Help me help my toe

very cute foot pic OP!

Neosporin and bandaid. If it's sore you can soak it with the bandage on in warm water and Epsom salts.

Thank you r1 and r2. I have Epsom salts. I will give it a try.

Stay off your feet while the nail grows in.

Get your ass to your primary care physician tomorrow!

What's a primary care physician going to do?

The nail will take about a year to properly grow back OP.

The doctor will make sure there's no infection and may prescribe meds to ensure the nail grows back healthy. Depends. Probably best to see a dermatologist. They handle skin and nails.

Find a foot fetishist into shrimping. He will kiss it to make it better.

Mupirocin ointment or povidone iodine.

I have known some people who died of cancer or septicemia after getting only a tiny cut in their foot or leg. This is quite a serious complication, OP.

Since it takes eight months or so to grow back, "staying off your feet" for that time frame may not be in the cards.

Yes, a dermatologist is the one to see for this. Don't worry too much about it, though. Protect the toe with more than a Band-Aid. I'd try some sterile cotton or nonstick gauze pad wrapped in some sort of light bandage.

R11, In the time of Corona? It's easy-peasy!

Ok you have convinced me to see a doctor. The first available appointment with my PCP is January 7. I'll send her a note and ask her what to do.

You don't need to see a doctor, for the love of god. Just put polysporin on it and wrap it in a bandage and wait.

Now I am confused... I feel stupid emailing her about this. I didn't see a doctor when I first injured my toe and it seems silly now. I took a photo of it if anyone wants to see.

Since a doctor can’t wave a wand and make a new nail appear, why would you see one? You are also capable of seeing if there’s infection. Soak it and keep it loosely covered with a bandage and antibiotic ointment. Don’t wear tight shoes. Sheepskin slippers or some nice natural-fiber socks.

OK I emailed her. I don't want to get toe cancer!! I know what happened to Bob Marley!!

OP, I did something much like that some ten or twelve years ago - I tripped over a decorative stone brick on the back porch while wearing sandals, and it split the entire big toe, laying back the entire nail like the hood of a car that's opened while speeding down the freeway. Because of diabetic neuropathy, I wasn't really aware of how much damage I'd done to it until after I got back in the house, noticed that the toe of the sock had soaked red from blood, and took it off to look at it. (That's right, folks - I had on socks and sandals. Bite me.) I laid the nail back down and after cleaning it, I wrapped it in gauze, but it was a loss; it did not re-attach. So after a day or so, I clipped it loose from the toe and discarded it.

R12's response is closest to the course I followed. I didn't have any pain to speak of, but apparently you do. Keep the toe clean, very gently. Apply some Neosporin. Try to ignore the pain, and apart from checking to toe daily while changing its gauze dressing, leave it alone; don't pick at it, compress it, or enclose it in a shoe. If it begins to infect or starts exuding pus, get your ass to an Urgent Care right away. Apart from infection, though, it's something you can look after.

Once the nail starts to come back in, apply a little Lotrimin Ultra cream to the cuticle after each bath/shower. This will help keep the nail free of fungal complications as it grows back.

R16 , pic please. I want to worship Your barefeet.

You really have to protect it from becoming infected. Just see your doctor and don't take chances.