Toenail fungus? Or just nailbed changes from chemo

On another posting I noticed that SaltyCandy13 had to pay $1000 out of pocket for an antifungal prescription for her toenail fungus. A while back I went to a podiatrist because I thought I may have gotten a nail infection from pedicures. I expected to be told that I needed to take an oral antifungal medication which is hard on your liver and  kidneys. The podiatrist told me to apply Vick’s Vapo Rub to my nails and put on a sock at night. I was told that if I did that (if I actually had a fungal nail infection ) there was about a 40-50% chance it would be cured in about 6-8 weeks. He then handed me a journal article about it.

Needless to say- the white horizontal lines on some of my toenails were just a nailbed reaction to nail polish that happens sometimes to people who have had chemo. The podiatrist also told me that the insurance company likely wouldn’t cover the antifungal.

He also told me that the over-the-counter creams don’t work. He said that there are products available that if you read the label the product isn’t even labeled to treat nail fungus but rather it is promoted for athletes foot. Then I talked to a neighbor and she also had been told to use Vick’s Vapor Rub. She said her nails never looked better! As we know Tea Tree oil is sometimes used also. Must be the menthol or something that creates an unfriendly environment for fungus. This advice only cost me $258 out-of-pocket. I didn’t even have a nail infection. The podiatrist said nail salons are more likely to be a source of athletes foot rather than nail fungus. 

I still get pedicures!