Furthermore

Ok, got another minute now so onto the details. A little less than a year ago I started the internal Lamisil (terbinafine) treatment for the first time. This is something they don't prescribe to all because it can be harmful to your liver. The standard treatment time where I live is 12 weeks, so I got doses for 12 weeks. I was happy to get the strongest stuff there is, but it later showed that after the treatment no improvement could be seen whatsoever... I have read a lot on the topic of fungus and read in a medical study that after 12 weeks about 40 percent see an improvement whereas after 18 weeks 75 percent are likely to see an improvement (I will not swear by these figures, but they are roughly what I recall, I will try to find that page again). It also said that terbinafine is slowly collected in the body and actually reaches the nail beds only after a long time, it kinda works its way out there, hence the time-consuming procedure.

I am now 2 months into my second treatment, and my plan is to follow the advice of another man who sucessfully got rid of his fungus, complete the 3-month period and then demand another dose for another 3 months, and point to this study. If I have to take a liver test at some point, so be it. I want to rid myself of this now.

Apart from that, I apply pure tea tree oil to all nails twice a day (I have been lazy, but now I stubbornly apply it morning and evening). As for all the different substances out there on the market, I am skeptical. They all contain tea tree oil to some extent, and then sesame oil and other household stuff that I can't really see how it would be of any help. Pure tea tree oil is concentrated and strong, therefore I think it should be more effective than diluted stuff. This I apply to nails and nailbands, I know that there is no way for it to penetrate into the nail bed, but at least it should kill all fungus on the surface. I also use tea tree oil cream on the feet from time to time to kill any skin fungus, and occasionally lamisil gel, when feet seem to be dry and it seems they may get infected again.

I have tried vinegar 2 times. I have diluted it with water to a 20 % mixture and put it in cut-off fingers from plastic gloves and put the on the toes and fingers for 30 mins or so. What this does (apart from the fact that the acidic vinegar is cryptonite to superficial fungus) is that it softens the white stuff that tends to build up under infected nails, causing them to grow upward. Some of my toe nails grow upward in close to a 90 degree angle, and after this procedure I can take a semi-soft tool and scrape that gooey stuff out, enabling the nail to grow back normally once the debris is no longer there to push it up. It feels strange to do this since it leaves the nail unattached to the toe where you have been scraping, but fear not, it will grow out normally and be attached to the skin again. You should cut it down a bit more so it does not snag on socks and stuff. I plan to repeat this process with pure vinegar and take out as much as I can. I will not use vinegar on a daily basis since one wants to wash the feet thoroughly afterwards. It really does smell.

The vinegar procedure is something I recommend, because even when the fungus is gone, you need to get rid of that excess keratine under the nail for it to be able to grow normally.

In my next post I will post useful links to informative web pages along with other blogs and success stories. There is a lot of info on the subject, allow me to silt away the bad ones and leave you with the useful and correct information...... =)


Fungus

Nail fungus: my battle

To be honest I am not much into this whole blog hysteria. I don't follow one single blog, and I am surprised to find myself here now. The reason I am starting this blog is mainly to share with others my experiences with different fungus "cures" and hopefully those who read and have similar experiences can give me useful tips. Maybe it can eventually be a bundle of information that is useful to others. Because believe me, I will not suddenly start praising any of the alternative cures out there and reveal myself as just another fake person who is secretly advertising the products that his own company manufactures. Here I will, with pictures and text, share my specific story with nail fungus on fingers and toes. I will update with photos and lists of what products and methods I use. This is a brief first post, let us start with the horrific state my nails are in today. =)

I am not much into the technical stuff, so the pictures ended up on top of the page. Fair enough. I have only a couple of minutes, so this time a brief rundown of my history and treatments will have to suffice.

5 years ago my toenails started growing with a rippled surface, and some thickened. about 2 years ago one of my fingernails started to loosen after I had hurt it, and it has looked like that since (my middle finger). Suddenly about a year ago the rest of the hand quickly got infected, except for the little finger. I has gradually worsened.

I have eaten Lamisil and also used it externally to no avail.

My current procedure is: A new internal lamisil dosage, Tea tree oil on nails 2 times a day, and vinegar from time to time. I also experiment with household products. More to come later.

Thank you for reading, I am most grateful for any input, so don't hesitate to post.