BootsnAll Travel Community

So I know this somewhat gross, but wtf.
I am developing serious gnome foot.

Spending day after day with wet bare feet, and sharing tiny bathroom spaces with Captain Yummy, getting toe funk is somewhat inevitable. I find it also flares up when my feet spend any amount of time in hiking boots or other enclosed environment.

We can get the garden-variety althelete's foot under control after 2 or so weeks of diligent scrubbage and application of tea tree oil or over-the-counter antifungal junk before bedtime followed by cotton socks to bed (so much for looking sexy).

But , does anyone have any advice on how to treat toenail nastiness? the kind that makes the white part of your big toenail all slanted and can result in the whole damn outside edge starting to curl in and give you thick icky and even ingrown toenails? (even less sexy than socks in bed)

I asked my doc about it while back in Canada over the holidays and she said the only treatment is an oral anitfungal pill that also requires regular blood tests because it can mess with your liver, and she wouldn't prescribe it to take with me. oh.

Anyone out there ever deal successfully with this on or off the road? I have been doing the tea tree oil / otc cream thing on them for more than 3 weeks with no change.
Please, I don't want to have gnome feet and spread it to the Capt or god forbid the boat owners!

You can try dunking your feet in vinegar for a few minutes each day... helps with the skin stuff, but I'm pretty sure your on your own with the toe nails!

Ya know, I picked up some nasty nail fungus last year in Asia and I went to see my doctor about it last month. He said the creams won't work and the only solution is the pill- problems are numerous with them though. Aside from the aforementioned liver problems and blood tests, the pills only have a 70% success rate and the problem tends to come back after 2-3 years for 90% of those who were cured. Also there is the enormous cost ($500 here in the states) and the fact that my insurance won't cover it. My Doc basically told me that I'm stuck with it unless I shell out the dough and have the good luck of the problem not coming back. I guess I'm just going to wait and hope something comes out that is less expensive/more reliable. Sorry about the bad news...

oh geez.
well thanks both of you for the advice, and for the links to other threads.
Gonna look into getting the pills here but really scared about messing with stuff so toxic my liver might cack.
smee

One time I took a multi-spectrum antibiotic for other reasons, and lo and behold, my athletes foot disapeared.

Of courst, I never had the ugly nail thing happening.

Disclaimer: I am not a doctor.

With toenail fungus or any fungal infection, you can actually make things worse by treating with an anti-biotic or germicidal agent. Bacteria keep fungi in check and the reverse is also true. That's why people get yeast infections when they take antibiotics. Yeast is a fungus, and it starts to grow out of control when the bacterial population decreases. A lot of people get this toenail fungus in the first place from having been on antibiotics for a long time.

Good luck, and don't be afraid to get a second opinion from another Doc. They don't take it personally.

One would have no issues with toenail fungus if one had no toenails.
That is why I advocate having your toes surgically removed.
Having no toes would make walking in thongs quite difficult, but one could always wear Tevas.

I also favor having your teeth fused together to remove the gaps and make your mouth more like a parrot beak. The savings on dental floss alone would be tremendous.

Well I'd certainly never want for a leatherman to crack hazelnuts ever again. And the savings on toenail polish alone would keep me in tevas, not to mention those trendy uber pointy shoes all the women here are mad for.
Why stop there? Imagine how much easier it would be to blow one big nostril!

In Japan, they put their foot in a bag of wet green tea leaves a few times everyday until it goes away. It usually takes about a week or so but seems to work.