To ask you to please, please help me with my Athletes Foot

[CanIbeRio]

Sorry for use of AIBU, unashamedly posting for traffic!

I've been struggling with Athletes Foot since beginning of July. In desperation to get rid of it I used a vinegar soak and cos I didn't dilute it enough I gave myself chemical burns which shredded my toes where the AF was - 2 trips to A&E, visits to GP practice nurse and by 4 weeks on all healed, great

3 weeks ago the bleeping AF returned. I used Daktarin for 2 weeks which was keeping it at bay but hadn't completely kicked it so last week switched to Lamisil Once. Didn't work and by weekend seemed a bit worse. After 7+ weeks exclusively in sandals, a trip to London on Sat forced me into trainers for the day as I had some walking to do. Upshot is from yesterday feet red, angry, sore and doc says I now have a secondary bacterial infection in the AF areas which she's given me fusidic acid for

Pharmacist initially said drop treating AF in favour of using fusidic acid as obvs more important to treat bacterial infection. But...im going abroad on hols next week and I want this gone...so he said, OK use fusidic twice, not 3 times a day and use Daktarin spray once. Has anyone done this , did it clear both infections? Im so fed up - i have a bad back and 7 weeks of this crap, bending to tend burnt then AF ridden feet is not helping it. Can anyone give me any advice to give me the best chance of healing this before I fly off next Weds

Sorry for the essay!! And thank you if you got to the end of it!

Following with interest. I have previously like you used all of the above. The only thing that really healed my feet was a cream with high % Urea. I bought some from amazon and its great to keep it at bay but I have to use it religiously otherwise the both dry cracking and then moist stripping skin starts all over again

Mine was linked to a fungal toe nail and they made each other stay and never leave. I took anti fungals for three months and I don’t know why I didn’t do it years sooner.

This has helped me a lot:

https://amzn.eu/d/28hdCKB
https://amzn.eu/d/0eVBvOC
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The spray has worked wonders for me. My nails are growing back healthier with the nailner. Dr Organic foot cream is amazing! Makes my feet really soft like honey. Fully worth the cost, not too expensive either. Would recommend.

I’ve just started on Itraconazole.

Ive tried bloody everything. Someone on her about 3 or 4 weeks ago suggested Lamasil twice a day for 5 weeks. I think half way through week 3 and no change l went to GP.

The Iteaconazole is definitely working better than anything else. But it’s whether it stays away.

I’m so fucking sick of it. Tried all creams and all home remedies. Nothing worked

Have you tried the spray versions?

I've always found Mykota cream to be the best for AF - I use it daily as prophylaxis. I understand it's been discontinued recently so I bought some on Ebay but you might be able to get it in a chemist - independent chemist more likely though tbh.

Yeah, they’re better, but don’t eradicate it.

I found it worked for me, but my nails are taking ages to grow back…. Eurgh!

Ask the GP to prescribe terbinafine. Honestly worked miracles for me and I’ve suffered from it for years, cracks, bleeding, wanting to rip my foot off.

Thanks all. Will look into all suggestions. Sadly it seems the theme is it's not easy to get rid of. Really not giving me hope of getting rid of it by next week :(
Anyone haf it whilst on hols? Just think the heat is going to make it a whole heaps worse - anyone got any tips?

Terbinafine is Lamisil. Didn’t touch mine.

Bit nervous about turbafine as ive read it can cause liver damage - really hope no one has ended up with that

By any chance are you diabetic? I had AF that was out of control, I had to use the powder spray daily (worked better than creams). When I got my blood sugar under control it stopped coming back

Bit nervous about turbafine (im guessing you mean the tablets) as ive read it can cause liver damage - really hope no one has ended up with that

The terbinafine I had was oral so don’t think it’s the same as lamisil. I had it for 3 months and had a blood test each month and everything was fine with liver function

I've had terbinafine as tablets and I was ok. I have regular liver function checks due to my Crohn's medication so I know it was safe even for my weakened system to take it.

@Oakcupboard - that did cross my mind, I sm a few stone overweight :( I will get tested. Going to avoid sugar (apart from a glass or two of wine!) Currently sat munching on a plate of chopped red pepper and walnuts in an attempt to boost my immune system !!

It's not available anymore but this tea tree spray cured mine when all else failed - is maybe something tea tree based might work

I’ve had it pretty consistently for a year and a half now, on and off. You might be repeatedly reinfecting yourself. Shoes need to be cleaned daily with anti fungal spray and I recommend using anti fungal laundry detergent like halo. I also use 10% sulphur soap and a foot exfoliant as af loves skin flakes. Wash bathmats in bleach if you can and bleach shower floors. Also make sure you’re doing the full course of any medication you’re using - it usually needs to be used for about 2 weeks after all symptoms are gone, as spores linger.

I hate it. It’s so annoying.

I can't get rid of it. It's been 3 years I think. The doc won't give be tablets. But, re your holiday op, sandals and warm weather make mine much better. I've started wearing socks and trainers this week and right back where I started from.

@CanIbeRio it’s a tough one! I was diagnosed in 2019, but have managed to completely reverse it now (with the help of Mounjaro). But I did notice the AF stop as soon as my diet improved, way before my blood sugar fell out of diabetic range ❤️

@Lurkthenpost - thank you for that. I was first alerted to this by my podiatrist who said "I think you have a fungal infection" and then proceeded to file the nail diwn with an electric file. I think this spread a spore ridden dust across my feet cos after that the AF really set in.
As you say @lilyboleyn , if the bad nail remains the AF problem will stay. Ill look into this nail stuff, thanks

Soak your worn socks in dettol or Milton before washing. Milton may bleach them.

That’s what finally helped my DS. Washing at 40° or lower doesn’t kill AF.

I now save socks for a separate wash and do them in a super hot wash after soaking in dettol.

It took about 10 weeks of dedicated application of the strongest Daktarin to get rid of mine but it did eventually go.

Oh gosh!