Devastated... Nail fungus is among us!

While I have always polished my nails regularly I don't know that I've ever done it daily until the last few months. I love changing my mani daily or semi daily. It's a fun part of my day and time that I get to spend with myself doing something that makes me feel good. So it is with a heart full of devastation that I realized tonight that the changes I've noticed in a few of my nails is, I believe, a nail fungus.

I've never had problems with any kind of fungus, ring worm, athletes foot, jock itch or tape worm. LOL ok ok jock itch may be a little melodramatic but you get the point. I shower daily, clean my house, my clothes etc regularly. Yet, here I sit feeling like I need to scrub my hands again, even though I just did. I feel complete and utter shame, like I did something wrong.

Thumb on R hand with discoloration, weird white spot and just weirdness at nail line

Since I've never had this problem before I really sort of explained away the signs until tonight when I was inspecting my naked nails. I've watched my thumb change over the last couple weeks and thought that it was due to any number of rational and easily explained happenstances. Then I looked at my left hand and noticed another weird spot on my ring finger. I can't explain how I felt other than to say it was like a thunderbolt hit me in the head! OMG I have a nail fungus!

Left hand with middle, ring and pinky fingers showing affected areas

I spent the last few hours searching online for information. I watched YouTube videos on home remedies, googled medicine, causes and alternative treatments. I mean I feel like I really dug deep... and yet there wasn't a lot of info about nail fungus of the fingers. Every time I searched images to sort of "self diagnose" I got back ugly, disgusting and disfigured looking toes. TOES people. ick.

Weird spot on other side of middle finger, left hand

So in my hours of searching this is what it all boils down to:

• Nail fungus is not necessarily brought on by anything you've done, there are literally thousands of fungus in our world
• Fungus loves dark, damp places to live so a frequently polished nail is it's happiest place on earth
• Keeping your nails free of polish, dry as much as possible and treating with some form of anti-fungal med is a necessity to kill it
• Anti fungal prescription medication is hard on your liver so consider the side effects carefully
• If not treated the fungus can spread to other nails and possibly get into your blood stream and make you much more sick 
• There isn't anything to be ashamed of necessarily, but you should be very careful in handling other people's nails and your own nails so as to not spread the fungus
• This is not something that can be cured over night
• There are ways to prevent further infections such as allowing your nail to breathe, keeping your nails and nail beds dry, using an anti fungal topical to prevent future infection
• There are lots of home remedies that can work, just pick one and try it!

Some of the home remedies that I plan on trying:

• 1 cap of bleach in 1 tall glass of water (at least 8oz), soak fingers for a minute and repeat for several days
• 3 cups warm water, 1 1/2 cups distilled white vinegar, soak fingers for 15-20 mins, rinse hands off and pat dry with a dry, clean washcloth. Soak a cotton ball in 100% pure Tea Tree Oil and use a Band-Aid to hold onto end of finger
• Use a 50/50 solution mix of Apple Cider Vinegar and Hydrogen Peroxide, soak nails for 45 minutes and repeat daily

Items I found that have anti-fungal properties:

• Corn meal (make a sort of mash with it and soak hands/feet)
• Vaseline
• Oregano Oil
• Vicks vapor-rub (apply to finger nail in the morning and evening)
• Listerine (the original kind)
• 100% pure Tea Tree Oil
• Bleach

It's important to remember that if you're treating yourself either for the fungal infection or doing preventative measures that you apply the treatment to the sides of your nail where the skin meets the nail as well as the nail bed- underneath the nail as far as you can get. Remember the fungus is burrowing down your nail bed, UNDER your nail. So you need to put the treatment at it's entry point- under your nail.

I'll keep you guys posted of my success, but until this is taken care of I don't plan to paint my nails. So posts from me for a couple weeks will be from old manis that I haven't put up or other content. 

wish me luck!

              Have any of you dealt with this before? Any tips for me?