Nail File, Part 2
Jan
13
2009
Several months ago, I wrote about how my fingernails developed a sudden, temporary infection. Now the nails have all grown back. When the whole thing started, I was wondering how long it would take for them to have no sign of the infection.
Now the whole thing is over, and I can pass on to you, dear reader, the knowledge I have gained: my nails took 4-6 months to grow.
That time is the complete re-growth of the nail, from the time of the infection to the time when the last sign of nail problem was gone.
The nails at first grew bad, then they grew good again. When the infection happened, it interrupted my nails. It was like my normal fingernails just kept going like they would have, but there was not any new nail behind them so they eventually fell off. This picture is from that point, halfway through the ordeal. Click on this preview photo if you want to see the details.
The new nail started growing before the old nail was completely gone, but the new nail was warped and mis-shapen. Then everything settled down and got back to how it should be, but the warped parts of the nails still had to grow their way off my fingers. Once that was done and a fingernail was clear, with no evidence that there had been any problem, I noted the day.
My nails went bad on 6/21/08
left index fingernail healed on 10/25 – 4 months
right index fingernail healed on 10/31 – 4 months
left middle fingernail healed on 12/19 – 6 months
left ring fingernail healed on 12/19 – 6 months
right ring fingernail healed on 1/2 – 6.5 months
left pinkie fingernail healed on 12/5 – 5.5 months
My right middle and pinkie fingernails and both thumbs were not infected, so there was no time to record there. Rumor has it that nails are like bones in that they benefit from mild stress of everyday use. I’m guessing that my index fingernails grew the fastest because, in my job which involves a lot of computer use, I used them the most. And I am left-handed, so my left nails grew faster than the right.
The pinkie was next, probably because of the typing and my habit of tapping my pinkies and thumbs on nearby objects, to the beat of whatever song happens to be in my head. It annoys my wife, especially when the nearby object is her.
Blessed be the LORD, my rock, Who trains my hands for war, {And} my fingers for battle;
Psalm 144:1
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 11:58 pm and has been carefully placed in the Mishaps category.
June 11th, 2014 at 8:32 pm
What was the infection called
June 11th, 2014 at 10:04 pm
I never found out. It fixed itself, so I never asked.