Warts, warts and more warts! We are plagued with plantar warts these days. We had nary a wart until six years ago, when I was pregnant with my youngest and swimming for exercise. Somehow, I picked up a plantar wart at the pool. Since they advise against freezing a wart during pregnancy (why? I don't remember), I left it and it grew. By the time Sean was a few months old, I went in to have it treated, expecting them to freeze the darn thing off. Alas, before I knew what was happening, they administered a shot and cut the thing out, leaving a gaping hole in my foot. I hoped that would be the end of it.
The persistent wart grew back. I went in to have it removed by a different dermatologist - also cut out. It grew back again, larger. Plus, more warts grew on both feet. I presently have three on one foot and four on the other. Gross, I know.
I have tried everything to get rid of them. I tried salicylic acid treatments. I tried duct tape. I tried banana peel and duct tape. I tried baking soda pastes and vitamin E. Nothing kills this insipid virus.
A few months ago, we had our downstairs bathroom remodeled. This is Bryce's bathroom, so he had to move his things upstairs and shower where I shower. You guessed it - he developed a series of warts on his left foot. Then, Trevor developed a horrific-looking growth on one of his toes. I had to check Sean's feet and sure enough, two tiny warts were there. Now, I spray the tub down with Lysol after every shower and wear socks at all times. Groan.
So, a few weeks back, we headed off to the dermatologist again. I didn't schedule an appointment for myself because I knew what they would say. Their final option for me is to have laser treatment to remove the warts. With my fear of pain and shots, this is as agonizing an idea as having them cut out (although they do offer a prescription for a cream that would numb the skin area).
Trevor and Bryce both saw the doctor. They received several shots of yeast into the warts. The idea is that the body sees the yeast as a foreign entity and in attempt at fighting off the foreign entity, fights off the wart virus as well. We were told they would turn black and simply go away. If not, we must return for the laser treatment.
Neither boy is having much success with this treatment and my two youngest guys are really agonizing about the whole thing. In our nightly prayers, they often bring up the warts and ask God to remove them miraculously (without any pain or treatment). Sean is most fearful and cries about having his warts treated. I have promised to try other things with his, since they are still small. But, needless to say, we are all sick to death of warts!
In addition, Bryce is clamoring to have the Cryoablation surgery for his heart problem. Last year, Bryce began experiencing an irregular heart-beat during sprints and lifting. They finally diagnosed it as Supraventricular Tachycardia and placed him on a drug regimen of Atenolol. They offered the surgery as an option, but suggested trying the medication first. Now, Bryce is tired of the thought of taking this pill every day (although it is minuscule) and wants to have the surgery.
It sounds horrible to me. They will go in through both the groin and the armpit to get to the heart and then they will cauterize the area where the heart is mis-firing to correct the problem permanently. Of course, any surgery carries risks and both my husband and I would rather he continue with the medication. But, Bryce persisted in harassing us until my husband made a follow-up appointment with the doctor for next week.
Finally, the most ridiculous concern centers on Trevor. The boy will not stop licking his lips and has a McDonald's-style red rash around his upper lip and chin. When we saw the dermatologist, she placed him on a high-dose steroid cream for five days and a lower dose until it resolves. However, it is not resolving because he simply will not stop licking.
It is terrible to say, but I'm embarrassed by him. Everywhere we go, we receive stares. He doesn't like the way it looks any more than I do, yet he cannot stop this nervous tic of licking, Even more concerning is the fact that this is an OCD-type of behavior. I find myself wondering if I should take him to a psychologist for assessment or something. Makes me want to get a taser gun and shock him every time I catch him licking (just kidding - ha!).
Thankfully, these are all nuisance concerns. Nothing major. No life-threatening diseases. Life is still good, but we'd love life even more if we could only rid ourselves of warts, surgery fears and obsessive licking.
2 comments:
Warts are horrible. I just had one cut off myself. I've had one frozen off, too. It blisters, turns black, and falls off leaving this big open wound. It was gross.
As far as the lips, is there a something that tastes bad like you can use for nail biting? Though that sounds a little cruel. But just the other day I licked my hand after having latex gloves on, and blech! Awful taste.
I don't think seeing a psychologist is a bad idea. It can't be good for his self-confidence.
As far as the surgery. It really doesn't sound all that bad to me, and if the surgery is a permanent fix then I don't see why not. Medication forever is expensive, and he may not have insurance in coming years. If you're sure he truly understands the risks, I think he's old enough to make the decision.
Liz - we tried Burt's Bees with lavender oil because someone said it tastes bad, but it didn't help. It seems like a nervous tic.
Yes - the surgery itself doesn't sound too bad and will alleviate medicine costs, but we know of someone who suffered brain damage during routine dental anesthesia and so any surgery makes me nervous now.
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