Also anecodtal: I had the procedure you’re describing and it worked for me. Ignoring your podiatrist is bad advice
Comment on Which way?
Ferrous@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
To anyone who gets this: do not let the podiatrist convince you to do the partial removal. Ie, removing a tiny strip from one or both sides of the nail. It is HIGHLY likely it will get bad again. Have them do a full phenol cauterization and remove the entire nail. You dont need it, and you’ll be better off without it. However, I’m no doctor.
bluespin@lemmy.world 2 days ago
doughless@lemmy.world 2 days ago
I also had that procedure where the doctor only removes the affected part of the toenail. That was over a decade ago and I’ve never had the issue reoccur; and I still have my toenail.
AmbitiousProcess@piefed.social 1 day ago
I've also had the same procedure before, three times (on different parts of nails, obviously) and it's worked every time.
sobchak@programming.dev 1 day ago
I had it done once when I was still a child, and the issue reoccurred. No issues for more than a decade from the ones I had as an adult though.
Bytemeister@lemmy.world 1 day ago
On the flip side, I had partial nail removal on two toes each side, and haven’t had any issues in 20 years. Procedure was quick, mostly painless, and the relief was immediate. I was playing soccer 3 days later.
If you want to ask about a full removal, go for it, but be open to professional advice.
ryedaft@sh.itjust.works 2 days ago
Oh, if you add phenol the nail won’t grow out again?
Ferrous@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
Yeah the science is above my head but I believe usually after they rip out the nail (be it whole nail or a strip), they will apply a cotton ball of phenol to the bed and that is supposed to stop the nail from coming back. It failed to do so 3 times in my case, albeit on two different toes.
SoleInvictus@lemmy.blahaj.zone 1 day ago
It’s chemical cauterization. The phenol kills the cells responsible for growing new nail.
huf@hexbear.net 2 days ago
you can probably get away with having a strip cut out, as long as they cauterize the matrix. just cutting a strip out is useless, it’ll grow back exactly the same.
DragonTypeWyvern@midwest.social 2 days ago
gives medical advice explicitly in opposition to a hypothetical doctor
says they’re not qualified to give medical advice because they’re not a doctor
leaves
Your personal experiences with providers are valid, fam, you can just say it didn’t do you or a friend any good and you wish you’d done something else instead.
Carnelian@lemmy.world 2 days ago
Personally I love it when people who are not my doctor offer me specific, actionable medical advice. Especially so when it entails surgery to permanently remove my body parts
Ferrous@lemmy.ml 2 days ago
Fair, edited to bring the final choice back to podiatrist.
huf@hexbear.net 2 days ago
i went to a surgeon with mine, he just cut stuff out. didnt even mention the existence of cauterization. so y’know, depends on the doctor you find.
i suffered along for a while more until i found out about it. had to go to a private clinic and pay a lot of money for it, of course, but so far it seems to have worked. we’ll see. i’ll consider it fixed if i go a whole year without problems. i’m at 6ish months atm.