ,I've bought preparatory treatments from Boots .
They aren't cheap and they don't seem to cure the condition but just control it .
I've met other people with the same condition and they said the same .
His GP should take clippings and then prescribe the correbt anti fungals .
Wearing sandals frequently and making sure that socks are boiled and shoes not too tight all help .
Keep the nails as short as possible using clippers which are cleaned and not used on healthy nails
Nails can be cleaned with hydrogen peroxide to fizz out the debris then Vicks and Tea tree oil applied .but this isn't a guaranteed cure .
I'm looking into having my nail fungus treated by laser .
Each session costs £75 and it will take a year to clear it .
The eventual cost possibly £600 -1000 .

The lesson ;
when on holiday don't be tempted by cheap manicures and pedicures .If you have any doubts about a salon here or abroad - walk .

esmay

I’ve been down the laser road. Cost over £1000

Result - nothing.

Now I manage it by regular visits to the podiatrist and lamisil etc.

I caught if from taking the grandchildren swimming every week.

My husband used tea tree oil to good effect.

The most important thing is to dry your feet thoroughly especially between the toes. Just a couple of days ago I was reading an article about the importance of dry feet as it can encourage athlete’s foot, fungus and even sepsis. I will try and send a link to the article if you are interested.

Whitewavenark - thank you for the warning about lasers .
I'll continue with Vicks mixed with Tea teee oil . At least , it keeps it under control .
Lamisil didn't work .

Thank you everyone for replies,no his health isn't good,he had a stroke 2 years ago and stiLl recovering,although it mainly affected his speech and he can't write or sometimes understand long messages as his brain doesn't always decipher the words corrftlyHe also has HaemachromatosisHe was referred to a podiatrist who prescribed lamisil,he said they told him to put socks on and keep them on to stop the lamisil rubbing off
I am sure this must be wrong as he now has socks on 24 hours a day I do think he needs to see his GP, but he insists the podiatrist should know what they are doing
I am going to suggest he sees his GP as the referral was done by phone
Thank you again for advice
I will keep checking back for more,
I have googled some of the remedies but they are very expensive and may not work

I had fungal toenails for years and I tried all the topical over the counter medicines with little or no effect.

Finally I went to the doctor and I was prescribed systemic treatment, Terbinafine (Lamisil) tablets. I was monitored with periodic blood tests.

It took nearly a year to clear the fungus. I was warned that not everyone can take the tablets without an adverse reaction and that it doesn't always work.

I have not heard good reports about laser treatment.

I hope this is helpful.

Just a warning to anyone who might be needing a hip or knee replacement in the future. If you suspect that you may have a fungal nail get it sorted asap. A friend of mine was due to have a TKR and it was cancelled because they found that she had a fungal nail. I think it was nearly a year before she was finally operated on. It wasn’t anything that would have crossed my mind till it happened to her.

Like Magenta had this for years and I spent a fortune on podiatrists, over the counter creams and lotions but it was a course of Trebinafine from the GP that finally cured my fungal toe. It does involve blood tests but it did work.

Can also cause cellulitis.
Breathable socks should be worn.

Can’t link to article.

Thanks once again for further replies, I will look into the breathable socks for him, also try to get him to go GP, I don't think being referred over the phone was tight,
I forgot to say he is 53
I have to do a lot of speaking for him because although his speech has improved it's not always clear,
I have the authority to speak for him re benefits etc,and medical things
I will still keep checking back here,he was never advised to have anymore checkups,which I also think is wrong
Something will have to be done because I can see he is in a lot of pain

My toe was painful too, veejay and I couldn't wear shoes. My GP tried to tell me that many people choose not to treat the fungal infection so I had to insist that I wanted it gone. Highlight your son's pain if you meet any resistance. Good luck. 💐

I had fungal infected nails and am allergic to Lamisil. Only thing that worked was laser treatment. Very expensive and not a quick fix. Ongoing treatment afterwards took over a year of applying lotions, nail paint etc as the nails gradually grew out. Feet and shoes had to be sprayed daily and new socks worn every day. Very tedious but worth all the palaver.

I got a nail laser device from amazon for around £10.00. It took a few months using twice daily but worked. I tried everything else first.

I think a systemic treatment alongside a topical one will be the most help. The GP should be consulted to provide a script for anti fungal medication. If the nail fungus is a severe as you say it is, medication is a necessity.
Topical treatment is also needed, and religiously sticking to the protocol of the treatment you choose. All, or most of the topical options contain the same effective ingredient, but needs to be used as directed.
I had a toe nail fungal infection, it took about 6 months to totally clear with the topical treatment. I was scrupulous in following the directions, and keeping the nail clean was important. Be generous when brushing the treatment on, and make sure it is brushed onto the inside of the nail also.
Good luck.

Grannydaisy1,was the Lazer painful to use ? I have spoken to him tonight and he says he will go to the GP
I asked if the podiatrist said he should see her again, he said she said no he shouldn't need to, but that's wrong,I think at least she could have said if no improvement go again or at least see his DR
Will up date when I know what is happening
It has been really helpful having all your advice
Thank you

'Gehwol protective nail and skin oil' got rid of my toenail fungus after trying all manner of things. It took a while, but one day I realised it had completely gone, and it hasn't come back. You can buy it on Amazon.

our old GP said that the only way to identify the correct treatment was to have a blood test to determine which fungus it is.
As Gps don't want to treat feet, eyes or teeth now it must be difficult to see any healthcare professional
I bought a tool which thinned down the large toenails which were infected .

I have tried all sorts of remedies over the years at a huge cost with zero results! Now, my “go to” solution is using a very severe heavy duty file (used by chiropodists) and have an every other day ritual of filing away at my affected nails • after many
months of this, I can now say that I am proud of my feet and not wary of showing them in public • it has taken many months BUT worth all the effort. The name of the file is “Canonbury”.

I loved in Brazil many years ago and had a bad case of toenail fungus which was separating the nail from the nail bed. It was caused, I suspect, from pedicure instruments. My doctor suggested surgically removing the two nails and scraping the nail bed. It sounds horrific but I felt nothing due to the local anaesthetic. My husband, who wanted to watch, had to leave the room! However, it worked, tho it took ages for my nails to grow back

He should see his GP. His nails will be tested (clippings sent to lab) fir confirmation. Sounds as if he us past the topical treatment and will need oral medication. Blood test should be taken to confirm state of his liver before oral treatment as could have detrimental affect.

I have two nail infected with fungus, however my podiatrist makes sure my feet are comfortable as I ask him to, no need for your son to be in pain. He takes off about half the infected nail… it isn’t sore to do. Files all nails, takes away debris, smooths feet etc after all it costs a lot to go to a podiatrist. Getting pills from doctors for fungus feet but still not sure if I want them as there are side effects and I’m a bit of a scaredy. It’s the podiatrist that has written to my doctor to recommend this. I go along to my podiatrist privately every 3 months for the above.

Whatever you apply, rough the surface of the nail up first, with an Emery board, or even a Dremel (carefully!) then apply neat lemon juice. It opens the structure of the nail making whatever-you-use more effective. We use Amorolfine 5% nail lacquer. It’s working on my husbands ghastly hoof like nails, and has almost eradicated mine, although mine was very mild in comparison. I’ve gone from white scabby looking nails, to being able to wear sandals in 8 weeks. You do have to keep at it, and do treatments very regularly. Your GP/chiropodist should be able to send nail clippings away for analysis. Tea tree oil or lotion is excellent for feet in general, and you could use it After treating the nail, to help the surrounding skin.