Toenail fungus

Hi hwiginton,

I haven't personally dealt with toenail fungus but can imagine how annoying and painful that could be. I'm sorry that you are facing this. Talk to your primary care doctor, if you haven't already, as I believe that there may be treatments available to help fight the fungal infection.

Best,
Lisa, moderator

Hi, hwiginton! Only today I went to the podiatrist to deal with toenail fungus. I'm 73 and have had it for at least 15 years. She was very encouraging and told me that you need to be patient and carefully observant of the protocols of treatment. I won't go into detail because like MS, every case is different. I expect to spend about a year keeping my feet clean and dry and the nails trimmed and debrided. She offered me a choice of several treatments.. I expect to see her quarterly to monitor progress. I have not yet checked to see if Medicare covers the cost of treatment but given the prevalence of foot complications with diabetes, I kinda expect that Medicare will cover part of the expense. My only suggestion is to consult a podiatrist from the get go. They have knowledge equipment and experience treating this common problem. The only home remedy I know is rubbing Vicks Vaporub on the affected area, and that is only a stopgap measure. Go see a good podiatrist and help will be afoot before you know it! Best of luck!