Toe Nail Fungus, Barefoot Running Blood Blisters, and Toe Socks

This is one of those stories where several plot lines finally come together… in the form of a freaky blood blister.  It really all started about 35 years ago, before the world was full of super cushy running shoes ….

It’s ironic that I had never heard of toenail fungus.  When I was 16 years old, I worked as a nurse’s aid in a nursing home.  I clipped a lot of elderly toenails!  I noticed they were thick, yellow, curled, and generally looked horrifying.  Yikes!  I thought.  I didn’t ask for more details, just figured that is what toenails look like when they get old.  Then, when I went through nursing school and worked in the hospital, no one ever mentioned toenail fungus, either.

When I began hearing commercials about curing toenail fungus on the radio about 10 years ago, I figured it was a hoax, like “cellulite.”  I had a long history of eczema on my hands and feet, so I had a lot of experience evaluating the condition of the skin and nails on my appendages.  Still, somehow, when people said “toenail fungus,” I imagined mushrooms sprouting off the ends of my toes.

Then, about 5 years ago, I noticed one of my pinky toenails getting thick and spongy.  Gross, but it was just the pinky toe.  It was small and curled under slightly.  No one would really be able to see it.  It didn’t affect walking or being able to wear shoes.  Most importantly, it didn’t hurt!  I was chagrinned to think I was getting that old already, but maybe the-changing-of-the-toenails would be a long slow process.

When I began running barefoot, about three years ago, I still wore shoes for many of my other activities.  It was socially acceptable.  I watched helplessly as, one by one, nine of my toenails got thick and curly.  (can’t say why one big toe was a hold out!)  My hair is curly.  I have learned to deal with that.  But toenails!  I mentioned my “condition” to a trusted friend who amazingly said, “Maybe you have toenail fungus?  I had it once.”  I was stunned.  Then, I found out that my dad had been dealing with it for 15 years!

A whole new world of fungus opened up before me.  As I researched, I went from hope-of-healing to despair-at-the-expensive-and-ineffective-options.  At least there was no record of anyone’s whole body being enveloped in it.  I  decided to try the diluted vinegar foot-soak several times a day.  It sounded easy and didn’t cost much.  Some people reported significantly less fungus after weeks of doing this.  I managed this for a whole month.

A gash in the bottom of my foot, a trip to Maui, and colder weather all made soaking my feet in a cold vinegar solution less appealing.  I had been making sure my feet were clean, then reusing the liquid for about a week.  The first time, I would put warm water in, so that was tolerable.  But after that, it was too much trouble to heat up the gallon of fluid.  The trip to Hawaii got me out of the habit of even that.  Not to mention, that while the wound was healing, it was uncomfortable to balance my foot on the edge of the container.  I was not being a cooperative patient.

For some reason, I was concerned about running with weak and semi-flaky toenails.  They had always been so strong before.  I thought solid toenails might be especially important for barefoot running.  I opened up a discussion about it on The Barefoot Runner’s Society forum.  I was surprised to find out how many toenails various people were missing!  I came away assured that running without any toenails was safe.  It was also brought to my attention that being barefoot as much as possible might be a cure.

At that point, nearly four months ago, my feet were up to 8 mile runs totally barefoot.  I didn’t really think about further changes happening to my feet from completely ditching shoes.  However, without trying to collect data, I began noticing things:

• The first thing I noticed was how much I began to hate the idea of putting shoes on at all!
• Then, I noticed that my feet were much less sensitive to cold than last year.
• I also noticed that my toes were gaining more spread, and that my pinky toes was coming out of hiding!
• Most surprising, I noticed that my skin was actually becoming, well, skin.  I mean, I hadn’t thought of it as soft and mushy before, but now it seemed so much healthier and strong.  Even the tops of my feet were enjoying the constant exposure to air.

Then, about two weeks ago I saw that one of the toenails looked normal again!  Oh, joy!  It may be below freezing outside, but I am very inspired to continue wearing flip-flops to the grocery store!  But the story doesn’t end there. Although I can go barefoot most of the day, as most of my chores are indoors this time of year, I have to do most of my running in minimal footwear now.  Many of the toenails still have little wisps of curls along the top side edges.