Losing a fingernail/toenail

[Hay Dude]

I had one years back, super painful. Went to ER and the doc had a small gun-like device with a super hot needle tip to melt the hole. It was a blood geyser!

 

[MossRoad]

Probably loose it because the heat cauterized the bleeding and stops the drainage. A cold, smaller drill probably gives you a better chance of saving the nail.

I don't think it cauterized the bleeding. It drained out the little hole.

 

[MossRoad]

I had one years back, super painful. Went to ER and the doc had a small gun-like device with a super hot needle tip to melt the hole. It was a blood geyser!

Haha. Remind me of my dad. He had this weird scar across the print on one of his thumbs. I asked him how he got it. He said he was building a wooden ship model and was pulling a blade towards his thumb, it slipped, and stuck into his thumb. He pinched the cut with his index finger and went to find his mom. She was in the kitchen. He told her he cut his thumb. She asked to see it. He removed his index finger, the blood spurted up to the ceiling, his mom passed out on the floor, and dinner was ruined.

 

[MossRoad]

I had one years back, super painful. Went to ER and the doc had a small gun-like device with a super hot needle tip to melt the hole. It was a blood geyser!

They did something similar to my index and middle fingernails a couple years ago when my hand was smashed in a freight elevator door. No blood geysers, though. Just a good trickle for a minute or so.

 

[5030]

Better than loosing something else I'd say....

 

[k0ua]

Yes, I always knew the trick was to drill an escape hole.
Have seen some actually use a power tool to do so.

another trick if you don't have the little drill bit is to heat up a pin in a flame (cigarette lighter works fine) to red hot and start pushing it into the nail. It will burn a hole in it pretty quickly. If need be heat it again and try again. When the blood spurts out it is heaven on earth.

 

[k0ua]

Whoops, in reading further, it looks like I was a bit late in the "burn a hole" party.

 

[PILOON]

On toenails---
Mine are so thick that I've broken electronic side cutters while clipping them.
Normal nail clippers usually suffer the same fate.
(I now have a pair (on line buy) that resemble curved side cutters c/w padded grips.)

Last toenail disaster was from kicking a snow shovel to free the stuck shovel full of wet snow.
My bad!
Have to say putting on socks was painful until I made a plastic taped on splint to avoid snagging it.
After a few weeks it simply fell off to my relief.

 

[MossRoad]

Better than loosing something else I'd say....

As Larry Lujack would say:

"Always wear your protective steel cup little Tommy."

 

[SylvainG]

Most of us have been there. The ugly painful process of crushing a fingernail or toenail. Is there anything that can be done? Mine is a crushed fingernail. Hoped it would survive, but alas I can see the end of the nail pulling- away from the quick. Last one took about a year.
My son has 2 crushed big toes from D-1 defensemen stepping on his feet. Team trainer offered little help.
Anything helpful in speeding the process of getting the new nail?

After I just hit my thumb while framing the cottage, I asked the framer by trade that was with me what they do when they hit their fingers like I just did mine. His answe was, we swear. Wasn't helpful but made me laugh.