12.12.02
I am developing a little plantar wart between my pinkie toe and the one adjacent to it. Actually, it is growing on the adjacent toe, but for all intents and purposes, it is growing betwixt the two.
I tried using some Compound W on it, but since the wart is sandwiched between two toes, it sorta got all messy all over both of them.
In my infinite, and obviously sometimes questionable wisdom, I decided that some of those wart-eating bandaid jobbies were the answer. While I was perusing the "foot care" isle at Osco Drugs, I was thrown by the array of products available.
The two primary sort of salicylic acid-based sticky things are either for the removal of corns or warts. The primary difference is two-fold: the salicylic acid content of the wart removers are 17%, while the corn removers are about 40%, and the corn removers are about 2/3 the price of the wart removers.
After some thought, I decided to go with the corn remover pads. With that much salicylic acid, they ought to do the job in half the time, and saving money is always bonus.
Which seemed like a sound theory.
Except the next day, sometime midafternoon, my toe started burning, and then shortly thereafter quit hurting entirely. I should have been suspicious of this lack of pain, but I just took it as divine providence -- I had a lot more standing to do that day, and gave it no further thought.
When I got home, I took off my shoe and sock, and decided to remove the bandage. It didn't really seem to want to come off, but when it finally did, it seemed to have a lot more density to it that when I put it on.
Call me crazy, but I think that might have had something to do with the thick layer of skin attached to it.
Upon inspection, it was revealed that the acid pad had killed a dime-sized patch of skin around the wart, making what look liked a thick, juiceless blister. The wart remained, but was white and dead-looking, and positively glowed against the bright red ring of angry, and presumably nerve-deadened raw flesh.
Mom assessed the damage for me, and it was determined that it would be most beneficial in the future to only use half of one of the acid pads in the future.
Yeah, maybe after some neosporin therapy.
What's in your head?