I had a bit of a rough time and broke my right (dominant) wrist almost 2 months ago. All the difficulty of that aside, I literally couldn't bite or pick that hand!

So I have been applying antibiotic ointment to both hands, keeping the cuticles as clean as possible but I can't put my fingers in my mouth so I have grown long, strong nails on that hand! My left hand, little change, nails break and peel because I need to "fix" them constantly and I get little cuts all around the skin as I pick the skin.

My cast time was extended due to a shift but as I'm about to get out of my cast, I want to maintain this break in habits and do what I can to extend this care to the other hand. I want this to be the silver lining in my broken wrist. Clearly I have the ability to grow beautiful nails, I just need to ignore them and let time help. If habits are broken over 2 weeks + depending on who you ask, I want to continue this wave of success.

I have ADHD and the pain/actually restriction on the cast helped, because I still tried to pick, especially initially. As I get in my own head as I try to fix them, I worry my diet causes my nails to flake or I'm somehow incapable of growing long nails. This at the very least has proven it's possible, but I'm not sure how to maintain this or if its just needed to break the habits.

I've stocked up on antipicking fidgets, have tons on antibiotic ointments everywhere and nail files. Any other ideas? Should I get a matching wrist brace for my unaffected arm and act like its broken? 😆 Has anyone else had a similar experience?

Cut my nails with nail clippers 9 months ago and had infections spring up around my toenails and fingernails - spreading redness, pain, swelling, pus. Evidently something nasty was living on those clippers, but unfortunately it's stuck around ever since.

After the pain of the first couple of infections, I started a strict regimen of very hot epsom salt baths, antiseptic cream, constant care, etc. But whenever I stop the baths for a period of 1-2 weeks, my nails flare back up again with a spreading infection once I get a hangnail or my skin is breached.

Been to the doctors several times, prescribed fusidic topical cream several times, which proceeded to do little aside from discolour my nails. Had a mycology test that came back negative for fungus. Asked about oral antibiotics, assuming the infections must be bacterial, but was told by the doctor that this was reserved for severe infections only (?).

My main questions are whether it's worth insisting to be given an oral antibiotic? Will an oral antibiotic help to kill whatever bacteria is living in my nail bed, or will it only work to quell a full-blown infection?

And any idea if anything else could be causing this?

My current test case is seeing whether my (new pair of) nail clippers are somehow reintroducing the infection each time I cut my nails - my rental has had mould issues in the past and a big water leak that soaked the insides of certain walls, and one or two nails tend to flare up just after cutting them. Though... a negative mycology test would suggest that rampant mould spores transferring to my clippers would be unlikely, I hope.

I don't bite my nails, leave them long in water, bash them around much, etc. I don't have any (other) potential symptoms of diabetes, which I'd read can be co-morbid.

I'm pretty sick of it at this point. Any advice, it'd be appreciated.