Last summer I discovered that both girls had plantar warts. Lexi's was on the ball of her foot, and Ellie's on the heel. At the time, the pediatrician suggested that I keep them covered with duct tape. I'm pretty sure the look of disbelief was unmistakable, because she laughed and reassured me that it was just as effective as OTC remedies and cheaper. Skeptical, but happy to try a cheap fix for once, we went for it.
But it was summer and their feet sweat constantly. They went swimming and ran around barefoot and played in the sprinkler. They went to the park in their sandals and covered their feet with sand and, and, and...I couldn't keep tape on. So we tried the OTC liquid that dries on and forms a crusty film. For Lexi, this was enough. She understood how to hold still for application and to wait for it to dry, and we could keep up daily.
But Ellie was tougher. I had to apply it while she slept and it often got smeared. Worse yet, it only seemed to make the area swell and get more uncomfortable and irritated until she didn't want me to touch it anymore. She began calling it her "boo-boo" and avoiding it.
So this fall, I tried the duct tape again. Once she realized that the tape didn't hurt, she happily let me put it on, and inside her socks and shoes or pajama feet it stayed on. I changed it twice a day and slowly but surely, it started to work. The swelling went away first, and then the wart began to shrink. Little bits came off with the tape and it flattened out. She stopped avoiding it and began ignoring it, which was wonderful in itself. She even remembered to ask for tape when dressing.
And finally, this morning, after approximately four months of the duct tape cure, Ellie's wart fell off. Seriously, it just came off neatly with the tape. I couldn't believe it, but there it was! I started to throw it away and put her sock on without the tape, but she protested. Clearly, she'll have to get used to the idea that she doesn't need it anymore, but I couldn't be happier. If only we'd known about this when I was I kid I might have avoided having holes burned in the bottoms of my feet!
Comments