Tuesday, February 10, 2009

Ewie gross.

I mean it. This is nasty.

Many of you will want to not look any farther. There is a nasty, gross picture at the end of this. People with weak stomachs will not like it. This is not a joke, like the pussy pics. This is the real deal. You've been warned.

Remember when I whacked my fingernail with a hammer back in January?

Well the nail has grown out to a point where the black part was beyond the cuticle and I could see that there is new growth underneath. The old, black part is just so much shell over the new growth.

Only it would move a little like a loose tooth when I'd touch it. And since I discovered that it did the loose tooth thing, that's really all I've been able to do: keep touching it. Pressing on it, wiggling it, lifting the edges and seeing if it hurt (it didn't).


So finally I decided to cut away the dead stuff and let some air get at whatever ugliness might be underneath. I put the edge of these clippers under the back edge and gently pried it forward. I lifted and snipped and then went under the other edge and lifted again and snipped. In a few short moments, I had all of the old dead nail chipped away as well as an utterly disgusting pile of what has to be dried, congealed blood that had been resting between the old nail and the new growth.

Note that I have not called what I found under there a new fingernail, merely new growth. I think it has a way to go before anyone will call it a new fingernail. It's pretty nasty and mangled-looking. I had an awful time getting a good (??) picture of it. Here's my best effort. That pile of stuff next to my finger? That's the nail bits and the dried black shit that came out of there. Probably month-old dried blood. Bleah.


My finger feels lighter now, but wow it looks like hell. I thought it looked bad before. This is way worse. It is like I have Frankenstein's fingernail. Quite disgusting. I think I shall go give it a gentle scrubbing with some mild soap and rinse it well. Then I'll sand down the edges so it doesn't catch on every bit of fabric it encounters. And then I'll go to bed. My stomach is kinda queasy.

14 comments:

Unknown said...

ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww
I had to look. ;p

ANPfisher said...

EWWWWIE the real thing is GROSS!! I have a decent eww factor scale but this is just bleak!

Mel said...

Heh. Now you're a soft shell.

Robin said...

A soft shell - bwahahahaha

You actually pulled that off in bits yourself??? That is SO much grosser than the actual photo.

*shudder*

MRMacrum said...

I hear there is a soup that calls for......uh, nevermind, that would be eye of newt. Different recipe.

And Yeah Boy, I'm with Robin. Picture is nothing compared to the operation.

unmitigated me said...

That new nail is VERY susceptible to fungus right, now,so I'd keep it well coated with neosporin.

Ghost Rider said...

oowwwww. I know you said it didn't hurt, but ow anyway.

Kaylia Metcalfe said...

ewwwwwww

I have sympo-pain for you,

gah!

Queenie said...

Just like the lookers drawn to stop and stare at a bad car crash, I had to look, even though you warned me. You were right, gross. And, ouch.

Anonymous said...

Good God, I guess I really do have 2 boys because that wasn't as bad as I expected. A's tooth hanging by a thread a couple of weeks ago was worse for me! LOL!
And I agree with Middle Age Woman; get Neosporin on that sucker. Keep it gooped up with that stuff and a bandage, especially with all the welding and spraying and stuff you're doing right now.

msladyDeborah said...

I have had the same thing happen to me only it was a toe nail. Give it time and perhaps a serious swipe with peroxide. A new nail will grow in due time.

betsy said...

The pic isn't as skin-crawly as the description. Honestly, I wish you could have seen me squirming and squinching up my face as I read further and further.

I'm with Middle Aged Woman and Laughing At Chaos - keep that thing bandaged! Now that the protective shell is off it - it's like a potential infection magnet. Neosporin and bandaids. Seriously.

Anonymous said...

I've seen it many times in the course of working in a salon. Believe it or not people come in with all manor of injured fingers and toes wanting some polish to cover things up. I think you did a good job with it!

Unknown said...

I whacked my thumb on Thanksgiving day and the nail is now just about off. It's still stuck even though I've been clipping off most of it. My thumb looks quite a bit like yours - I wonder how long (if ever) until it grows back and looks normal. I can't believe it has been almost 3 months!