3 months ago, I was faced with toenail fungus, which had plagued my beautiful feet.

Being a diabetic for a while I have always paid extra attention to my hands and feet, needless to say I was devastated when faced with toenail fungus, I began to notice thickening in the big toenails.

As always, I did some research. The fact is that a lot of people develop toenail fungus, or onychomycosis, but it is about twice as common in people with diabetes. Diabetic nerve damage in the feet, which may prevent a person from noticing damage to his toenails, and reduced circulation, which affects healing, are both partly responsible for this increased risk.

You probably already know how important it is to inspect your feet every day, looking for red spots, blisters, sores, or other types of irritation. These can become life threatening if they are left alone for very long.

The threat of lower-leg amputation hangs over us, and about 60% of these procedures occur in people with diabetes. There are fewer of these procedures now because of better diabetes care and education, but amputations are still performed when foot and leg sores do not heal.

What I did not know was that toenail fungus can lead to an increased risk for amputation. That means those benign-looking ugly toenails can no longer be covered up and ignored.

I tested out some of the home remedies others swore by using, tea tree oil and the Vicks VapoRub, apple cider vinegar and Listerine, without any improvement at all, keep in mind that every home treatment has to be done every day for months before expecting any sign of improvement, and some of these approaches could potentially be dangerous for people with diabetes.

Zap that toenail fungus

At last I gave in and looked up Margaret Dabbs, I recalled reading about the inhouse podiatrist at Margaret Dabbs, so I called and confirmed my first appointment for my first medical pedicure.

Pamela the podiatrist, confirmed that it was indeed a fungal infection, and her choice of treatment was laser treatment (6 treatments), every fortnight, with a monthly medical pedicure.

In addition to the treatments, she also recommended the Margaret Dabbs foot hygiene cream (to be applied twice a day), a UV shoe sanitizer and cura-nail, to be applied twice a day.

No sooner, we began the laser treatments, it was with a heavy heart that I saw my nails being clipped  in an odd shape to remove the affected part of the nails, I knew then this was going to be a long recovery process , but I also understood that this was the best for my feet.

this laser works through the energy of light pulses; the first, state-of-the-art foot specific laser, penetrates through the nail, raising the temperature of micro-organisms and reaching deeper fungi, without damaging the surrounding tissue and without risk of recurrence or side effects. Laser therapy treatments are safe, comfortable and very fast and are suitable for men and women.

Laser therapy at Margaret Dabbs London can treat all forms of fungus found on the foot, providing a quick, pain-free treatment option without side effects and with long-lasting results. The treatment itself is painless, without downtime and is suitable for diabetics.

Whilst at my routine checkup at the Dr, my endocrinologist advised me that over-the-counter medications are not strong enough to eradicate fungus, after examining my feet he referred me to the hospital’s podiatrist, within a few days I visited the podiatrist, who then prescribed the oral medication to be used in conjunction with the topical spray (lamasil), which I added to my daily routine.

3 months later, I can only say that I am pleased with the progress, my toenails seems to be on the road to recovery, clear, healthy toenail grew out slowly from the cuticle so that each time my nails were trimmed there was less fungus.

My experience at Margaret Dabbs, has been nothing short of amazing, the staff are so attentive, Pamela the podiatrist has been more than a podiatrist, supporting me through my anxiety over the infection, advising me and constantly monitoring the progress of my journey to healthy feet.

Toenail fungus is not unusual, I have found. Trying to treat toenail fungus yourself is a difficult task. Because the infection lives under the nail, most topical remedies do not get to the actual source of Onychomycosis.

If you do notice changes in your nails, your podiatrist should test some clippings to determine the cause. Most of the time the culprit is a dermatophyte fungus, but sometimes it is yeast or mold that has gotten under or on the nails.

After the doctor identifies which of these is present, he can offer prescriptions. Targeted treatment has a better chance of eradicating the infection from your nails. Whatever route your doctor chooses for you, please remember that this kind of infection needs to be taken seriously.

Onychomycosis increases your risk of secondary infection in your feet, which can lead to sores that do not heal. You do not want to go down that road, so take those ugly toenails to the podiatrist and get rid of them.

If you do not have toenail fungus and want to keep it that way, here is a list of some things you can do:

• Inspect your feet every day.
• The first step to taking good care of your feet is going to a podiatrist, or foot doctor, regularly. You should visit him at least twice a year for a foot checkup. This specialist will watch for signs of toenail fungus and inform you of the best ways to treat it.(If you have diabetes, the treatment for toenail fungus will be a little different, and perhaps more aggressive, too)

 

To shoe or not to shoe

• Wear shoes and socks they will not rub against and damage your toenails. (Daily trauma can give toenail fungus a way in, and because of numbness you may not be aware that your toes are taking a beating.)
• Make sure the podiatrist who trims your nails uses sterile equipment.
• Never borrow someone else’s clippers or share yours.
• Wear swim shoes in public showers and pools.
• Do not share socks or shoes with anyone.

For more information and appointments please contact Margaret Dabbs Qatar on the following

Tel: +974 33144868/66177203

Thank you to the team @margaret_dabbs_qatar for the care I have received during the treatments and recovery process. I am pleased to say that my laser sessions have come to a happy end, going forward I will be focusing on my prescribed monthly medical pedicures and continue with prescribed home treatments.

 

What have you tried for your toenails?

what worked for you? please feel free to share your experience here