Fungus Feet
Are your feet normal? Do you dare to go for a pedicure?
“Urgh! What’s that smell?” is the cry I hear most days after I’ve performed my morning or evening ritual on my feet. My problem is fungus. Yes I know it’s not a very nice topic but, certainly in my case, it’s a fact of life. I’ve always had funny feet since I was young. In my early years I suffered from a lot of cramp both in my feet and hands. A visit to the doctor confirmed I had a mild form of bad circulation. For me it meant my hands and feet nearly always felt cold to the touch, i.e. everyone else thought I was cold but they felt ok, or warm, to me. It also meant I would get cramp in my hands when I tried to spread my fingers to hold a ruler at school, and cramp in my toes whereby each toe would cling to its neighbour and have to be prised apart to gain relief. It wasn’t as horrible as it sounds though, it didn’t really bother me. In fact, as perverse as it sounds, it was quite nice really. To have a important sounding condition with no real symptoms. Rather like when you were kept off school because you were ill, (as long as the symptoms weren’t really bad), and you got to lie on the settee under a duvet watching TV. Your mum would bring you soup, or boiled eggs, for lunch and you’d feel really special. Now it just means that my feet can be freezing cold in winter, as testified by my screaming partner in bed at night. Or they can be boiling hot in summer resulting in smelly shoes, and a need to keep them permanently stuck out of bed at night.
Whether it is this condition, or the years of self abuse, that causes me to have such horrible feet now I don’t know. “Self abuse?” I hear you say “What in heavens name did you do to yourself?”. Well nothing different than the majority of the population as far as I know. I just wore the wrong shoes. Shoes that didn’t fit right, shoes that weren’t warm enough on cold nights out with my mates, and shoes that didn’t allow my feet to breathe, (plastic ones were always much cheaper than leather!). I’ve never had a penchant for really high heels, (which is a bit surprising as I could do with some height!). I just didn’t understand the importance of wearing the correct fitting, sensible, leather shoe, but who did as a teenager? Are the young people of today any different now I wonder? (Oh no I sound like an old granny – the youth of today!).
I could also blame my parents (anybody who’s read ‘Baby Fat’ will know this is allowed!). When I did visit a chiropodist on an occasional basis he said some aspects of the condition of my feet was down to them (see its official – you can blame them!). He said a tendency to contract fungus infections can be hereditary. Of course they should have made sure I wore the correct shoes all of my life as well, by making me believe that nothing less than perfect shoes would do. This is said with a bit of tongue in cheek because for one thing they didn’t have very much money and four children to clothe and feed, and also what teenagers listen to their mother once they have their own money and can buy whatever they like?
I stopped going to the chiropodists anyway. The last time I went I think he was having a bad day, (his much younger wife had recently had a baby), or at least that what I tell myself to justify his comments. In previous visits he had said very little about my feet, just offered advice as to how to treat them. However on this occasion he didn’t hide his horror at seeing them, saying they were in a right state. Personally I thought they just looked the same as before. OK maybe they had a bit more of a rash on them, and maybe the nails did look a bit more like birds talon, than before, but otherwise they were pretty much the same. He also said part of my problem was that I didn’t walk correctly. I thought, ‘well I can’t run, or do any other sports, so if I can’t walk what hope have I got’? How am I supposed to walk anyway? I know I have bad posture and don’t pull my shoulders back enough but does this really affect the way my feet have gone? Or am I unconsciously performing some funny manoeuvre when I’m rushing around everywhere?
Anyway as I said I stopped going.
For a while afterwards I didn’t worry too much about them, he had after all tidied them up a bit; cut and thinned my nails, removed some hard skin etc. Then I fell pregnant and I couldn’t really treat them anymore anyway as so many products say ‘Don’t use during pregnancy’. Plus the fact that as time went on I couldn’t reach them, or even see them very well! Now though, a year or so after the birth, I find that the summer sun, and lovely warm weather is blighted by the fact that I don’t want people to see my feet. My smaller toes are bent slightly, as if I’m permanently set to pick things up with them, my toenails are more white and yellow than clear, and I get a rash in some places on my feet when they get hot. Overall they are a disaster zone! I would just like to point out however that I have seen a case of atheletes foot that, although not as widespread as mine, it was, I think, more horrible as it looked like a furry caterpillar between the toes! I’d also like to question that given my natural inability at sport, (you need to read ‘Baby Fat&rsquo
, how can I possibly have athletes foot? If I have got it can’t I have the rest of the body as well?
Anyway, I digress, so back to the present day. What am I doing about it? Well in desparation I ordered some cream off the internet, (now that’s a place where you can see pictures of some horrible medical conditions!). It is supposed to be a permanent cure for toenail infection. There are two creams whereby one is supposed to accelerate the process of giving you better feet in a shorter time period. This sounded great for me, who hates having to wait for anything. They did seem to make my toes look better for a while, but that could just be wishful thinking. After all when you spend every morning and every night religiously applying a cream to your toenails, waiting five minutes, and then applying the other, you certainly hope its doing some good. Especially as the second cream, (the cure – supposedly), stinks like you’ve worn the same sweaty socks and shoes for days. It recognises the fact that it has a strong odour on the accompanying leaflet, and says this is reduced if the cream is kept cold. However, call me squeamish if you want, but I didn’t fancy putting it in the fridge or freezer next to my food, whether its in a tube or not! Hence my initial comment at the start.
In addition, although the cream is supposed to sort out my nails, it doesn’t do anything for the rash that’s getting worst on my feet, toes and heels. So now I’m also using a well known thrush treatment cream, (no I’m not putting it there - they now believe it sorts out feet rash as well!). Oh and I try and use tea tree to bathe them as that’s also supposed to be good, and for anyone who’s not used it, also stinks to high heaven. My hard skin isn’t reduced by all this though so I have to scrape the base of my feet, and apply a moisturiser for that.
So every morning and every night, whether my eyes are open or not, I have to bathe my feet in tea tree oil, apply three creams, wait 5 minutes then apply the final cream all in the vain hope that one day I may be able to go for a pedicure! I’ll let you know how I get on!
Whether it is this condition, or the years of self abuse, that causes me to have such horrible feet now I don’t know. “Self abuse?” I hear you say “What in heavens name did you do to yourself?”. Well nothing different than the majority of the population as far as I know. I just wore the wrong shoes. Shoes that didn’t fit right, shoes that weren’t warm enough on cold nights out with my mates, and shoes that didn’t allow my feet to breathe, (plastic ones were always much cheaper than leather!). I’ve never had a penchant for really high heels, (which is a bit surprising as I could do with some height!). I just didn’t understand the importance of wearing the correct fitting, sensible, leather shoe, but who did as a teenager? Are the young people of today any different now I wonder? (Oh no I sound like an old granny – the youth of today!).
I could also blame my parents (anybody who’s read ‘Baby Fat’ will know this is allowed!). When I did visit a chiropodist on an occasional basis he said some aspects of the condition of my feet was down to them (see its official – you can blame them!). He said a tendency to contract fungus infections can be hereditary. Of course they should have made sure I wore the correct shoes all of my life as well, by making me believe that nothing less than perfect shoes would do. This is said with a bit of tongue in cheek because for one thing they didn’t have very much money and four children to clothe and feed, and also what teenagers listen to their mother once they have their own money and can buy whatever they like?
I stopped going to the chiropodists anyway. The last time I went I think he was having a bad day, (his much younger wife had recently had a baby), or at least that what I tell myself to justify his comments. In previous visits he had said very little about my feet, just offered advice as to how to treat them. However on this occasion he didn’t hide his horror at seeing them, saying they were in a right state. Personally I thought they just looked the same as before. OK maybe they had a bit more of a rash on them, and maybe the nails did look a bit more like birds talon, than before, but otherwise they were pretty much the same. He also said part of my problem was that I didn’t walk correctly. I thought, ‘well I can’t run, or do any other sports, so if I can’t walk what hope have I got’? How am I supposed to walk anyway? I know I have bad posture and don’t pull my shoulders back enough but does this really affect the way my feet have gone? Or am I unconsciously performing some funny manoeuvre when I’m rushing around everywhere?
Anyway as I said I stopped going.
For a while afterwards I didn’t worry too much about them, he had after all tidied them up a bit; cut and thinned my nails, removed some hard skin etc. Then I fell pregnant and I couldn’t really treat them anymore anyway as so many products say ‘Don’t use during pregnancy’. Plus the fact that as time went on I couldn’t reach them, or even see them very well! Now though, a year or so after the birth, I find that the summer sun, and lovely warm weather is blighted by the fact that I don’t want people to see my feet. My smaller toes are bent slightly, as if I’m permanently set to pick things up with them, my toenails are more white and yellow than clear, and I get a rash in some places on my feet when they get hot. Overall they are a disaster zone! I would just like to point out however that I have seen a case of atheletes foot that, although not as widespread as mine, it was, I think, more horrible as it looked like a furry caterpillar between the toes! I’d also like to question that given my natural inability at sport, (you need to read ‘Baby Fat&rsquo
, how can I possibly have athletes foot? If I have got it can’t I have the rest of the body as well? Anyway, I digress, so back to the present day. What am I doing about it? Well in desparation I ordered some cream off the internet, (now that’s a place where you can see pictures of some horrible medical conditions!). It is supposed to be a permanent cure for toenail infection. There are two creams whereby one is supposed to accelerate the process of giving you better feet in a shorter time period. This sounded great for me, who hates having to wait for anything. They did seem to make my toes look better for a while, but that could just be wishful thinking. After all when you spend every morning and every night religiously applying a cream to your toenails, waiting five minutes, and then applying the other, you certainly hope its doing some good. Especially as the second cream, (the cure – supposedly), stinks like you’ve worn the same sweaty socks and shoes for days. It recognises the fact that it has a strong odour on the accompanying leaflet, and says this is reduced if the cream is kept cold. However, call me squeamish if you want, but I didn’t fancy putting it in the fridge or freezer next to my food, whether its in a tube or not! Hence my initial comment at the start.
In addition, although the cream is supposed to sort out my nails, it doesn’t do anything for the rash that’s getting worst on my feet, toes and heels. So now I’m also using a well known thrush treatment cream, (no I’m not putting it there - they now believe it sorts out feet rash as well!). Oh and I try and use tea tree to bathe them as that’s also supposed to be good, and for anyone who’s not used it, also stinks to high heaven. My hard skin isn’t reduced by all this though so I have to scrape the base of my feet, and apply a moisturiser for that.
So every morning and every night, whether my eyes are open or not, I have to bathe my feet in tea tree oil, apply three creams, wait 5 minutes then apply the final cream all in the vain hope that one day I may be able to go for a pedicure! I’ll let you know how I get on!
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