Ouch! That left a mark!

[Jinx13]

I had a heart cath yesterday. But that's not what left the mark.

Three nurses saw my toenails and abolutely jumped all over me for cutting them too short. You have to understand that cutting my toenails is one of the most traumatic experiences I go through. They are tough as, well, nails. I have to soak them in water for a long time before they will accept clipping at all. They splinter and crack and tear down to the nail bed. Because of that, I only trim them when they need it.

Should I be using a professional pedicurist? A saw? Perhaps a laser?

How do you handle it?

And do you get yelled at? I was really surprised at the nurses' reaction. They must have seen some things in their career that make them react like that.

[Belinda]

I rarely clip my toe nails but I keep them filed down with an emory board. This is what my endo and vascular surgeon reccommended. I basically took their advice and since then I have very little problems with ingrown nails, too short nails etc....I do get a manicure but NO to a pedicure although it is a tickle thing for me..LOL

[Penny]

I was having that problem, until a hospital nurse got on [U]my husband[U] for not cutting my toenails for me. She told him then Diabetic people needed to take extra care about toenails. He has cut them since then, such a luxury!

[mg_2204]

It's a good idea to soak your nails before cutting them. Or after a long bath.That way your nails will be much easier to cut, less risk of ending up with brittled nails. Do you have a good toe nail clipper? Invest in a good one!

I would also apply a good super rich nail cream on a daily basis. A moisturizing hand cream would do.

Filing the nails (gently, always in the same direction - no see-saw movement ack!) is a good alternative to a pair of cissors or a toe nail clipper. That way you don't have to wait until you really have to trim your toe nails.

I was always told that problem nails (finger and toe nails) are a sign of a diet poor in calcium.

Hope this helps!

[Simon]

I can't get through my nails with a clipper. I use nail scissors. I have defaormed toes as well so I need to be extra careful.

[UpNorth]

I thankfully don't have problems with my toenails, but have that problem with my fingernails (and now is the time for all other women out there to :tomato: on me) My fingernails are so hard, and grow so fast:afraid: I don't do anything to them... and still, they're as strong as those plastic nails some people use:rolleyes: and it's nearly impossible to cut them:motz: Don't get me wrong, i do like my beautiful (or so my friends says about them) nails, but it gets really annoying when they reach 1cm out from my fingertips:stupid: I can't use an emery board on them because they are so strong it takes ages and the result is never good, and they always break when i try to cut them:hmpf: they don't even break when i work in a factory so...

What can i do?:hmmmm2:

[Penny]

This was something I meant to post about. Until I started insulin, I could never keep my fingernails long. They were brittle and often broke off at the quick. Now I cannot keep them short, I clip them and they grow back out in a day or two. Just wondering if there could be a connection to the insulin.:hmmmm: