[xxxtine]

So...Ever since I've started to excercise my feet have been pounded into Hamburger. I have a bunion, calluses....my toenail is falling off and NOW...NOW I have a Plantars Wart?

At least I think that is what it is. I won't know for certain until tomorrow when I journey over to the podiatrist.

At first I thought it was a callus becayse of my bunion. It started in July. So...for months I have been grinded it down with a callus file. Then I made the appointment because it was getting more and more painful to walk. I did more research and I think it is a Plantars wart (It has dots in it, it is painful to pinch it, it errupted in a short time)

Gone are the daily walks at lunch. I can hardly walk from my car to my desk. I do bike....but my weight loss has suffered some. ANYWAYS

Tomorrow I am going to the podiatrist. I hope he takes care of it then. I am going to WDW in 6 weeks. Do you think I'll be alright to walk around by then? How long do these things take to disappear?

[OK Lizzy]

I had one YEARS ago -- and I still remember the pain! I never visited a doctor, just self-diagnosed and self-treated. I DO remember the little dots in it, which signified (I was told) the "roots" of the wart. I started using OTC wart-remover and eventually it just fell off, leaving a little indentation in my foot! But it was gone -- the little hole soon disappeared -- and the wart never returned. Guess there's something to be said for old-fashioned remedies.

[sassybiscuit]

My son and I both had Plantar's Warts and they hurt! I just froze it off using the over-the-counter stuff. I had to freeze it twice, but it was gone in less than 6 weeks. You have to file it to keep it exposed. You can also put duct tape on it, which helps too. If its THAT painful, I would buy those little cushions to put around it. They help take some weight off it.

I would get a pedicure after they are gone. It keeps the calluses under control and helps your feet get/stay healthy. You might also look into going to a place for special shoes. I went to the Runner's Forum in Indianapolis and they told me that I pronate when I walk, so they found shoes that helped with that. The shoes weren't all that expensive either (under $50.00).

Hope this helps. Take care of those feet!

[2003Lorri]

First time posting. I've had plantars warts (off and on) for my entire life. Once the wart is removed, you should be able to resume your exercise routine immediately. I actually treat them myself now. It sounds crazy, but I apply an apple cider-soaked piece of cotton to the area with duct tape. After about a week, I remove the tape and the wart is usually gone. There are lots of home remedies available on the web. Have a great time in WDW.

[stellarwbz]

I had one a few years ago. I left it untreated for a couple months because I didn't know what it was and I thought my foot just hurt. Well then my mom finally made me an appointment and I had to go in for painful treatments every few weeks until it was gone. The dr dug at it with a little scalpel then put acid on it and then burned it with some black stuff. It was the most pain ever. No joke. I now have a lovely little scar on my foot from it.

[JamieJo]

Used to get them. Always self medicated. Over the counter wart remover stuff. Goes on clear, dries white. Each day I would use a finger nail clipper and pick at it. And the other gal was right...little black dots are the roots. Just keep picking those out and reappling the wart stuff. I never went in for them and have been "wart free" for many years now. It wasn't very painful to do yourself at home...at least that I remember.

Are you using a gym? Do you ever walk around barefoot? If so, don't! Gets some slippy shoes to go back and forth from the shower!

[raw23]

Oh those are horrible. I had one in high school. An OTC med fixed it in a couple weeks. Your ped should get rid of it tomorrow. Good luck!

[ANOther]

I had one when I was a kid: I think some dressing was put on it to soften it up, then a podiatrist dug it out OWWWWW!

Nitpick: it's "plantar" wart (no "s" with or without apostrophe), on the plantar surface of the foot

[DRose]

Oh boy, I had 3 of these on each foot for about 4 years when I was growing up. I think I got them from being at my dance studio? But anyway, they never bothered me all that much. Eventually I went to the doctor and they started doing this thing where I had to go in every month and get them all frozen, and because I had 5 or 6 of them it really hurt. I did that for about 3 months but none went away. I stopped doing the monthly thing, and within a few months they were gone. I haven't had any since then.

[BerkshireGrl]

I just found this thread tonight and would like to tell my wart story

I have had a plantar wart for a year now. I tried liquid Vitamin A, the OTC brushed-on acid, and even a visit to the podiatrist to have it scraped and a very powerful acid put on it which turned it black and hurt like *BEEP* (really and I've had broken bones and body piercings but this made me want to cry the night it really sunk in).

I gave up for a few months, and it got larger. Ewww!

So I did some more Googling recently and found the duct tape suggestion, which sounded like the most cockamamie idea ever

I also learned that the black dots are actually the abraded ends of blood vessels that grow in the wart to supply it with nutrients. Gross eh!? And that warts are caused by a common virus that slips into the skin through a crack or scrape. Also, warts love moisture, they thrive in it.

Soo... duct tape. I figured why not? It's cheap and painless.

A week ago, after a shower in which I pumiced the heck out of the wart to expose it more, I made sure it was quite clean, and then I dried it very dry, with a blow dryer. I then cut off a piece of duct tape just a bit larger than the wart, maybe 1/4" extra on all sides, and pressed it thoroughly on.

I noticed that the duct tape cushioned it a bit which felt nice... but as the week wore on, I felt funny things in the wart. Like... tingling. Not painful really, but strange. And sometimes a little jab of pain, like someone stuck it quickly with a pin. But no big deal, not anywhere as bad as the black acid treatment.

I was intrigued. Tonight I noticed that the edge of the tape was coming off, so I went to put on a fresh piece after another shower and blow-dry treatment.

GUESS WHAT! I peeled off the tape (didn't hurt at all) and I noticed on its sticky surface, a big round blob of dead skin cells! Also, the wart was much softer, whitened with a dark (blood vessel) dot exposed in the center, which was cratered out. SUCCESS!

I am very excited to be killing this thing which had gotten so gross I warned my massage therapist about it, and I no longer went for pedicures, which I loved.

I will keep you updated when Operation Duct Tape succeeds

If you have a plantar wart, seriously give this a shot! Especially before you get any cutting or acid treatments from the foot doctor.*

ETA: I also re-pumiced the dead skin off the wart before I put on fresh duct tape.

* In more research tonight, I found a reputable study that cites an 85% success rate with duct tape, versus 60% for cryotherapy (freezing the wart off)!

And for kids (or kids at heart), duct tape also comes in funky colors like red, hot pink, electric blue... not just industrial gray, heh! But make sure the one you buy contains the rubber-based adhesive. There have been recent studies that say the clear kind of duct tape, which does not contain rubber, is not nearly as effective (only 21%).

[AlphaGal]

OMG. so glad i found this thread!
my hubby has been complaining about his foot hurting lately. after reading yalls thread, i asked him to take his sock off on the foot that hurts - what do you know - there is about 10 plantar warts!

thanks for connecting the dots.

[Kitsey]

Oh these things are awful! When I was 11-12 years old and away at boarding school I had a HORRIBLE time with these things. I literally had a cluster of 15-20 plantar warts on one foot. Being away from home I didn't know what to do, and didn't feel comfortable enough to ask anyone about it. I always had to be careful not to let the other kids see the bottom of my foot after swimming, etc! I had them over a year when they finally just went away on their own.

[BerkshireGrl]

If anyone would like to read more about people using duct tape for getting rid of warts, or just be amazed about all the other uses (some extremely creative!) that people have found for duct tape, check this page out

[jlady]

just wanted to say that for the non-plantar variety i have had success with vinegar (apple cider, but i suppose any will work). i'm not really one for internet cures, but considering the low cost this treatment, i had to try it. i had a small wart towards the corner of my mouth and it would not go away. after many of the conventional treatments i tried this. once or twice a day, i would soak a cotton swab in vinegar. i would then hold it on the wart for as long as possible ( i typically read to keep my mind off of it). yes, it does hurt a bit - but you can always just take the swab off and the pain dissapates. my bf also had two on his hands. he soaked pieces of cotton and taped them on overnight. one was about 1cm wide and it dissappeared completely in just a month.

[mkyice]

I've never used duct tape on plantar wart, but 3 of my kids had trouble with warts on their fingers several years back and our family doctor said to give the tape a try....it worked!