Bruise under big toe nail...

[kerry88]

I have a bruise under my left big toe nail, it covers almost all of the the toe nail area. It doesn't hurt like a bruise normally does if i put pressure on it and it never has. I don't know exactly how long it has been there as I had painted my toenails and due to my back problem it was easier just to top up the varnish than to remove it, so I first noticed it approx. 9 weeks ago. It has never hurt, I have no idea how it happened! I don;t remember banging it or anything. It doesn;t seem to fade, or grow out with the nail, so now I am unsure what it could be! I am terrified of the prospect of my nail falling off or something as I have a real phobia of nails (strange I know!!). I don;t want to bother my doctors with it as I am already seeing them for a number of things related to my back and an operation, and I always feel like a hypochondriac (sp?) when I see them as I put off seeing them so then have a list of things to sort!

I was hoping someone could just reassure me that this is normal and that it will go in time really!

[SassyLassie]

Try not to worry, just because it may be a mole does not mean it is cancerous. Has anyone mentioned a fungus? Sometimes they can cause odd nail problems.

[Caryopteris]

Good think you're getting it looked at!  

[kerry88]

Hi, my doctor had a look at my toe today, he thinks that some of it does look like a bruise but there is a darker bit that is closer to the base of the nail which he thinks may be a mole, so I have been referred to a dermatologist. So will be getting an appointment in the next couple of weeks. I mentioned the possibility that it could be diabetes as Caryopteris suggested as my dad has diabetes, but he didn't think it was that.

I am now a little freaked out because everything you get told about moles appearing or changing is bad news! So I guess I have a week or so of worrying I think!! :-\

[remar]

Let us know what your Dr says.  Remar

[Caryopteris]

This used to happen to me when I was young.  It first happened after going rollerskating.  It was from the skating motion of lifting the foot and bumping the toe inside the shoe time after time to skate around the rink.  Then other things triggered it.  The bruise grew out but I never lost the nail.  But for years I had a nail that wasn't connected.  It didn't reconnect until I stopped eating gluten and started putting a drop of tea tree oil on the toe in case there was fungus.  Not sure if there was a fungus, but the tea tree oil solved the disconnection problem.  You should point out the problem to your doctor as it may be a sign of a circulation problem/diabetes or something like that.

[kerry88]

I am hoping to mention it to my doctor tomorrow if they have time to cover everything. Do you have any ideas what it could be?