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Verrucas - Help Needed Please!

78 replies

TheSmallPrint · 18/03/2011 16:03

My DS has a verucca on his foot which he has had for many many months now that we cannot get rid of.

It is currently bigger than the end of a pencil and despite trying Bazuka a billion times and several tries with silver nitrate pencils it shows no sign of getting any smaller. My DS is ridiculously woosy and will not let me do anything to it other than apply these treatments (i.e. wont let me file it down properly etc.) and it certainly doesn't seem to have any intention of dying of it's own accord. The chemist told us not to bother with the freezing off over the counter products as they 'never work'. So I have two questions;

  1. What else can I try?
  1. He has permanantly sweaty feet (genetic thing I think as GP and uncle have the same), could the fact that his foot is constantly 'wet' be encouraging the verucca to keep growing?

Other than chopping off his foot, I don't know what else to do .

OP posts:
valiumredhead · 23/03/2011 16:16

I will look out for a thread with the title OH DEAR, DS KICKED THE GP Grin

ExitPursuedByALamb · 23/03/2011 16:16

Only skim read your thread but just wanted to say that my DD is a complete wuss, but we went to the Doc for the special freezing treatment. I think it was three times four weeks apart. Didn't hurt and did get rid of it. She'd had the verruca for about 3 years. The freezing stuff is very expensive so at my Docs they book everyone in for the same morning and one doctor does all the treatments.

TheSmallPrint · 23/03/2011 16:18

I may start that thread just for you valium!

Exit, thank you I am hoping for that kind of response from the drs but they are a tiny little rural practice with no money by the look of the surgery so suspect they may just give me a prescription for Wartner and send me on my way.

OP posts:
Driftwood999 · 23/03/2011 18:37

TheSmallPrint Did I read that correctly? your son "threatened to kick the doctor if he touches his foot." Hmm Tell your son the Doctor can call the police if he does! ffs get a grip.

TheSmallPrint · 23/03/2011 18:54

Drfitwood, my DS has just turned 7 and is actually a very gentle child but was extremely upset about going to the doctors who he thought would hurt him. As if he would actually go in and kick the doctor! But just to reassure you, I did tell him that before you decided that I needed to get a grip. Good lord.Hmm

As it happens the doctor was very kind and patient and asked very politely to look at his foot and has now put him on the waiting list for Cryo thingy to have it removed.

Sorry valium, couldn't start your thread for you.

OP posts:
Verruca · 23/03/2011 20:29

Seems like a good time to introduce myself. I had a verruca for three years and got little help from either the doctor or the internet in general. I've set up my own website to pull together all the information I can find on different treatments - a kind of one stop shop for verruca matters!

I've only got a few articles on it at the moment, so would appreciate your feedback and if you have any verruca treatments you'd like me to research (I particularly like the dandelion sap method ;) ) let me know!

It's at www.verruca.org.uk

Thanks for your time,

BR

valiumredhead · 23/03/2011 21:28

Naaaaahhhh it's ok thank verruca I prefer my pin 'em down and gauge out with tweezer method!

Omg you are like the Candyman -mention a verruca 3x and up pops a website Grin

cricketfantoo · 08/06/2011 18:15

Banana skin has worked for me - in three months i have got rid of a 25 year (yes, 25) old verruca.

Tape inside of small piece of banana skin to verruca with micropore tape. Change morning and night. Mine just started shrinking and disappeared.

moregranny · 08/06/2011 19:23

I have had a verruca for, wait for it, 12 years now, I have tried to get rid of it as has the dr. and the chiropodist, we have been together now longer than some couples I know......apparently one day it will just disapear Biscuit

A1980 · 08/06/2011 23:46

Try occlusal.

It's 26% salicylic acid and the strongest you can get I think. It's available without a prescription.

I'm also going to try the new wartner pen that's avaiable. It's TCA gel which i've never tried beofre.

hjj7 · 14/03/2012 21:35

We are trying nail varnish for my 6 year-old daughter. Like duct tape (which we could never get to stay on either), it deprives the verruca of air, and hopefully kills it.

We have tried everything else (including duct tape, banana, bazuka and home freezing - which provoked the loudest screams ever). And so thought that nail varnish would be easy and stress free. I just paint it on and every few days in the bath, we put a polythene bag over her hand and she tries to peel the varnish off, along with any bits of verruca that might come too. If it doesn't come off easily then I just paint some more on.

Like your DS, she won't let me touch it in any way, to peel stuff off or file it. (I tried letting her file it herself for a while, but you have never seen less effective filing in your whole life!) Hence her peeling it off herself.

We've just been trying nail varnish for a week or so, and something seems to be happening. It's getting slightly smaller I think, and we have got down to some black strands (I'm hoping this is a good sign) and they're sticking to the nail varnish, meaning that they'll be pulled off next time. (Sorry for the descriptiveness, it's not attractive).

I'm going to stick with this method, as by covering it it should hopefully not spread (although I am paranoid, so using a plaster too). Plus it seems to be improving and isn't as stressful as lots of other methods. I think it will still be a long road, but with this method it's not getting worse at least And if verrucas do just go away on their own when they are ready, this is unlikely to interfere with this process.

hjj7 · 14/03/2012 21:39

I've just noticed that this thread is from last year. I wonder if your son's verruca has now gone? Did the doctor's freeze work? Verrucas are a new area of interest for me, (how sad...) and I would love update! :) Shock

IllegitimateGruffaloChild · 30/03/2012 21:35

Yes - I'd like an update too!

My DD has got a verruca on her big toe, signs of a 2nd one on her foot and Molluscum Contagiosum Shock

My beautiful 4yo is looking very unusual right now!

hellymelly · 30/03/2012 21:42

My dd had one huge verruca that then spread to be over 20. Uggh. On the ball of her foot. Eventually took her to a homoeopath a month or so back who gave her a remedy. They all turned black and came out. Foot is looking lovely now.

IllegitimateGruffaloChild · 30/03/2012 22:32

Really? Did they put stuff on the foot, or did she have something to ingest?

oiwheresthecoffee · 01/04/2012 16:17

Ive been reading - have a massive one on my toe thats been there years. Im trying the 4th tube of bazooka right now. tried the freezing stuff too. Nada. I want it one this summer.
I have enjoyed picking it with tweezers though.

oiwheresthecoffee · 01/04/2012 16:24

Gone this summer even.

hellymelly · 01/04/2012 22:16

She had a single remedy to ingest. The first time it didn't work, then a few months later when the biggest one was really massive we went back, she gave dd a different remedy and within a few days they turned black and all came out. We counted 28 but I think there were a few more as some were blurring together. (ughh)...

IllegitimateGruffaloChild · 05/04/2012 19:26

Sorry - keep coming back late to this thread. Thanks Helly. Can I ask how old your DD is please?

I'm not sure my 4yo would be very good at drinking/eating something 'yukky'

theonewiththenoisychild · 05/04/2012 19:29

This wont go on its own i had one on my foot for 3 years it needs to be frozen by the doctor. Mine was deep rooted took 5 trips to the doctors very painful but the dam thing is finally gone and hasnt returned

hellymelly · 05/04/2012 20:17

My dd is seven. she didn't have to drink anything vile tasting, she just had one small pill, which is sugar anyway so like a tiny sweet. I know the feeling here generally is rather anti-homoeopathy ,(and who knows, maybe it was a coincidence), but it happened all of a sudden after the remedy. She went once and our homoeopath had a good look at the foot and gave her something ,but no joy, she had said to go back if the first remedy didn't work, so we took her back when they were really getting madly out of hand (all over the ball of her foot) and she had the second remedy. She had a slight temp that evening and was sick once, which may not have been the remedy, or may have been her body trying to throw off the virus ,and then within days they all turned black and died off.

IllegitimateGruffaloChild · 05/04/2012 21:03

Thanks so much for posting again. Really appreciate it.

I had contacted a herbalist about the Molluscum, and he said he could cure it.

I am very skeptical, but also lets face it veruccas are not only pretty gross but really painful.

It must be such a relief for your DD.

I only ever had one as an adult and I went to it with a penknife Shock. It worked, but I was 24yo not 4yo. My dD won't even let me go near it

darthsillius · 05/04/2012 21:12

I had some for 10 years, tried all of these treatments none worked. Only the GP freezing it worked. Now 2 years later I have 3 more and the GP can't get funding for the freezing anymore so am back to the home methods.

darthsillius · 05/04/2012 21:14

Also in my area the podiatrists that Gps refer you to won't treat them either. They recommend banana skin, tea tree oil or homepaths. At least the first 2 are cheap.

RSHmum · 05/04/2012 21:15

don't think its been mentioned, but I am trying nail varnish! my chiropodist said it might work. Its the same idea as duct tape - just trying to suffocate it, but its easy to apply. Doing it on mine and my daughters at the moment - so can't say its actually worked yet!