MeandIan
Active Member
- Time of past OR future Camino
- May2018
I got my first blister yesterday!
For more than a year I have been following this forum. I have read so many opinions, advice, cautions and stories. I have seen videos and photos that looked absolutely horrendous. And I have looked at different tapes and preventative measures. And I was convinced that when, not if, the time arrived, I would be prepared for any scenario because we often spoke of being mindful of hot spots.
We were doing a 16k walk, me with a 5kg pack, and I was very comfortable. At the 10k mark I felt a slight prick in my little toe. I thought perhaps it was a chipped toenail. After about 10 steps it was a bit painful and Ian asked if I wanted to stop. I said I’d stop at a bench about 80m away. Honestly, before we reached the bench, I was pronating quite a bit because it was so painful. I took off my boot and there was a tiny blister with a small speck of blood. We didn’t have a first aid kit so I just made a donut with a piece of tissue to relieve any pressure. We continued and it was ok, the declines better than the ups. One km from our home we stopped to have a chat with someone for a few minutes and then started walking again. Suddenly I had the most excruciating pain in my foot and there was such a lump under my toes. I knew that I had a humongous haematoma. I struggled to walk and carry my pack. I was scared of limping and hurting my back and/or retriggering the fasciitis. So Ian rushed home to get the car and pick me up. When we got home I immediately rushed to see how big the blister was. And found.....a tiny, tiny little deroofed blister, maybe just bigger than a pinhead, under the pad under my toe! l couldn’t believe the amount of pain the little bugger caused me. And I think I have an ok pain limit.
So, lesson to self: carry a blister kit even though you are just ‘training’. Your feet don’t know that you aren’t on your Camino yet! And, if you have a hot spot, stop immediately and check it out. Seriously, I didn’t know that it can change so quickly. And remember that the nerve endings are on the skin. That is the reason superficial lesions are so painful.
Today, we took a rest day and Ian treated me for lunch. And I wear my hydroguard dressing with pride.
For more than a year I have been following this forum. I have read so many opinions, advice, cautions and stories. I have seen videos and photos that looked absolutely horrendous. And I have looked at different tapes and preventative measures. And I was convinced that when, not if, the time arrived, I would be prepared for any scenario because we often spoke of being mindful of hot spots.
We were doing a 16k walk, me with a 5kg pack, and I was very comfortable. At the 10k mark I felt a slight prick in my little toe. I thought perhaps it was a chipped toenail. After about 10 steps it was a bit painful and Ian asked if I wanted to stop. I said I’d stop at a bench about 80m away. Honestly, before we reached the bench, I was pronating quite a bit because it was so painful. I took off my boot and there was a tiny blister with a small speck of blood. We didn’t have a first aid kit so I just made a donut with a piece of tissue to relieve any pressure. We continued and it was ok, the declines better than the ups. One km from our home we stopped to have a chat with someone for a few minutes and then started walking again. Suddenly I had the most excruciating pain in my foot and there was such a lump under my toes. I knew that I had a humongous haematoma. I struggled to walk and carry my pack. I was scared of limping and hurting my back and/or retriggering the fasciitis. So Ian rushed home to get the car and pick me up. When we got home I immediately rushed to see how big the blister was. And found.....a tiny, tiny little deroofed blister, maybe just bigger than a pinhead, under the pad under my toe! l couldn’t believe the amount of pain the little bugger caused me. And I think I have an ok pain limit.
So, lesson to self: carry a blister kit even though you are just ‘training’. Your feet don’t know that you aren’t on your Camino yet! And, if you have a hot spot, stop immediately and check it out. Seriously, I didn’t know that it can change so quickly. And remember that the nerve endings are on the skin. That is the reason superficial lesions are so painful.
Today, we took a rest day and Ian treated me for lunch. And I wear my hydroguard dressing with pride.
