Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Trench Foot

Towards the end of last year's kidding season, my feet were in terrible shape.  I've had athlete's foot and peeling feet before, but this was something new.  This was painful swelling and itching on the tips of my toes and at the joints.  They were actually purple when my husband joked that I had gangrene.  I rubbed them down with antifungals, cortisone cream and soaked them in Epsom salts every day, but nothing seemed to help.  I also bought new boots, boiled my socks and limped around like an idiot for a month or two.  Finally, summer came and they gratefully healed. 

We are halfway through our goat births and my feet are purple, again.  The expensive boots I purchased last season have sprung leaks from everyday wear and are constantly wet from trekking through snow and puddles.  My socks are wet, my feet are wet and thus my Trench Foot has returned especially early.  I can't sleep for the throbbing pain and fear of spreading it to my children through our common shower.  Maybe this year I will find a boot that is made for constant use and will keep my feet dry (any suggestions?).  So, I now have a name and remedy for this particular ailment.  Since I can't stay out of the "trenches" when my goats are kidding, I will have to work harder to keep my feet warm and dry between milking and feeding sessions.  Thankfully, kidding should be over by St. Patrick's Day (see a three leaf clover below?).  Back to goat watch.

7 comments:

  1. Have you tried Muck boots? Horse people use them, and that is what I wear......if it is not cold out your feet will be too warm.....you can get high ones and short ones.....

    Also invest in the cotton socks that runners wear that "wick" the moisture away from your skin.

    Good luck, poor you.

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  2. Thanks for your input! My Bogs, which I think are muck boots (?), sprung leaks along their front seams from too much squatting. I was really hoping they would last more than one season because, as you said, they are very warm and comfortable. I've been alternating wearing cotton and then wool socks, which may be making my feet more irritated. I will try runner's socks. Thanks, again!

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  3. Hi Christine,

    Muck is a brand......horse people use them for barn work........my pair is probably 13-15 years old and still going strong.....although my mastiff took one for a walk the other day and it now has a small rip in the top part. The bottom boot part is the rubber material and the top part is like a neoprene material. I actually wear mine bare foot......I don't wear socks because my feet overheat. I wear the Hoosier Classic. It is probably similar to your Bogs.....

    http://www.muckbootsandshoes.com/?gclid=CMq8spSfirYCFckx4AodzTUAOQ

    Good Luck, I can't imagine dealing with what you are dealing with.

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    1. Oh, that is excellent information! I'm ordering a pair today. No more sale boots from the feed store. I can sit in a cold barn overnight waiting for goat births without too much complaint, but cold and painful feet make me totally useless. Thanks Karen!

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  4. I hope they do the trick for you. Regardless they are great boots to have. My husband has a pair of the short ones and my daughter's boyfriend also wears them.

    Good luck!

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  5. Try getting a boot dryer for $40 at Redwing Shoes. My husband's works great!

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    1. Thanks! It definitely helps to have dry boots...up until I find another puddle to step in :) My husband has gently taught me to stuff newspaper into wet shoes/boots. So now we have pre-rolled and previously wet wads of paper to start our woodstove fires with. This is almost as convenient as having waterproof boots. My next move will be bread bags over my feet before booting-up. I remember my mom pulling this off years ago.

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