Saturday, November 10, 2007



"Winter Toes"

First off, thoughts and prayers go out to the people in Pakistan and the worry the families here in the West must be going through. As well as all the other countries in turmoil, which there are many..
Really boring sorry, but this made up my week.....

I`ve been off on holidays since Tuesday and have had a broken computer and something bizzarre happening to my two toes in that time.
Hubby cracked the computer problems today and last night I finally found out what was wrong with my baby toe and the pal beside him. I was able to use the hub`s computer but it seemed strange, foreign territory. Mounded up the roses, tidied shelves and cupboards and started an afghan. But these stupid toes were always there, thumping and sore.

I`d thought that because of my breaking my baby toe by dropping a very large heavy dinner plate on it`s bareness, while in Exeter staying with my cousins and drying dishes in '77, that it was just acting up on me. It`s always been a chubby little thing since. It began getting red and sore and itchy last week. I soaked it in Epson Salts and made the dry mustard plaster I successfully used for the rose thorn last year. But it wouldn`t go away. Then lo and behold, the next toe began reacting the same way. How ridiculous is that?
I`d soak it in hot, pack it with ice, slathered witch hazel on it. All to no avail. They were getting worse instead of better and becoming a bit worrisome.
What the heck was happening to my toes? They itched, they burned, they ached. Two silly toes, spoiling the whole holiday show.
Not an attractive picture with dried Epson and mustard plasters, but I was getting desperate.

Then I gave up searching toe problems last night and typed in "sore, swollen, itchy toe" in Google.
I got at the top of the list a forum where literally hundreds of people were talking about the same thing!
I wasn`t crazy...I didn`t need to chop off my toes....
Extreme temperature changes are not good and what I was doing was making it worse.

Chilblains. Thought that was something from the Victorian age, but obviously, alive and well during the colder months especially it seems.
If you`ve ever had this problem, go here
http://www.aippg.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=28407&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0
You won`t believe all the people and different ages complaining of this.

At least now I can do what I can to cope with "Winter Toes" as they`re sometimes called. Wool socks for one thing. Keep feet warm and dry. I have one pair of wollies and will be getting more.

Hope everyone has a nice weekend, I know mine will be better now :)

10 comments:

cupcake ally said...

I hope your toes are better soon. I broke my baby toe a hundred times on the same chair... it is long gone (the chair not the toe) and my toe is better.
Smiles to you! :-)

ally said...

Hi Tea,
I just posted and was under my new blog cupcake ally it is me ally from simply nice.

Julie said...

Well, good grief, I, too, thought chilblains were a part of the Victorian age.

You with your toes, me with my fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome). Oh, my, our extremities give us problems.

Hope your tootsies are better soon.

Julie

Rowan said...

Sorry to hear that you have chilblains but glad it's nothing more serious. I've never had them thank goodnes,but I know they are very painful. Love your sheep photos too:)

Rosie said...

Oh, your poor sore toes. At least you know what the problem is and how to help ease the discomfort. I used to work with someone who suffered every winter with chilblains and her feet used to get very sore. Take care:)

Anonymous said...

I can personally tell you that chillblains are hellish! I've had them since I was 15 and every year they get me without fail. My remedy is something called "snowfire" and honestly, if you use it twice a day in the affected areas it works in a few days - it's the best stuff in the whole world and is as cheap as chips. It's an old war-time remedy but nothing else I'd tried has worked half as well as that.

Also try wearing slippers, keeping your feet warm at all times and the thing that triggers it is having feet go from cold to hot quickly - hot baths (and hot water bottles) etc. Avoid sudden temperature changes. Good luck!

Rosa said...

Poor little piggies. My hands get so bad. They are totally chapped and cracked and bleeding, already! Yikes! SO early in the season! Getting old, I suppose. Whaaaa.

Judypatooote said...

Toes can really become painful, I seem to always stub mine on something....once I had to have my large toenail removed, and I told the doctor when she gave me a shot in the big toe, that it was more painful than having a baby....honest...... i just stubbed it again not to long ago... haven't been by in a while, hope ;your well...or hope your toe is well...LOL.....

Pearl Maple said...

Hope your toes are feeling better tucked inside their warm winter woolies. Cute pictures!

jessica said...

wishing your toes to be extra warm. i knew someone who had chillblains....she always had extra warmth in her boots in the winter and warm woolies in the house.

love the adorable pictures.