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Suggest Treatment For Infected Blisters
Hi. I had a housemate who had this grotty blistery thing all over his feet, which I seem to have caught. I had hoped that when he moved out it would have cleared up, which is not the case. Between the toes, and on the side of my foot I've had several outbreaks, and when the blisters burst it seems to spread. The blisters and sites in general are very itchy. In the last week I had a large one of these blisters develop on the bottom of my foot, and when it burst it has become quite painful and red and seems to be infected. The skin around this area is also very itchy and is painful to walk on. In the last two weeks I have been working in a very dirty workshop, which would include exposure to dust, dirt and chemicals, and since my work boots are old and full of holes it is more than possible that some of this stuff has gotten into my shoes and to the infected site.Now, I'm planning on going to the free university doctor on Monday, because as a student I can't afford to go to one of the emergency weekend docs, so I would like to know if there is anything I can do to reduce swelling or fight infection in the meantime.Thanks muchly :)
Fri, 21 Oct 2016
Hi there,
As you have rightly concluded, we need to deal with the wound infection first, and deal with the blisters later when your university doctor can have a look at it. What I would recommend right now is some anti-inflammatory tablets like diclofenac or even ibuprofen to help deal with the swelling and pain on walking. For the infection itself, if you could get your hands on some antibiotic cream like mupirocin or fucidic acid it would be useful to apply it twice a day to help control the infection. If you are not able to get the antibiotic cream, find yourself some antiseptic cream with chlorhexidine or iodine to just help kill off whatever surface bacteria is there. Try to clean the wound twice a day with some antiseptic solution to just get rid of any discharge and bacteria that is collecting on the surface. Keep it as dry and aired-out as you can when you are not at the workshop.
Your university doctor would reassess it on Monday and be able to prescribe you oral antibiotics if needed, and further treatment for the blisters itself.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Dr. Teh
As you have rightly concluded, we need to deal with the wound infection first, and deal with the blisters later when your university doctor can have a look at it. What I would recommend right now is some anti-inflammatory tablets like diclofenac or even ibuprofen to help deal with the swelling and pain on walking. For the infection itself, if you could get your hands on some antibiotic cream like mupirocin or fucidic acid it would be useful to apply it twice a day to help control the infection. If you are not able to get the antibiotic cream, find yourself some antiseptic cream with chlorhexidine or iodine to just help kill off whatever surface bacteria is there. Try to clean the wound twice a day with some antiseptic solution to just get rid of any discharge and bacteria that is collecting on the surface. Keep it as dry and aired-out as you can when you are not at the workshop.
Your university doctor would reassess it on Monday and be able to prescribe you oral antibiotics if needed, and further treatment for the blisters itself.
Hope this helps.
Regards,
Dr. Teh
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