Hey folks,
Ive always had fast growing fingernails. Ive got a bad habit of chewing on them, or tearing them when they get broke or turn into hangnails, because while they are thick and grow fast, they arent particularly strong.
As ive gotten older, ive gotten hairier and the texture of my hair and fingernails have changed. When i was young, they were smooth, and kinda shiny and… pinkish? Like you could see through them a little to the nail bed below. Now theyre fairly opaque and theyve got these grooves or ridges or something along the direction that they grow, like some folk’s teeth do. They are much much thicker than they used to be. I think its just one of the things that happens as you get older, like your skin becoming a little less firm and youre tired more.
I used to have to cut them every other week, now it’s down to every few days. Theyre sharpish, and brittle, but they grow like nobodies business.
On Sunday i took a nap but i woke up in pain. I slept like i awlays do, I had my fingers curled in on themselves while i slept, and when i woke up, one of my nails had pierced my palm. I was actually bleeding a little, ans it stung super bad.
my middle fingernail on my right hand broke off a little as i uncurled my hands and i had to dig the broken bits out of my palm with a pair of tweezers, which was not fun at all. I dont know what it is about scratches by they take forever to heal, so even today its still itchy. I hope its not infected, i thought i got all the finger nail but you can never be certain with little fragile bits.
Thats a side point though, yesterday, i was done with it. I had cut them on sunday, again on tuesday, and then yesterday i had to cut them AGAIN. i got impatient, and accidentally twisted the scissors when i was doing my dominant pointer finger. I’m sure youve all done it cutting something too thick, too, you try to cut something but it forces the blades apart and the whole thing twists. I creased my nail in that horrible way that happens sometimes where it gets that weird white line across it and it isnt as firm as it was before. You know, where itll be marked now and itll have this tendency to fold again? That happened and now i couldnt get purchase on it with the scissors anymore.
So i tried some wire cutters, and they cut it but they got stuck when the nail folded between the blades of it, so i figured what the hell, ill just tear the nail.
But it wouldnt tear. I pulled on it and nothing happened so i really gave it a hard tug and i felt a weird pop and the cuticle started to bleed, and it really, really hurt. Like when the skin peels off of chapped lips times 100. It was powerful unpleasantness.
I thought i tore the nail put by the root, but when i let go of the pliers they were still stuck with the folded bit between the blades. They were just hanging further down, maybe a quarter of an inch or so? Your nails have to grow from somewhere, right? Its not like they start at your cuticle, thats just where they break out of your skin
I figured that that was it, i tore it out but it hadnt quite cleared the root of the nail. The pain was really distracting, and ive been so tired lately, so i pulled some more. I think i was thinking that it must be like a topth, where pulling it hurts but once its out the pain subsides quickly, and then, after a while the new one grows in.
So i pulled again, and i could feel the edge of the nail, on the sides, cutting into me, but i could feel something kinda sliding and popping and i thought it was getting looser so i gave it a really good tug and with a little pop, felt more than heard, the wire cutters came free. I didnt want to look at it for a minute, there was a fair amount of blood.
I went to go wash it under the sink and as i did i saw that the nail was still attached, i had just freed the wirecutters. The tip of the nail was hanging down off the end of my finger almost a full two and a half inches longer than it was, and while it was bloody, it was still very much attached and normally shaped, and just as thick as they ever were, but softer somehow. Almost leathery or something.
I tried to cut it again and it wouldnt cut. I know it doesnt make any sense, but i was just so tired. Ive been so tired lately. I gave up.
I just went to bed. That was around this time yesterday.
I woke up super late today, just a half hour ago or so. I gotta go to the doctor or something. The pointer nail is longer now and the wound from sunday is itching like crazy, but i think i can see why. When i get it under good light i can see the left over bits of nail starting to surface.
I thought it would, the ones in the trash always keep growing too. But i dont have to tell anybody that, right? You all know what its like.
Ill check in a bit to see if anyone has any advice. right now i gotta get some more sleep. Still so tired.