Help with nail care
My husband's finger and toe nails need some serious attention, beyond what I feel i am able to do. His finger nails are long, yellowed and thick. A few of them are black in color and look terrible. His toe nails are really long and very thick. I'm amazed he can even get socks on over them, they are bad. They are too thick for me to trim and when I try he complains I'm hurting him. I don't think a nail salon would touch him. I'm wondering what others have done in this situation. Do I make a Drs appt to discuss ir? Do i try to find a podiatrist to deal with this? I know it is only getting worse by the day. I helped him shower today, saw them and was disgusted and horrified. How do I help him? Seeking advice.
Comments
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Amazon has toenail clippers for extra thick nails. I would try that, they're about $8.00.
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Ty. I have some. I couldn't get them to cut the extra thick, extra long nails. I'm thinking of using tin snips...just kidding. I haven't seen his nails in a long time but told him they need to be dealt with. Will try the extra thick clippers today, if not successful will follow up with his dr.
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Podiatrist can help with his toenails if he is willing to go. I'm not sure about the fingernails.
Several others here have mentioned doing nail care after a bath/shower while they are still softer from the water. I have just started helping DH w feet/toenails and they are thick but not unmanageable. I smear on some Vaseline to soften cuticles and toe parts, let it sit for a bit, then do minor clipping and mainly file them even.
Nailcare (especially toenails) is one of those tasks that I never thought I would be able to do but you do what you gotta do**. He is diabetic and had partial amputation of one of his toes about 10 months ago due to a bad infection from a blister. I was doing all the "infected toe" wound care before the amputation so I guess my foot "anti-fetish" is moot at this point.
You can probably self manage if you have a podiatrist do initial care.
**NOTE I am feeling slightly nauseous just talking about doing foot care 😁
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Ty for the info. If they were trimmed to a some what manageable level, I could keep up with them but they are beyond thick.
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Absolutely look into a podiatrist for the toenails.
Black nails can indicate medical issues, you might run it by his PCP.2 -
I took my husband to a podiatrist for an overly thick overgrown toenail. While she did cut his nails she said they wouldn’t do it on a regular basis. I found a woman who owns a small local nail salon who was highly recommended for doing nails for elderly people. She has been fantastic! She soaks my husband’s feet in warm water first, gently trims his nails (that I categorically don’t want to touch!) then gently exfoliates his feet and applies a cream. All this and she only charges $10 total. I pay her double, and tipped at Christmas. She’s a “mature” woman, my husband enjoys his trims.
Edited to add that she knows he has ALZ, talks with him and not down to him.
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I tried my best to trim them with the extra thick cutters. I was able to get the length down but they are SO THICK, seriously 3/8 to 1/2" thick! Beyond gross. I wore gloves, took the length down then worked on the thickness. He doesn't like the pressure needed to seriously file the thickness down so I took chunks out of the thickness with the clippers. I did the very best I could but they are still extremely thick. I was holding back tears when I noticed several of his toes were bleeding! I kept asking if what I was doing hurt and he kept saying no. I feel awful looking at his bleeding toes and trying to a apply bandaids with gloves on. I am going to follow up with our PCP with a referral for podiatrist, at least a consult. I will also explore any local nail salons who can accommodate his needs. Ty for giving me the strength to try to resolve this issue and now I know he needs more nail care than i can provide. Ty for always being here for me.…and for each other.
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I recommend a podiatrist. We have one that comes to the home on a regular schedule. The podiatrist can advise on why the nails are like that. If your husband will go to the office, do that. If not, look for one to come to the home. From the condition of his nails, his feet/nails should be examined by a professional. I wish you the best of luck.
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Tysvm. Will look for a mobile one.
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I took mom to a podiatrist. Since she is diabetic they checked her feet for any sores at the same time. She went, but was so angry about it she didn’t speak with me for a week. She insisted that if I would just bring her the dremel tool from her house she could do it herself. Of course that was not going to happen. A dremel tool might work ( as long as the pwd wasn’t the one using it), but I wouldn’t want to try it.
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I did think of DHs dremmel tool to thin out the extreme thick toe nails. It's one thing to do it on yourself and react to how it feels and quite another to use it in someone else. Seriously, the podiatrist will have tp handle this from here on out.
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My dh goes to podiatrist every 3months. His toenails are like your dh. Ins will pay for it. They are thick and discolored for a medical reason.
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My hair dresser also does nails for elderly people. You might like into that. I also used to cut my late father-in-law's toenails because the assisted living facility wasn't allowed to do it. He had something that looked like the wire cutters in this photo. I couldn't believe it. His toenails looked like small tree branches.
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TySvm
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I cope with my DH’s fingernails and toenailes. I cut his and mine at the same time. I primarily use the cutters with the black handles that elsinchem has shown. I make sure I give his feet and hands attention every 5 weeks always after we have showered when his feet, particularly his toe nails, are as soft as possible. I would soak and massage his feet first (he might enjoy that) and then trim as much as possible. It may take two or three goes to get them right. I also use a hand cream when I have finished the perfume is lovely and my DH finds it quite relaxing. It turns a rather horrible but necessary job into something quite personal, kind and endearing. Good luck.
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Ty for the suggestions.
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a Dremel tool with a small grinding wheel attachment works great. Seriously. Set on low speed to grind away excess painlessly. Can also thin a thick nail. Have seen Podiatrists use a battery-powered version but I use my electric Dremel
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Cobbling onto this post.
If your DH's nails are thickened because of a fungus and you share a bath/shower stall with him, there's a risk of you contracting the same fungus. You want to avoid that.
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dealing with feet is definitely a no no for me! I just can’t stomach it and that’s ok! DH has diabetes and I take him to a podiatrist every 3 months. Medicare will pay. His feet are so dry the dr ordered a prescription lotion to put on 2x a day. He can’t reach his feet because of a bad back so I’m trying to devise something I can attach to a stick, put the lotion on and hopefully he will be able to moisturize his feet !
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@JC5
Mom's derm just prescribed a prescription cream for some thickened dry skin on her back. Mom lives a 20-minute drive away under ideal circumstances and I'm getting a new knee in a couple weeks. I'm there 3 times a week for her appointments and shopping but I can't be running over daily to baste her.
I ordered her this:So far she's happy enough with it.
HB2 -
Perfect thank you!
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Ty. DH has a dremmel and obviously doesn't use it anymore. I like that idea ti thin the tie nails. We don't share the same shower but I will be sure not to be barefoot in his shower so I don't catch his fungus.
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I was stunned last year to notice my DH's toenails that were a mess. As others have mentioned, we now go to a podiatrist every three months and Medicare covers it. He also had toenail fungus which was cured with a 90 day prescription (not everyone can take it though - has some risk to the liver and requires blood test)
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Commonly Used Abbreviations
DH = Dear Husband
DW= Dear Wife, Darling Wife
LO = Loved One
ES = Early Stage
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FTD = Frontotemporal Dementia
VD = Vascular Dementia
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AL = Assisted Living
POA = Power of Attorney
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