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About two months ago I started treatment for what we thought was an infection in my left big toe. After three weeks of antibiotics it wasn't getting any better. It was starting to turn black just above the nail & starting to swell. After consulting specialists it was the concess that the tiny blood vessels in my toe was plugged with tiny particles of plaque. The suggestion at that time was amputation was a distinct possibility.  
Extra extensive blood tests were done to eliminate any other possibilities.  
I do not have diabetes.  
The pain lately has been getting unbearable. Right now we are on kind of a wait & see situation. Today a blood specialist suggested that amputation was more than likely the best route.  
 
I guess my question is. Has anyone else had to have this done and does the pain go away like they say it should. And what has been your recovery time.  
 
NOTE. I am very confident in the diagnosis done by all the doctors I have seen.  
I guess I'm wanting moral support more than. Anything else.  
I will post a picture of it to the photos section. ADAM if is too offensive please feel free to delete.  
I may have to be happy with only being able to count to "19".

I just looked at your pic. That looks painful.  
 
What do they say about the smaller toes that are showing similar signs?

They seem to think they may recover. But I have my doubts. That may be part of the wait & see idea.

Of just removing the nail and debriefing the area? I didn't see the picture but the amputation of the great toe will cause balance issues

RainaRo said "Of just removing the nail and debriefing the area? I didn't see the picture but the amputation of the great toe will cause balance issues "

See now that's what I was thinking (although I believe you meant debridement, it's all good.)  
 
But I'm not a medical specialist. Perhaps they're worried about worse infection if the nail was to be removed? Amputation seems a bit extreme to me but it's better than the alternative should this move further. I wish I had information for you Larry.

Is there any way that your shoes or boots could be irritating those toes and thus keeping them from healing? And possibly changing the brand/type of socks? I find it curious the particular toes that are infected.  
 
The reason I ask is because my son had issues with his toes, nothing as severe as you...but they would get swollen and red, and almost look infected. Had him to the doctor a few times because we were worried about cellulitis, nothing seemed to help. We decided to change his footwear even though he wasn't having pain or pressure. Haven't had trouble with his toes since.

I say amputate... if it's not getting better, risking the infection spreading through your foot into your leg is not good. Getting rid of the infection site (if antibiotics aren't working), in my opinion, would be a good idea.... loose a toe now but keep your leg... I know someone who lost their leg from the knee down because of spreading infections.... good luck with your decision!

The ends of the toes are fine and so are the nails. They don't hurt at all. Dr says if it was shoes it would be showing signs of improvement by no. I don't wear shoes unless I have to. My reg size is 9. Right now I am wearing a size 12.  
It is also happening on the right foot a small bit too.  
The thought is that plaque from my heart aorta has showered down and the went down the arteries to both legs where it branches off at the abdomen. That's why it is in both feet. The very very thin hairlike vessels are the ones that are plugging and they are st the end of the line.

My thoughts too. Lots of people have lost toes from frostbite and other things.  
But as the saying goes. "Easier Said Than Done". Thanks for your input.

he didn't have any issues with the ends of his toes either, it was the top of the toes and sides of the nails. I looked back in pics I took to keep track of the severity.  
 
However, I do understand the serious nature of the situation and understand Family4evers opinion. You certainly don't want to lose a part of a leg to the infection. Hopefully someone has information on the questions you asked.

I'm wondering if that's what you've been diagnosed with? Im assuming so. Once the tissue is dead because it's not longer received Oxygen and nutrients due to no blood supply there's basically nothing you can do. Get it amputated. You would hate to take your socks off one day and have the big toe come off in the sock. And yes people...it happens! Also, you will learn and readjust your balance. Good luck. If they are thinking cardiac issue I hope they've done blood work and have you on blood pressure/cholesterol medications if needed.

I would suggest trying everything before amputation. Perhaps a natural pathic doctor, acupuncture etc.

Actually what I have been diagnosed with is called Trash Foot. Or Black Toe.

looks like more than one toe that there are issues with. If it was me I would loose the big toe. Then they can hopefully save the others. This type of infection spreads quickly. Just my humble opinion. Trust the Dr.s They have seen this before.

As a health care professional, I can assure you that this is a very serious condition with a high mortality rate due to most people also having underlying vascular and cardiac issues. Please listen to your doctor(s) and specialists. 'Trash foot' is a condition in which there is NO BLOOD FLOW, it is NOT infection or gangrene or too tight shoes or something that can be fixed with accupuncture. From a medical perspective, amputation will resolve the terrible pain in that digit, but it may recur in other digits or the foot depending on underlying conditions.

I sent you a pm

Brother in law had something simlar, and it was actually a bone infection.  
Get more than one opinion on something like that

Starblanket01 said "I would suggest trying everything before amputation. Perhaps a natural pathic doctor, acupuncture etc. "

I checked this out with my yoga teacher, he thinks it sounds like you need to just detox.

Your yoga teacher is an idiot if he thinks a "scam detox" is the answer... Stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life...

westcoasterbc said "Your yoga teacher is an idiot if he thinks a "scam detox" is the answer... Stupidest thing I've ever heard in my life... "

I sense that your Chakra is out alignment. There are several homeopathic remedies to address this, conveniently located at your nearest naturopathic salesperson.

Although I agree homeopathic remedies do have their place, this is definitely not one of them, nor should you ever take medical advice for something serious like this from a yoga instructor.

LarryRobins said "About two months ago I started treatment for what we thought was an infection in my left big toe. After three weeks of antibiotics it wasn't getting any better. It was starting to turn black just above the nail & starting to swell. After consulting specialists it was the concess that the tiny blood vessels in my toe was plugged with tiny particles of plaque. The suggestion at that time was amputation was a distinct possibility.   Extra extensive blood tests were done to eliminate any other possibilities.   I do not have diabetes.   The pain lately has been getting unbearable. Right now we are on kind of a wait & see situation. Today a blood specialist suggested that amputation was more than likely the best route.     I guess my question is. Has anyone else had to have this done and does the pain go away like they say it should. And what has been your recovery time.     NOTE. I am very confident in the diagnosis done by all the doctors I have seen.   I guess I'm wanting moral support more than. Anything else.   I will post a picture of it to the photos section. ADAM if is too offensive please feel free to delete.   I may have to be happy with only being able to count to "19". "

delete - sorry wrong thread  
 
Edited by Brenda, 2017-01-02 17:47:17

I have had 3 toes amputated for osteo-myelitis, I have had zero issues with balance. the only thing is shoes are a bit of a problem

Happy to say things are on the mend. Slowly but the are getting better. The drs decided to let them run their course and self amputate. I know it sounds crude but they didn't want to have to do two or three amputations.  
One Dr also said new cells might grow in underneath and the upper part peel off.  
Well this is exactly what is happening.  
The scab that was almost totally covering the left big toe all fell off the other day except for one small piece. And low and behold a nice brand new pink toe underneath with lots of feeling and absolutely no pain.  
The rest are progressing in the same way but I'm afraid it will be at least two months before the catch up.  
Thanks for all the support everyone.

So good to hear. Great news. Wishing you all the best.

I am very familiar with amputations of digits, since I lived with a diabetic for many years. Doctors mean well, and sometimes they are very knowledgeable about situations of infection, but our experience has been the wound care nurses are usually more knowledgeable about infection in digits and limbs. If we would have been directed to a wound care nurse early on when my husband's first finger started turning black, we might have has a chance of saving it. It sounds like gangrene is already a problem, so I would strongly urge you to ask your doctor to see a wound care nurse immediately, not in three weeks. We weren't very pro-active at the beginning, because we just want to trust the opinion of the doctors. Wound care nurse are usually specially trained to recognize infection problems and what to use to treat them. Good luck with this. You really want to hang on to your toes if possible.