I’m 19 years old, and I’ve been dealing with an issue involving my finger (specifically my nail) for about six years now.
I’m honestly getting pretty desperate at this point and I have no idea what my next move should be. First, I’ll upload some photos of my finger so you guys can see exactly what we're talking about.
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This whole thing started back when I was a kid. I used to swim competitively, and for one year, our club moved into the pool at this old, run-down hotel—the kind of place that was damaged during the war and hasn't been properly renovated since, so the hygiene was basically non-existent. I don't remember the exact moment, but I'm almost 100% certain I hit my finger while running around the pool deck or playing around as a kid, and it's been a problem ever since. My primary care physician tried treating me with Johnson & Johnson creams, solutions, and powders. Even after two months of applying it six times a day—and I wasn't even training at the time—nothing changed. She eventually referred me to a dermatology clinic, where a nurse took a sample from the nail and sent it off to a lab in Washington, D.C., for mycological analysis. It turns out it isn't a fungus; it’s actually mold. Following all the previous treatments, the dermatologist also prescribed Lamisil tablets. After finishing the first course, I went back for a follow-up, and she told me the nail looked better, though she barely gave it more than a passing glance. Her advice? Just stick with the Johnson & Johnson products. But again, that didn't work either.
I ended up visiting a private specialist—someone who has successfully removed moles for me in the past—because I don't really trust the results from general practitioners (🙏). She sent her own sample for testing and got the exact same result. She admitted she had never seen anything quite like this before and wasn't sure what she would do if she were in my shoes. Since it was summer, she suggested I wait until autumn, at which point she could remove the nail to see if a healthy one grows back underneath.
In the meantime, a podiatrist from Germany (who happens to be my mom's best friend) came over. She ripped the nail off, filed it down, and groomed it as if it weren't diseased, advising me that under no circumstances should I ever try to lift the nail myself.😕😕
A few years later, sores started appearing around the finger. They pop up here and there, disappear, and then resurface. At the urging of a relative, I went back to the general practitioner because apparently, there's a new dermatologist there. She took one look at the nail and said it needs to be lifted; if a healthy nail grows back, great, but if not, we'll figure out the next steps then.😢
You might think it’s stupid to ask "what's next," but frankly, I'm terrified. I don't know if I should go through with having the nail pulled. First off, I have no clue how long the healing process takes. In six months, I start a new job washing yachts, and that involves a ton of heavy chemicals that could seriously irritate my skin. Second, I pay for a gym membership, and I have no idea if I'll even be able to train. I'm completely in the dark. I'm scared that even if they pull it, the same messed-up nail will just grow back, and then they'll tell me the entire finger needs to be dealt with. I just need someone to give me a straight answer about what is actually happening, how the nail removal works, and what the recovery looks like.
