i bite my fingers, and yes...i said FINGERS!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

When I say bite my fingers... this is what I mean...

It starts with a cuticle....then it goes all the way around my fingernail, sometimes halfway to my knuckle. It's like I see a hangnail and just using clippers is not enough because it doesn't pull it off completely so I have to bite it and LITERALLY tear it off.

It is a disgusting habit that I have had for 15+ years. I REALLY do not know how to stop. I have tried everything. Stuff that tastes bad, stuff that hurts like the DICKENS.... bandaides, gloves at night, I am at the end of my rope.

I am starting nursing school in the spring and I CANNOT be a finger biter!!! It really does hurt, but I don't care...I do it anyway.

Surely I am not the only one.... :cry:

Any advice? :redpinkhe:redpinkhe

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And even if I keep my cuticles trimmed, I will find SOMETHING to bite on.

It gets worse when I watch movies, study, or get nervous...

NURSING SCHOOL=NERVOUS, NERVOUS

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And even if I keep my cuticles trimmed, I will find SOMETHING to bite on.

It gets worse when I watch movies, study, or get nervous...

NURSING SCHOOL=NERVOUS, NERVOUS

Start wearing gloves. Do you like the taste of latex? Probably not. That might help.

I had a nail biting friend who used bitrex to stop. http://www.bitrex.com/

If all of that fails, you might want to talk to a doctor about it. Don't be ashamed, many people do things that they would rather not. It is treatable.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I don't think gloves or Bitex will help you stop biting your fingers, the issue is alot bigger than your biting your fingers. I think you need to go see a qualified mental health professional. I think it's much more than just a habit. Best of Luck.

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Specializes in ED, ICU, PACU.

Had the same problem many years ago. I will suggest to you what was suggested to me and cured me:

Go to the nail salon and get a manicure and tips. At first, you will continue to bite away; but, then, having to keep going back and not getting the same satisfaction when biting (can't explain that but you will understand once you try to bite the cuticle or nail when you have the tips) you will stop the habit within a couple of months.

Of course, you will have to remove the artificial nails when you start school. If you start now, you will give yourself plenty of time to break the habit.

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I don't think gloves or Bitex will help you stop biting your fingers, the issue is alot bigger than your biting your fingers. I think you need to go see a qualified mental health professional. I think it's much more than just a habit. Best of Luck.

yeah...that makes me feel like a crazy person... :(

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you are not a crazy person, when you are in school you will realize that compulsive habits are a symptom of something deeper

it would be a very good thing to get some help for this now, getting help is NOT a sign of weakness

good luck

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I'm a finger-biter, too.

I use skin-shield if I get an open wound. I know it sounds gross-- but it helps against infection. It stings like crazy-- but its worth its weight in gold when you have a bad habit.

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I have seen that stuff before but never tried it. I am going to give it a shot, thanks.

For some reason, I can keep bandaids on my fingers until they heal and go a week or so and not bite, but I get one hangnail...and it's all over!! Pathetic!! I know I can stop, but it is just so hard and no one understands. They are just like, stop it, that's gross. Doesn't that hurt? But it is so hard.

Thanks for the understanding guys.

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

I would definitely recommend a mental health professional. This is the kind of thing you cannot control on your own. Get the help you need, and don't be thinking you're a "crazy person". It's the way your brain is wired. You'll be learning a lot more about that soon.

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Specializes in Hospice/Palliative Nursing.

Besides what they said...:yeahthat:

The thought of alllllll the germs you are putting into your mouth :barf02: is incentive to stop. THAT is not a good thing to be doing, especially during clinicals. I'm sure after your first clinical day you will not want to put your fingers anywhere near your mouth.

Seriously...do whatever it takes to break the habit. Don't be too proud to get medical help. Best of Luck~~You can do it!:up:

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I know biting nails isn't the same as biting fingers also, but I was biting nails for a long time until I got an ingrown finger nail. At first I did not know why my finger/fingernail was hurting so bad. For 2-3 days I noticed it getting larger and larger around my fingernail... it was the pus just building up and building up. Luckily that day I was at work and went down to the ER...I don't have health insurance, but since I had co-workers there I knew, they had a physician just come and prick my finger, and then had an EMT drain the bloody pus from my finger... and let me tell you, with NO local anesthetic.....the pain from draining was so excrutiating....I was crying and hollering and whining like a baby....but I was in pain! To make a long story short, my point is I learned to NOT bite my finger nails....I still get tempted but the thought of that awful pain comes back and I don't bite my nails.

Hopefully the person that posted about the manicure and tips and how it cured it will give you incentive to get it done and possibly stop biting your nails and fingers.

p.s. IMO that opinion someone posted about you seeing a mental health professional was unneccesary. Thats just my opinion...surely you can try some of the other suggestions posted here.

Take care!

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