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Infection

Discussion in 'Physical & Sexual Health' started by artist92, Oct 26, 2016.

  1. artist92

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    I have a problem, but I don't see it going away. My big toe on my left foot had an ingrown toenail. I've had ingrown issues for most of my life, and on my other foot, the doctor was able to permanently fix the issue. Well, due to being unemployed and not insured, it went from a normal ingrown nail, to digging through the toe, swelling, pus leakage 24/7 bleeding every day, and it feels extremely hot. Thats been going on for about 4 months now. Now that my dad has a job, I am finally insured enough to get it looked at, but I still can't get it looked at. Everything about my body is dysphoric, and I KNOW the doctors will be referring to me as male and stuff, and I'm barely holding onto my sanity as it is. I know I need to get it looked at, because the edge is looking... black, but I can't.
     
  2. Lora

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    If it's going black, you're losing oxygen on that part of your foot. If it continues to be like that, you will lose it (it will be amputated). Now untreated infection is not good because it can reach up to your blood and gives you sepsis (Google it). You really have to go to the doctor as soon as possible, I'm sorry.
     
  3. Jax12

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    Yeah the heat would be due to the swelling. Put ice on that to reduce swelling. Generally speaking if an injury is causing you a significant amount of discomfort, such as causing bleeding and pus.

    If that part of your skin/toe nail is black then it's already dead. If it was oxygen deprived then it would be turning light blue (cyanotic).
     
  4. Anthemic

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    4 months is far too long to be dealing with an infection this severe. The fact that your toe is beginning to turn black in an area, is very alarming. I know that you are dealing with dysphoria, but I have to say that I am very worried about your toe. Can you go into depth as to why you are worried that they will refer to you as a male? I know the basis of your worry, but I'm curious about specifics. Is there a way you could possibly dress in a way that expresses your gender?

    My advice... Just go to the doctor and try your best to ignore what they say. Cis-gender people (myself included) can be a bit misinformed about transgender situations, so I apologize if this advice is upsetting. I don't know what it is like to be transgender, so I really don't know much about how it feels to be misgendered. I understand that even thinking about being misgendered is stressful, but I can't help but think that losing a toe would be even more stressful.

    I am extremely worried, since you said it is turning black, that this could lead to gangrene. My grandmother had gangrene in her foot (from a careless operation), and she had to have her leg amputated above the knee. What's so scary is that, it only took 3 days for the gangrene to set in and spread.

    I urge you to please consider seeing a doctor that can remove the infection and the ingrown toenail. They will also be able to give you antibiotics. For skin to turn black, it usually means that it is necrotic. If it is necrotic, then the necrotic skin will have to be removed. This does not mean that you will have to have your toe amputated. If the infection is just in the skin and tissue, they can perform a procedure called debridement. Debridement is when a doctor removes dead skin and tissue in order allow healthy tissue to heal. When skin/tissue becomes necrotic, it begins to rot. When skin/tissue begins to rot, it can cause the infection to spread.

    Until then, it would be wise if you try to clean the infected area. What I do when I have an infected ingrown toenail is, I get a large bowl or bucket and pour hot water in it, along with Dial dish soap (the blue kind). It helps me a lot. Even if it does help you, I would still see about getting it removed, because the soap soak will not cure a deep infection. Please keep us updated.
     
    #4 Anthemic, Oct 26, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2016
  5. artist92

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    Sure, it's just that no matter how I dress... it's always going to be male pronouns for me. I've shown up in a dress and everything, spent hours trying to hide who I am before and still cant think of one time I wasn't misgendered at least once every hour or so.
    And I do try hard to keep it clean. I even tried to remove it myself, but it's just too deep. I know it's just words, but hearing my deadname everywhere I go, and getting misgendered 24/7 it just hurts so much. And with my feet being as huge as they are, that's just going to make it worse.
    Then I have a bigger problem. To get to and from the Dr., my Grandparents would have to drive me because of the toe... and that means they'd hear my new name. They don't know I'm trans and they CAN'T know. I can't afford to lose my home again
     
    #5 artist92, Oct 26, 2016
    Last edited: Oct 26, 2016
  6. Anthemic

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    I wonder if maybe your grandparents can just drop you off? Maybe tell them that the wait at the doctor will be a long time, and that you'd rather them just drop you off instead of wait. If that doesn't work, maybe you should try writing a small note to the receptionist to please say your last name instead of your first name when they call you back. I urge you to think of anything you can to get to the doctor, because this sounds like it can get bad. I wish I could see your toe so I can maybe get an idea on how bad it really is. This genuinely worries me.
     
  7. johndeere3020

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    YellowJacket, GET YOUR TOE LOOKED AT! Yelling in a loving way! I have nine toes...due to an infection in the bone. Again in a loving way GET YOUR TOE LOOKED AT! please
     
  8. killswitch0029

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    Not trying to sound like a douche, but not having your toe fall off and your health put at risk seems a little more pressing than how your doctor might address you.
     
  9. Creativemind

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    This sounds extremely serious. If left untreated, you may have to be amputated. You might even lose your whole leg if the infection spreads too far.

    I'm not trans, but I do sympathize on the misgendering issue. I'm in the closet to most and fear going to do the doctor because of the 'are you sexually active?' questions that can lead to be being outed and possibly risking homophobia. It's not exactly the same issue, but I understand it. However, you still really need to go. There could be a way to work out the misgendering. If you get called "he", just correct the doctors. Your grandparents should drop you off instead of waiting inside as well. My parents do this with me as I don't have a license at the moment.