You have concerns about potentially having a fungal nail infection.
You have been directed to this page in response to an online consultation contact. If you haven’t contacted us, please feel free to read this information and contact us via the link below to discuss further.
To check there is fungus & confirm the type in your nail we will need some clippings to send to the lab. See here https://bmg.link/NailSample for guidance on how to take them.
You may find this leaflet on fungal nails useful:
https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fungal-nail-infection
Once you have taken the nail samples and presented them to the Surgery to be sent off it can take up to 14 days for the results to come back, they will then be available for you to view via the NHS App.
If no fungus is grown then it is unlikely that the nail changes you are experiencing are due to a fungal infection, the commonest reason is small, repeated traumas to the nail bed and it may be that these changes are irreversible.
Treatments are not 100% effective and won’t change the appearance of the nail as it looks now as it is already destroyed. The aim is to get new nail growth coming through.
It can take up to 18 months before nails appear more normal depending how extensively they are damaged, and it is common for reinfection to occur.
If your sample confirms a fungal infection then we are considering oral tablets oral tablets as treatment. You will need a baseline blood test before starting the tablets to check your liver function, which is then repeated 4-6 weeks after starting tablets.
If you would like to proceed with the test (if you have already contacted us through an online consultation and been directed to this link) you can now attend the Future Inn hotel community blood taking service:
https://www.plymouthhospitals.nhs.uk/phlebotomy
If these are normal, please contact us via this link:
https://systmonline.tpp-uk.com/2/OnlineConsultation?OrgId=L83100
Requesting oral fungal treatment for confirmed fungal infection which will prompt a discussion and prescription.
Regards
Beacon Medical Group Clinical Team