Toes and feet
 

OK, new problem...today my husband took me to one of the local beauty parlors to have a pedicure. I can't reach my feet right now to do it and I was in bad need of one. I made sure everything was sanitary. When the little girl doing took off my nail polish, there was a huge white streak covering a large part of the tonail. Starting from the outside edge going sorta diagnally accross both big toenails. None of the others. And there was also a new bruise on the top of my right foot. (I hadn't noticed it this morning) I know it wasn't there yesterday. I've noticed in the past that my big toenails looked sorta bluish. Have any of you noticed things like this?

And the toenails on my left foot (always the worst neuropathy area) aren't growing at the rate the other foot is.

Billye

Yes...

Cathie

You may want to start having either a podiatrist or perhaps a home care nurse do your toenails. Being a former home care nurse, I can tell you that even the nursing assistants were not allowed to cut the toenails of people with diabetes, an RN had to do it. Some agencies actually have 'foot care clinics' where you can come in and have an RN do that care. With PN, especially with vascular insufficiency, not to mention immunosuppressive therapy, you are at higher risk of losing toes or feet, just like a diabetic. I would take a look at diabetic foot care information and would consider getting a 'higher' level of care where nail care is involved.

PN is PN regardless of the source, and one of the reasons that diabetics have the complications of 'diabetic neuropathy' has nothing to do with the actual diabetes, but rather to do with the chemistry of PN.

With PN, regardless of how much a given individual's feet may hurt, they are unaware of injuries to their feet.

Cyclops - HOW TRUE!
 

I'll post my 'Old Faithful' again:

http://telemedicine.org/stamford.htm

Go to the 'diabetic neuropathy' sections. - j

Whoooa!!
 

Boy, that one will get your attention, Dahlek,:eek:
And thanks Cyclops, I'll make an appointment with the podiatrist.

Billye

Yesss
 

It does and have nurse come out to do toes,if you can. dahlek can and
is amazing,and:cool: Sue

Billye, you are too valuable to take a chance with your feet at a nail parlour. I am glad you have decided to go to a podiatrist. Ick, you could get a fungal or bacterial infection, or accidently get a cut when they trim your nails because you didn't feel it or say ouch. We all need to stay away from those places. Thanks for bringing such a good topic to the forum. The podiatrist office doesn't have the same ambience, however, nor do they do the little whirlpool and massage your feet with scented cream or paint your toenails. Sigh! That is a lot to have to give up. Maybe we should all go out and buy ourselves a new outfit to make ourselves feel better again. I'll meet you at Macy's at 10:00 Sat., and we can do lunch afterwards.

My podiatrist? My....
 

literal Savior! It was his suggestion that I get a second neuro opinion. I do believe his experiences dealing with diabetic feet made him a bit uneasy about how my now 'former' neuro was treating or more aptly not treating my neuropathy and it's progression. At least I got some treatment before the entire nervous system was 'done in'!

My podiatrist DOES have a whirlpool...and for the first three years it aggravated my feet and all attached to them, I can do it now about once a year -heaven when I can get it! No pretty setting, more like a closet and a tub, but I do get the lotion [no massage, sigh] after he 'does' my feet.

I do actually see my podiatrist more regularly than any of my docs! HE gives me his opinions of my status far more succinctly than the docs! Were it not for him, I do guess I would be in a wheelchair.

Happy pedicures to all! - j

Perhaps I could have been a little more specific... :)
White streaking, left big toe now looks bluish. I don't know if that is an improvement over their former yellow color, which I was told is candida... Nails are all wierd.
Left big toe, I had 2 layers of toe nails, no kidding... I freaked when the Dermatologist cut the top layer off-it looked disgusting.
Ridged and striped fingernails.
Right little fingernail will NOT grow.
Right thumbnail is shorter than the left one...

I could go on, but like Mel says, blah, blah, blah... :) I am a Dermatologist's dream, or maybe his nightmare... :)

Cathie

You know, Billye. This all was worrying me greatly. Every time I looked at my hands or feet, I would get upset. I know this is probably NOT a very good fix, but after the doc looked at all of this, you would have been amazed at the change in my attitude, once I painted over all of these things... :) Other than the candida, there was probably nothing that could be done anyway.

Yorkie--
 

--the nail business does sound like it could be either a pharamceutical effect--there are a lot of meds that cause odd nail growth--or possibly a nutritional deficiency. Of course, both factors may be contributing; a lot of meds can deplete essential nutrients.

Thanks guys
 

This all freaked me out. I could just see myself losing my toenails. My fingernails are actually a tiny bit better since the Mayo trip. But they still aren't normal. I keep them cut very short as even a little length makes them get sore. They turned lose at the sides slightly and are reddened at the tips with a slight lifting. But I had a pedicure right before I started breaking bones and now (2 months later) the white thing appearing. This pedicure was the first one I'd had in a year. My husband was helping me up until then and I could still reach most of them until the breaks started.

Mayo looked at fingernails and toenails and said they had no clue. I've searched and found pictures of the fingernails that look slightly like mine and they are connective tissue damage, if that is what it is. But the white toenail is new and so sudden. I've got an appointment with the dermatologist in two weeks and I'll show them to him. And it could be a result of the medication too.

Billye

Billye, do NOT, absolotely
 

DO NOT freak over this?
Let me ask you one little thing....do those 'white spots' correspond in any way do you think with the time you were in or shortly out of the hospital? I ask cause nails can and do show some--not all by any means stress, trauma, or changes in your life. Such as adding lots of calcium to your life?

For example...ME! Nail color can be [not always of course-it should be simple?] due to nutrition, what metals are in your water, dirt [if you've gardened] or medications. White spots can be due to nutrition, supplements, trauma, or again medications. All of my nails grow at different speeds, some days they seem to grow very fast, other days slowly. Fingernails faster than toes; little toes faster than big toe.. And since my issues all began, all nails feel about two shoe sizes too small [and I wear sandals dang it]!

Almost half my list of 'as needed' lotions, potions and ointments are preventatives from my podiatrist...I use them all carefully and with respect. I SHOULD be having real foot issues, but I don't I take better care of them -{Gotta walk on them [however well we can]} than most diabetics. Only time I'm without foot protection is while sleeping or bathing...Even then...well, let's not go into that... Hugs :hug: -j

My mother had beautiful long nails and cute as can be toe nails.
Everytime she took off the polish there they were those white spots.
So everytime i took her to a Dr. she would wink at me,(didn't matter
what kind) and say could you take a minute and look at these silly
white spots. And they would,look at them ,look at her and always
say hmmm white spots. I really can't think of a Dr. she missed. :) Sue

Can you think of any reason why there sending me to a Dermatologist,
for Vasicuitis. Back to Mom they thought it might be the nail polish
remover. I have ingrown toe nails,doesn't matter how they cut them.

Dearest Billye:

Try not to freak out about your nails, unless you get a double nail. It is OK to freak out about that, only because it looks wierd...

My Dermatologist, who I adore, recommends Biotin for nail growth. I cannot tell it does one single thing. I am trying to remember what he has said about white nails in the past. He has had me use a prescription called Loprox gel on the nail, and under it as best I can reach, for candida, so perhaps it was the candida causing it...

I still like the nail polish better.

Cathie

Answers
 

Thanks for all the answers guys.

I've seen those white spots that appear on the nails from time to time and they are usually caused by a trauma to the nail bed as it is growing out. Mine have had no trauma that I know of. Whatever happened, happened in a short time. Only a couple of months. It takes a nail a year (more/less) to grow from the roots to the end of the toe.

I've decided not to guess this one and just keep this appt with the dermatologist. Dang, hate to give up my pink toes but will have to. And dang, my social calendar is sooo full. ;) It is probably a fungus, my guess.

Billye

Sorry, Billye... I think I should have just gone with, "Yes." Too many bottles, creams, gels, inhalers and pills, etc... Hard to keep up mentally with everything. The oral Nystatin I take is for candida (GI tract). The Loprox is prescribed for fungus in and under the nail...

Try not to worry though. :)

Cathie

The dermatologist will...
 

Take one look and say 'it's framis snorzle' [never can understand it at the time..]and I'm not hard of hearing! But I've always gotten what I need when I needed it.
Slather on appropriate topical for the designated amount of time and POOF! Problem gone.

Just ask for 'samples' first before buying a lot of topical or whatever...you will know in a couple of days if you're sensitive to it in any way. - j

I have been having problems too with my toe nails. I will take off my shoes at night and find toe nails that are bruised. I have three of them right now and they look like the toe nails are going to fall off. I don't remember hurting them. Kind of bothers me. :confused:

I won't use nail polish on my nails because I am afraid of not seeing any new injuries.

white on the nail beds...
 

The white areas that appear on the nails can be due to zinc deficiency.

You may have just bumped the toe, and one appeared.

A fungus white area would start at the end of the nail bed and move inward.
Your description doesn't sound like that.

It doesn't take a huge injury to get a white spot. JMO

injury
 

Could the injury be from arthritis in the joint of the toe I wonder?

Billye