Blister

 I am prone to foot blisters.  Our flight itinerary on the way to Copenhagen had us change planes in Amsterdam.  It was a horrible experience.  First the line for passport check was unbelievably long and slow.  Then we walked clear out to the gate from which our next flight would leave, only to find they had changed the gate.  The new gate was as far away as it could possibly be.  Those long walks were devastating on my foot.  When I took my shoe off that afternoon, I found a blister had formed.  

The next day, I put a blister pad on it and did a lot of walking in Copenhagen.  When I got back to the hotel, I found a mess.

Ken went to a nearby drug store and bought gauze, tape, aloe vera, Vaseline, and Epsom salts.  We didn't want this blister to ruin our vacation.

When we got on the ship, we asked our steward to find us a container in which I could soak my foot.  Every night, I soaked in hot water and Epsom salts.  Then I slathered it in Neosporin and wrapped it in gauze and taped it.  Then, the next morning, I took the gauze off and I put a blister pad on it.

It always looked pretty good in the morning, but by night it was weepy, bleeding and in need of a good soak.  It really was a downer on the whole trip.  It limited how much I could walk and caused a lot of pain.

I felt like if I could just get home and quit walking on it so much it would heal.  This picture was taken a few days after we got home.  It no longer bleeds or weeps and has formed a deep scab.  I can't wait for it to fall off so I can get in the pool.  I am just grateful it didn't get infected.  

*I wrote this a few weeks ago.  Update: I am now back in the pool!  It sure feels good!  It took a while, but my foot is healed.