I’ve had this serious case of athlete’s foot (or foot rot, as the army colloquial goes) for at least a year now, since before my overseas training in Taiwan, which was in late May to early June.
The total list of medications, both topical and oral, are listed below
- Mycoban (Miconazole 2%)
- Conazole (Miconazole 2%)
- Creobic (Clotrimazole 1% w/w, Benzyl Alcohol)
- Krisovin (Griesofulvin 125mg tabs)
- Potassium Permanganate
- Nixoderm (Benzoic Acid 6% w/w, Salicylic Acid 2.5% w/w, Precipitated Sulphur 4.6% w/w)
- Double Prawn Brand Chin Chow Yew – Green Grass Herbal Oil (Camphor 23.8% w/v, Menthol 3.5% w/v, Extract of Rheum Paimatum and base to 100%)
Mycoban and Conazole
Length of usage was around 6 months. Lesions didn’t seem to heal, but spread instead.
Creobic
Since mycoban and conazole have been failing for long, I decided to change to a different chemical to see its effects. Creobic, which contains clotrimazole, works in the same way miconazole does, except this time, it had a tinge of burning sensation upon application. No use.
Griesofulvin
I had only been using clotrimazole for 3 days, but there wasn’t even the slightest sign of improvement, so I sought a doctor at my mom’s polyclinic. She did a skin scraping to ascertain the nature of the lesion, which turned out unsurprisingly to be of fungal origin, and then prescribed an oral anti-fungal drug, griesofulvin, to be used in combination with the clotrimazole cream that I already had.
Potassium Permanganate
After close to 3 weeks of the clotrimazole + griesofulvin combination, the two-pronged attack didn’t seem to be working. I decided to use a potassium permanganate foot bath, to extend the reach to the entire sole, to stop the lesion from getting bigger. By then, it was already 5 cm across in diameter, on both feet, at the foot arch. I also had another one on the right side of my right foot, which extended slightly towards the top. The permanganate was a little troublesome to prepare, and it form very thick crusts over the lesions. I used increasing concentrations of the chemical in response to my increasing frustration. The fungus didn’t seem to be spreading at first, but after awhile, it spread the boundaries of the lesion. No use.
Nixoderm
My dad had caught a little of the fungus from me, and had a really small lesion on his sole. However, he constantly applied a thick layer of nixoderm on it. Probably due to its small size, the nixoderm did it’s work. However, being all out of options, i decided to use nixoderm as a last resort. Nixoderm is essentially benzoic acid and salicylic acid, and it stung like hell. It was a thick white paste, and it dried out the lesion really rapidly. I used it for only 3 days. I applied a thick layer, and water exuded from the lesion, which I promptly soaked up with tissue. It was a really painful treatment. After 3 days, there was limited progress, but it was a step forward.
Camphor Oil (Green Grass Oil)
My mum had just obtained a recommendation by my aunt, which my cousin had used on his own foot rot. Since it worked on my cousin, it should work for me too. Camphor Oil is currently working like a charm, and keeps the foot so dry it’s amazing.
Finally, my foot rot is going away. I’m going to make sure it stays away.
It has been limiting my activities for a really long time already. This time, I’ll make sure it dies once and for all.
Plans once I’m cured that I couldn’t do previously.
Regular badminton sessions
Daily jogs
Weekly cycling trips with my JC classmates
Going out often
Photography trips
