Smashed my toe!!

[curly_kate]

Being the supreme klutz that I am, I have managed to smash my same poor toe twice in two days! The first time, I had shoes & socks on & opened a door over top of it. Yesterday, I was wearing flip flops and smashed the same toe into a chair leg, which caused it to bleed under the nail. It surprisingly only hurts like a bruise, but it looks NASTY! I was reading the advice for Boogity, and I'm wondering if Epsom salt would help. I don't think it's infected, but I'd like to encourage it to heal up ASAP, and hopefully not lose the nail (double-yuck). Also, would it make any difference to put more neosporin on it? I slathered it last night & bandaged it up before bed.

 

[baymule]

It sounds like you will lose your toenail if it is all black. That is the blood under the nail that can't escape. Sorry about your toe, I know it hurts. A good hot soak in epsom salts would do it good.

 

[Boogity]

Ouch! I feel your pain and my toe twitched as I read your post. Sorry about your pain.

 

[Sunny]

You may still not loose your toe nail. But it is a 50/50 chance. I have smashed my toes dozens of times. One time a horse stepped on it, and put all its weight on that one foot. I have lost 2 fingernails, and 3 toe nails. Its not hat bad really. Most of the pain is from damaging your toe in the first place. But after your toe nail falls off. Just be careful not to stub it while it doesnt have the protective barrier of a toe nail.

Oh and if you do start to loose your nail, that means it is dead. And if it is dead it will loose its moisture. And as it starts to come off, it will start to curl. And it if is still attached in a few places it then will start to be painful again as it gets stretched away from the attached places. I kept a bandaid on mine that had ointment on it. And soaked it alot to keep the nail from drying out to much.

Sorry if that is too graphic. But I figure I would warn about the drying of the nail. I learned from experience. After the first time it happened to me, I never let the nail dry out again.

 

[curly_kate]

Thanks guys! I soaked it, and it is looking a lot better than before. I think there must have been a lot of blood built up around it, but it's not so black as it was before. I'm glad it doesn't really hurt because I read about having to drill a hole in it. YUUUUUUCKKK!!!!

 

[Marianne]

Oh ouch. Isn't it odd that after we have an injury like that, we get to do it again? Fingers or toes, it's always twice for me.

My husband has had to do the drill a hole thing twice. The first time he smashed his thumb with a ball peen hammer. Three hours later it hurt clear up to his elbow.

Easiest way to do that is to unfold a paper clip a bit, heat up the end with a lighter or candle flame and use that to 'melt' the hole into the nail. You'll know when you hit bottom, so go sloooowly.

My husband also has a toenail that he loses every few years. It's not black, he doesn't remember injuring it. He'll just notice that it's barely held on in a couple of places. There's always a new toe nail underneath, grown out about halfway. This has happened three times. Both nails look normal, so we're puzzled. He said it doesn't hurt or anything.

 

[Denim Deb]

I was going to suggest getting Boogity (I think that's who it was that drilled his knuckle) to drill your toe if you need it done.

 

[savingdogs]

why is it when you hurt something it seems to always get reinjured? I wonder if my stubbed toe is bigger and that is why my brain doesn't realize it will smash into something.

I would go for soaking it. It does sound like you might lose that nail, but I've had blackening under nails and kept them. My hubby always drills a hole in the top of his nail if it gets smashed and blackened. He tried that on me once and the pain was TERRIBLE and I made him stop. He swore up and down I was going to get an infection or lose the nail because there was no way to release the pressure, but it did just fine with no hole drilled. Your toe does sound a bit worse but I'd soak it and keep an eye on it for now and see how it does in the next day or so.

 

[curly_kate]

The nail is coming off, but only about halfway down, so the nailbed is OK. I'm keeping it covered because I'm hoping to have the attached part grow out as much as possible before the rest comes off. Just hoping it doesn't look all mangled when it grows out. Already have one of those kinds of toenails!!