Blisters

[DougPaul]

The comment regarding the possibility of developing a lethal infection is a little dramatic but DougPauls case does have plenty of merit...

Just trying to point out the trade-offs...

In town, one can usually change shoes and there is little reason for draining the blister. (It will deflate on its own if protected.) On a hike, first choice is to prevent the blister in the first place (tape, moleskin, etc), second choice might be tape, moleskin or "moleskin with a hole in the center" on the blister, third choice (or if the first and second don't work well enough) might be draining. But draining is not risk-free, requires steady maintenence, and the consequences can be severe if professional medical help is not available.

There are a bunch of "modern" remedies, but these are being advertised by companies trying to make a profit. I would like to see a relatively objective medical evaluation of them including a comparison to the traditional methods.

There is also a tendency of some sources to give one solution for all occasions--there are a number of possible treatments and, IMO, it is better to select the most appropriate depending on the situation.

BTW, Grover Cleaveland's son died of a blister... (in the pre-antibiotic days)

Doug

 

[chinooktrail]

Draining or not draining is not an issue in my case, there is nothing covering the wound, it all came off with the blister blocker. I have now covered them with the larger advanced healing blister block, and so far so good. I am wearing clogs, so I am trying to avoid as much rubbing as possiable for now. I am planning on hiking on Saturday, and will probably try to go for a short walk or run later today to try to get my feet used to the idea of having shoes on again. Thanks for all the good information and advice. The Blister pads made the pain go away instantly, even though they were what I was wearing when I received the blisters... Who knows, it may have just been a fluke, or they were too old, or I didn't get them on smoothly enough, could have been any number of reasons. I still think I will be shopping for new XC boots though. Thanks

 

[DougPaul]

Draining or not draining is not an issue in my case, there is nothing covering the wound, it all came off with the blister blocker.

Understand. But some flaps of skin might have remained, and if so, trimming would have been indicated.

The discussion got a little broader than just your problem... Hopefully useful to someone.

Doug