Okay, it’s time for Ad’s Gross Question Of The Day:
How can you tell if your big toenail is going to fall off? I hurt my toe this past Saturday, and it hurts like *%)$^#. My toenail is not looking good at all-- all raised and swollen underneath the nail. 
Losing a toenail has always been the one thing that gives me the total heebie-jeebies, and I’m freaking out.
This is so not good. I can’t even wear 3/4 of my shoes!!!
If you haven’t yet, you might consider getting a doc to look at it.
It sounds painful. You have my sympathies…hurt feet always freak me out a bit.
BB
–James
I did that once and I poked the skin and got the dried blood out from underneath. The dark purple looking stuff is dried blood, it’s not that the toenail is necessarily gonna fall off. It might just be dried blood. But getting it out HURTS because you gotta dig with tweezers or something. It’ll go away on its own, though, eventually.
::quietly freaking out even more::
I have insurance for the first time in 10 years. I guess now might be a good time to take advantage of it. 
I’ve gotten so used to not going to a doctor, that it’s weird to think about going for my toe! :
:
I understand!
My thought is along the lines of if it’s going to come off anyway, probably a doc could take it off gently (and probably ease your pain quite a bit at the same time), whereas if you just wait for it to pull loose, it’s probably gonna hurt like hell and might be more likely to get infected.
Sure sorry that happened to you. Just the thought is awful.
Heal up quick!!!
–James
Thanks, James. Say hi to Shannon and the ferts for me!! I hope things are going well for all of you! 
I wouldn’t poke around under it. It might get infected. And you can’t really wash underneath your toenail or put medicine under it. Go to the doctor or let nature take its course. Don’t poke. Sounds very painful indeed. Don’t be heebie jeebed though.
But isn’t it the best phrase to say, though? I mean, how often does one get to say “heebie-jeebies”??
You can clean out from under it by holding the nail up and pouring peroxide down in the hole. That’s what I did. It hurt less after I cleaned it out. It was my big toe, but I forgot how it got that way. I just remember it being that way.
It is good. I usually say something gives me the willies, for some reason. I guess it’s time for a regional survey.
Go, and know that many have lost nails before you and survived!! 
(ouch! who ht me??)
Oops, sorry… that must have been my toenail flying off my foot.
What a shame! And don’t you have a lovely closet full of cute shoes? Hope there are some Birks in there!
Where is Amar when you need him??? And Paul Busman??? And Doc Jones??? You need a pub-side consultation!
As mentioned, you can take it to the doctor or you can doctor it yourself or you can leave it alone.
They can drain the blood from under it or take the nail off. If it’s really painful from the pressure, that can be a huge relief. That’s the best choice if it’s looking infected and is still that painful and gross after 4 days. You can do the same thing with a . . . well, best not mention that here. Someone might be eating. (You can look it up on the internet–try running sites.)
If it’s smallish and you leave it go, the nail will lift off over the blood part. It’ll eventually grow out. No big deal.
Lambie,
I tried following your link. Looks like it should be:
M
PS–I hardly ever take anything PETA says at face value. I just don’t trust hysterical folks to do accurate reporting.
I did a similar thing with my thumb a few years ago. The pain is mostly due to the pressure of the blood (and other pleasantries) under the nail.
The doctor should be able to draw that out for you - one option is to drill a small hole through the nail to let the goop seep out.
I lost about half the nail on my thumb that time, but it grew back normally, except I get a little ridge along it at the point of most damage.
Ordinarily I take PETA with a grain of salt (and a little Worcestershire sauce), but when I see they have such intellectual heavy-weights as Alicia Silverstone rallying to their side, I have to give them more credence.
And to keep from straying to far afield from the original topic – This thread would be more interesting, ennyn, if you you could post a picture of said toe in all its technicolor glory.
Then go see a doctor.
Yeah. A picture of the toe sounds cool. Either that or we’re going to have to go rotton.com
Ad, that is just absolutely horrifying!!! I don’t know how you are doing it, you poor, poor thing!..oh, and I am sorry that you hurt your toe too 
Seriously, I would soak your foot (and hence your toe) in Epsom Salt, and if it gets worse call your doctor. The Epsom salts will help to get some of the icky stuff out. But it just sounds gross…your talking about it gives me the Heebie Jeebies too 
(and yes, I agree, that is just a perfectly wonderful phrase…I use it whenever I can)
But please, no matter what the BOYS are saying, don’t post a picture. That just sounds so yucky 
Thank goodness for your insurance, btw. Isn’t it nice to feel like a real person in this country?
I’ve had a nail fall off. By the time it gives up the ghost its not a big deal. DON’T go poking under there! DON’T. PERIOD. DON’T.
And hang tight…there IS a podiatrist around here somewhere. . .