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>Margaret, you wrote me in response to my complaint about my thickened toe nails: > >Please let me know everything about this particular "wonderous" >side effect >of our disease. I too am plagued by these elephantine toes, and aside from >the looks of them -- the PAIN! I have been mostly barefoot/sandals for >spring and summer. But, winter is coming -- so, any suggestions you can give >me would be most appreciated. > Margaret, you may have heard the old wise-crack. There is "fungous >amoungus". I had surmised my problem was mostly because as I stumble around, >I have banged my toes many times. I am most vulnerable when I do not have >shoes on in my bed-room. On occasion , I have even lost a little blood. I >mistakenly assumed that trauma alone would do enough damge to the corium of >the nail to thicken it. > My Father had a truly awsome thickness of the nail on one of his big >toes, and he told us kids that appeared after he had a cream can slip out of >his hand and bang down hard on said toe. My brother took a look when he came >clear down from Bemidji Mn. to KCI International airport to be with me at my >first surgery in January. He diagnosed fungous infection. My brother and I >are bothr retired veterinarians. His comment when I reminded him about Dad's >big toe, was that the injury had merely made the toe vulnerable to the >fungous. Both Dad and myself grew up on North Iowa farms, and there are all >kinds of fungi in the barns, I am sure. > My family physician concurs in Bob's diagnosis, and has prescribed a >90 day supply of an antibiotic product called Lamisil tabs, 250 mg. The cost >is almost prohibitive at $426.38, but it is supposed to be very effective. > I have some concern about reinfection later on. Do you folks out >there on the list have some advice for me?? Has anyone for instance burned >or discarded all there old foot ware. Is that an important thing to do?? >What else should I do to avoid reinfection, and on what schedule?? I am >serious about these things. In case anyone thinks, I am joking, I'm not!! William: Your case of toe nail fungus matches my problem exactly. I had this problem since I was in my early 20"s (now 56 with pk for 71/2 yrs) I too was put on Lamisil by my family doctor and it cleared me up but because I had it for 30 yrs I took it for twice as long as normal and bingo I have perfectly normal toenails with no sign of fungus.My big nail was always discolored and really thick but now it is thinner and nice and white. Lamisil really works.My Company drug plan paid for it which was great. Hope you have success with it. Bill Rogers ([log in to unmask])