Personal stories about taking oral antifungal medication for fungal nail infection

These stories are based on information gathered from health professionals and consumers. They may be helpful as you make important health decisions.

Tom, age 68: My toenails have always been a little thick and hard to trim, but lately they are starting to really make my feet hurt. I was never sure what the problem was, and now my doctor says it's some type of fungal infection. She says that the medication may help but that my nail is probably damaged and will never grow back in completely normal. She also mentioned that the medication is pretty expensive, and that's a concern for me. I'm going to try some other treatment that takes off part of the nail and see if that helps with the pain.

Tammy, age 35: I think this fungal toenail infection is the ugliest thing! It's so embarrassing. I always keep my nails trimmed and polished, and this one ugly toenail really bothers me. I asked my doctor about these new medications, and it sounds like they will work well for me, because the problem is just in one of my nails. I just can't believe how long it's going to take to work!

Bonita, age 40: Taking medications for almost 3 months to treat something that really doesn't bother me? That doesn't make any sense to me. I have a hard enough time remembering everything I need to do at the office, much less remembering to take a pill every day. If the problem gets any worse, then I'll reconsider. For now, I'll just keep that toenail out of sight.

Bob, age 60: I will always remember my dad's feet. He had these thick, ugly yellow toenails, and he used to wince when he would walk, because they hurt his feet. My doctor says that I could wind up in the same situation. But since I just got this fungal toenail infection in the last year, if we treat it now, we have a good chance of curing it. I'm going to try this oral medication that takes several months to work. I'm also going to try all the other things he mentioned, like rotating my shoes so they dry, changing my socks more, and using antifungal foot drying powder. I don't care so much what my feet look like, but I sure don't want them to hurt when I'm older.