My green toe

Moz

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This is pretty gross!

Last night in the shower, I looked at my left big toe and thought it looked kind of swollen on the side beside the nail. I forgot to look at it after, so I forgot about it until this morning. Where it was swollen, it was also pale green and had some red (swollen area) around it!
So I grabbed a pair of nail clippers and pinched the green area and all of this greenish-yellow pus came out.


I put some Polysporin on it, and then I realized it had a red streak coming from the wound. The line is about an inch long. This happened around 11:30 this morning but the line hasn't moved at all. So hopefully it won't spread and will be gone by morning.
Pretty gross! I can't remember having a green limb or digit before.


Anyway, what else should I do to try and make it heal quicker? This has happened twice before. The first time I went to the doctor and the second time I put Polysporin on it and soaked it in epsom salts and it went away the next day.
 

natalie_ca

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Soak it in warm salt water 3 times per day and keep applying polysporin and a new clean dressing each time. Keep it covered with a dry bandage in order to protect it and keep it dry. If the dressing gets wet in between, change it.
 

emy4cats

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I suggest to soak it in epsom salt. My ex had a similar issue that I had to take care of for him because he was a baby
I know it is pretty gross, but it happens. Maybe put some Neosporin on it also.
 
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Moz

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Originally Posted by Trouts mom

Ewwww, did something happen to it?
I don't think so... I might have cut the nail too short and it grew in funny.. or maybe I just wasn't paying attention if I did hurt myself.
 

strange_wings

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Originally Posted by Moz

Anyway, what else should I do to try and make it heal quicker? This has happened twice before. The first time I went to the doctor and the second time I put Polysporin on it and soaked it in epsom salts and it went away the next day.
I don't like the red line, you have some pretty nasty bacteria if it's doing that.


Since this keeps happening you really need to see a doctor (maybe a podiatrist there? It's a little different in some of Canada) concerning it. And not just because it's infected now, but to figure out why this keeps happening and try to correct it. You don't want that turning into a serious infection. Momofmany (iirc) could tell you a little bit about how wrong an infection around/under a nail can go.
 

kiwideus

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Sounds like it could be an ingrown toenail that has gotten infected. Natalie_ca has some good advice on looking after it but if there is a line, then it is a good idea to go to the doctor.
 
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Moz

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Originally Posted by strange_wings

I don't like the red line, you have some pretty nasty bacteria if it's doing that.


Since this keeps happening you really need to see a doctor (maybe a podiatrist there? It's a little different in some of Canada) concerning it. And not just because it's infected now, but to figure out why this keeps happening and try to correct it. You don't want that turning into a serious infection. Momofmany (iirc) could tell you a little bit about how wrong an infection around/under a nail can go.
Ugh, great. This makes me sound like I have gross rotting feet.
But the red line is almost all gone now... I guess that's good news, right?

The last two times this happened was in '06 (September and December). Next time I see a doctor I'll ask about it (if I remember). My brother gets a lot of bad ingrown toenails but I don't know if he's ever had any red lines.
 

yosemite

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The red line usually indicates blood poisoning and is nothing to fool around with. Our daughter got blood poisoning from a cat bite a few years ago and needed antibiotics.
 

tierre0

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It does sound like a ingrown toenail, your best bet would be to go to the doctor and have it looked at. If the infection gets to far down underneath you toenail it could cause all types of problems. And if it doesn't clear up properly it will continue to come back again and again and worse it could spread. The doctor will clean it out and put you on antibiotics for a few days to make sure the infection is completely gone...Better safe then sorry.
 

ut0pia

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foot infections can turn really nasty are really hard to deal with. I suggest that you see a doctor about it sooner rather than later.
 

clixpix

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The red line is a huge concern. You should absolutely call your doctor.
 
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