Sassy, you should really take your toe to a foot therapist. She'll perform extreme torture on it, but will most likely be able to save you from surgery.
I've had ingrown nails before and they don't go away with time (or chemicals). You need to remove the nail piece or it'll just chew deeper into your flesh as the rest of the nail keeps growing.
Do NOT try to do it yourself. You'll end up ripping the nail into thinner pieces and then you can start talking about pain.
Foot therapist. Try it.
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Please "talk up" if your comprehension white-shifts. I will use simple-happy language-words to help you understand.