He was trying to be so good....now he can't walk

[happysongbird]

I have never had blisters that come close to resembling what my husband came home with today. The balls of both feet are huge, mushy, but still enclosed, blisters. He decided to try running barefoot for just one mile and thought he was testing the midday (94°F weather day) pavement carefully enough. That is, he didn't feel any warning signs during his mile run.

Now he can't walk. He has run barefoot a few times for short distances, but nothing consistently. Since he has had to recover from shoulder surgery and his running was way down, and he started getting knee pain while trying to get back into it, he thought he was finally ready to work at the barefoot thing.

He has put them in ice water a couple of times this afternoon, but can just barely get around balancing on his heels. Since I have never had any blisters this bad, I thought I'd ask for input about other possible things to do, if there are any. He might have to take a sick day tomorrow!

 

[migangelo]

wow. from nothing to jumping in the deep end. he did everything a rookie shouldn't have. i wish i could offer good advice but having never been there done that i can't. i guess keep his feet on ice as much as possible and apply coconut oil or aloe vera to help healing. next time don't let him jump into the fire. going for distance and in the midday heat aren't good ideas for rookies.

 

[DNEchris]

I think I'd drain them being careful not to rip the dead skin. He should, at least, be able to put sandals on after that.

I suspect that they are burn blisters, from the hot road surface, rather than blisters caused by friction as I think those would have burst and turned his soles to hamburger.

I hope this experience doesn't put him off!

 

[happysongbird]

wow. from nothing to jumping in the deep end. he did everything a rookie shouldn't have. i wish i could offer good advice but having never been there done that i can't. i guess keep his feet on ice as much as possible and apply coconut oil or aloe vera to help healing. next time don't let him jump into the fire. going for distance and in the midday heat aren't good ideas for rookies.

The distance in better conditions wouldn't have been an issue. He has run with pretty flat shoes for a while now and done up to a 1/2 mile barefoot on a whim without trouble. He's a "tough guy." He was embarrassed to come home and tell me about it.... Yeah, the oil is probably a good idea.

 

[happysongbird]

I think I'd drain them being careful not to rip the dead skin. He should, at least, be able to put sandals on after that.

I suspect that they are burn blisters, from the hot road surface, rather than blisters caused by friction as I think those would have burst and turned his soles to hamburger.

I hope this experience doesn't put him off!

He definitely thinks it is from the heat. I don't think it will put him off. He seems to understand what went wrong. We just need to deal with the pain for the next few days.

 

[Spiderweb62]

I'd drain them too, and put a Band-aid (they have special blisters ones, you leave them for the next 2 days and it's like gone)

 

[happysongbird]

I'd drain them too, and put a Band-aid (they have special blisters ones, you leave them for the next 2 days and it's like gone)

They are labeled like that? I have shopped for a lot of bandaids and not seen that. How are they special?

 

[spoonerweb]

Before I started running barefoot all the time, I once tried to run barefoot while in high school. I decided to try it out during the summer, in the afternoon, on the road, and limit myself to just one mile. I had really bad blisters on the whole of both feet and didn't notice them until after I got back home.

 

[Spiderweb62]

This is the package These ones need to remain for 2 days at least (without changing), and they do miracles, as the blister really heals fast (you need to remove the dead skin though)

 

[happysongbird]

Before I started running barefoot all the time, I once tried to run barefoot while in high school. I decided to try it out during the summer, in the afternoon, on the road, and limit myself to just one mile. I had really bad blisters on the whole of both feet and didn't notice them until after I got back home.

ouch.

 

[happysongbird]

This is the package These ones need to remain for 2 days at least (without changing), and they do miracles, as the blister really heals fast (you need to remove the dead skin though)

Okay, I may have seen that before. Those are way too small for his blisters, though.

 

[Spiderweb62]

Okay, I may have seen that before. Those are way too small for his blisters, though.

I think you have different sizes, but they are very expensive (at least here)

 

[happysongbird]

I think you have different sizes, but they are very expensive (at least here)

ah, okay. I'll look.

 

[Barefoot TJ]

That's the thing about running on the hot asphalt or ground of any kind. You don't feel the blisters forming until it's too late. I suppose humans can adapt to the heated surfaces gradually, but I doubt we could go too hot.

If you drain them, be sure to poke at least two holes in each blister, so they don't fill back up. BUT BEFORE YOU DO...we want (okay need) to see the pictures!

And maybe one of your kids has a skateboard he can use to roll around in the house on, or he can crawl on his knees.

Oh, and lots of aloe vera.

 

[Sid]

www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-blisters/WL00008

 

[happysongbird]

That's the thing about running on the hot asphalt or ground of any kind. You don't feel the blisters forming until it's too late. I suppose humans can adapt to the heated surfaces gradually, but I doubt we could go too hot.

If you drain them, be sure to poke at least two holes in each blister, so they don't fill back up. BUT BEFORE YOU DO...we want (okay need) to see the pictures!

And maybe one of your kids has a skateboard he can use to roll around in the house on, or he can crawl on his knees.

Oh, and lots of aloe vera.

I did take pictures because it is excellent blog material.
He says that although it feels mushy, there is not quite enough fluid space (yet?) to drain them. I'll look more closely again soon.
Will put your transportation options on the table, so to speak.

 

[happysongbird]

www.mayoclinic.com/health/first-aid-blisters/WL00008

My general approach to blisters is to not open them, but I've never had anything like this before! But it looks like the preference is to leave them be for now and more ice water bathing.

 

[Spinningwoman]

Oh, goodness, this is reminding me of the French Exchange visitor we hosted when I was about 15. She arrived with feet full of blisters from what my mother regarded as totally unsuitable shoes for a 15 year old, and her mother (who was a dressmaker) had sewn through each blister with different colour thread to drain them. She spent her first evening in the UK with her feet in a bowl of Dettol having the threads picked out by my mother who was convinced she would get blood poisoning and die on us<g>.

 

[Barefoot Dama]

Nothing to add here everybody has coverd everything and I am very sorry about your husband.
I am with TJ about those pictures though.
We like seeing pictures of that kind

 

[Scratch]

Maybe you should change the blog title to Daily Blisterations.