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anarkhos
Apr 21, 2011, 5:55 AM
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This damned thing first appeared when I was in Zion Oct-Nov as a pain between my ring and pinky toe. Later in Indian Creek I discovered a really deep blister there and popped it. For months foot jamming was an excruciating ordeal. It seemed to abide when I got sick and couldn't climb for a while, but now that I'm back in Zion it has re-emerged—more powerful than ever!
I have tried various salves. I have tried keeping the area open with all manner of ad-hc devices or just stuffing it with clean cotton. I have tried clotrimazole. I have tried ripping out any dead tissue I can get a hold of. I have tried alcohol (both ethyl and isopropyl), honey, and even massaging it. I'm stuck with a swollen area below the 'pit' which never fully goes away. My skin is really thick there, too. All I can do is tape the toes together when climbing and try to deal with the pain.
I've had blisters there before and they usually just go away when I aerate the area. I've been wearing my chacos and put a pebble or something in between my toes whenever I'm chilling to no avail. I'm starting to think I need a regimen of lamasil pills or something as drastic.
(This post was edited by anarkhos on Mar 26, 2013, 1:21 PM)
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enigma
Apr 22, 2011, 8:22 AM
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anarkhos wrote: This damned thing first appeared when I was in Zion Oct-Nov as a pain between my ring and pinky toe. Later in Indian Creek I discovered a really deep blister there and popped it. For months foot jamming was an excruciating ordeal. It seemed to abide when I got sick and couldn't climb for a while, but now that I'm back in Zion it has re-emerged—more powerful than ever! I have tried various salves. I have tried keeping the area open with all manner of ad-hc devices or just stuffing it with clean cotton. I have tried clotrimazole. I have tried ripping out any dead tissue I can get a hold of. I have tried alcohol (both ethyl and isopropyl), honey, and even massaging it. I'm stuck with a swollen area below the 'pit' which never fully goes away. My skin is really thick there, too. All I can do is tape the toes together when climbing and try to deal with the pain. I've had blisters there before and they usually just go away when I aerate the area. I've been wearing my chacos and put a pebble or something in between my toes whenever I'm chilling to no avail. I'm starting to think I need a regimen of lamasil pills or something as drastic.
Go to a clinic.
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FJP
May 4, 2011, 7:07 PM
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It doesn't sound like the right position, but look into Digital mucous cysts (DMCs) also. They can seem like blisters. Good luck.
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lemon_boy
May 4, 2011, 8:02 PM
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this is a common problem with folks who do a lot of crack climbing. you probably have a corn in that area, due to your toes crushing and grinding together.
first, you need to clean all the dead skin out of there, using an exacto knife and some tweezers. also, you might have althletes' foot or other fungus or bacterial infections in there. for me, tea tree oil has worked a lot better than any other presecription creams at getting rid of the fungus/BI.
when you go climbing, take 2 small pieces of thick moleskin (each one approx 1/2" by 1/2") and stick them between your toes, such that the fuzzy parts of the moleskin are facing each other. this will help shim your toes apart. you will probably always have to do this for the rest of your crack climbing career, otherwise the corn will reappear.
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marc801
May 4, 2011, 9:16 PM
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lemon_boy wrote: first, you need to clean all the dead skin out of there, using an exacto knife and some tweezers.
lemon_boy wrote: also, you might have althletes' foot or other fungus or bacterial infections in there. for me, tea tree oil has worked a lot better than any other presecription creams at getting rid of the fungus/BI.
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anarkhos
May 4, 2011, 10:55 PM
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I got a prescription for "deflucan" yesterday. I haven't picked it up yet, but I'll let you know how it goes.
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lemon_boy
May 6, 2011, 3:20 PM
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yeah, i'll agree w/ mar801, although i usually just use a pair of tweezers to kind of pull the dead skin out.
i would also recommend going to a good podiatrist who has a lot of sports related podiatry experience. at first i went to a dermatalogist (who is actually a pretty well known climber) and he diagnosed the problem as being a bacterial infection and prescribed some creams and oral medication. neither of these cleared it up. he was going to surgically remove it, but at the last minute i went to get a 2nd opinion from a podiatrist who has a lot of experience in this area. she immediately knew what the problems was, and since i have been using her method i have been able to clear it up and prevent it from re-occurring.
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lemon_boy
May 6, 2011, 3:21 PM
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i forgot to mention that i originally went to my PCP and she thought it was athlete's foot and prescribed the diflucan. the deflucan didn't really do anything for me, but hopefully you will have better results.
(This post was edited by lemon_boy on May 6, 2011, 3:22 PM)
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anarkhos
Feb 29, 2012, 11:39 PM
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OK, so I think I finally got this thing licked.
The deflucan only made me sick to my stomach for a week. No result. I tried a dozen other expensive creams including prescription to no avail. I tried making custom splints to keep everything aerated. I tried homeopathic shit, too. Vinegar, urine, various oils, you name it. I wore open-toed sandals in the fucking WINTER.
The ONLY pharma that worked was TERBINAINE. It worked immediately and my skin flaked off. However it made beer taste like ass and after my 14 day supply was done the fungus came back with a vengeance.
So I think I finally got it licked. With what, you may wonder? Spraying my feet with Lysol disinfectant (early morning breeze if you care) in the morning and slathering them with Vicks VapoRub at night. It worked in two days: the infected skin came off like with the pill and beer still tastes like beer.
I know better than to call victory just yet, but so far so good! I'm also going to spray everything I own, especially climbing shoes.
(not a doctor; don't sue me if you die)
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caughtinside
Feb 29, 2012, 11:46 PM
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Dang, that is gross.
This same thing happened to a couple other climbers I know at the creek, we referred to it as 'toe hole' since they developed those nasty weepy holes between the two smallest toes.
Its been a couple years now, but they did find some treatment. It's some bacteria that lives in the ground there? Nasty stuff.
I cleaned my feet out every night with baby wipes, something I try to do on any desert trip.
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anarkhos
Mar 1, 2012, 12:02 AM
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Maybe one of the cracks is infected 
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anarkhos
Mar 26, 2013, 1:19 PM
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Dammit, my toe hole is back with a vengeance. Naturally, it came back at the Creek. All that foot jamming I highly suspect.
I'm bumping this thread in case anyone has any better suggestions. Lysol was keeping it under control for a while, but maybe that was a false positive. I've been trying grape seed extract for the last couple weeks to no avail. It really flared up and it's cutting my Creek trip short.
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marc801
Mar 26, 2013, 2:30 PM
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anarkhos wrote: Dammit, my toe hole is back with a vengeance. Naturally, it came back at the Creek. All that foot jamming I highly suspect. I'm bumping this thread in case anyone has any better suggestions. Lysol was keeping it under control for a while, but maybe that was a false positive. I've been trying grape seed extract for the last couple weeks to no avail. It really flared up and it's cutting my Creek trip short.
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anarkhos
Mar 26, 2013, 2:44 PM
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Yea, the two doctors weren't of any help.
I'm going to try bunion stickers or something. I think the post about the 'corn' is likely right.
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marc801
Mar 26, 2013, 2:57 PM
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anarkhos wrote: Yea, the two doctors weren't of any help.
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anarkhos
Mar 26, 2013, 3:21 PM
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Yea, there's a podiatrist on every corner.
There doesn't appear to be anything approaching an infection. It doesn't look like yeast or fungus either (although we all know that stuff is everywhere). It mainly hurts to jam. I've found that putting a wad of cotton above the hole and then taping the digits together alleviates the pain to a great degree.
A friend of mine mentions something similar and he just calls it "grindage" that goes away when he stops climbing.
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kpb
Mar 26, 2013, 3:55 PM
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Be really careful with this. I had a persistent callous with a blister under it from running. My attempts to drain it before a marathon resulted in a severe treatment resistant infection (MRSA), 3 days in the ER and a month long painful recovery. I was told it could have been much worse.
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marc801
Mar 26, 2013, 4:54 PM
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anarkhos wrote: Yea, there's a podiatrist on every corner.
https://maps.google.com/...Aw&ved=0COwBELYD
anarkhos wrote: There doesn't appear to be anything approaching an infection. It doesn't look like yeast or fungus either...
Not every kind of infection is visible (until it's far more difficult to eradicate). Excuse me. You're using random home remedies on an open sore you describe as a "hole" and coming up with excuses about not seeing the appropriate doctor. Sorry. I think your medical differential diagnosis is highly suspect.
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amarius
Mar 26, 2013, 6:16 PM
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OP has seen two medical doctors, has mentioned two prescription medications, implied other medicated topical creams.
I am sure that MDs suspected Athlete's foot
Perhaps a dermatological podiatrist or dermatologist would be a better choice?
Edit - WebMD has quite a write-up of fungal infections.
(This post was edited by amarius on Mar 26, 2013, 6:26 PM)
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