Monday foot report

OK, I guess that last post wasn't the final foot update, but there'll be no photos today, partly because there's almost nothing to show. As of tonight, the ooze coming out of my un-bandaged foot has dwindled to almost nothing. My sock had a slight discoloration (from clear fluid, not myoglobin or blood or whatever), and that was it. I'd like to think that I'll be totally healed by the time I leave for Daegu on Friday, but if I'm not, I suspect I'll be 99% healed. I went to Immigration on Monday; this involved an 800-meter walk to the site, which is more than I've walked during this entire break on any given day. Despite that 800-meter walk, there was almost no problem. I'll give my foot another Epsom-salt soak tonight, then bandage whatever's left of the damaged skin (with ointment, of course), and we'll see how Tuesday goes.

As I wrote before, I do plan to gauze up and tape up when I do the actual walk, and even if things reopen and bleed, I'll be finishing the walk this time. After that, I can come back to Seoul and heal for two years while I find other ways to exercise. Here's hoping the taping-up will prevent friction from being a problem, and here's hoping the gauze will be enough to cushion the foot from too much pressure. And yes, I can ease the pressure further by losing more weight. I will, in fact, be curious to see what weight I am when I get back to Seoul.

final Friday foot update

Stay calm. It's not as bad as it seems. 

photo taken Friday night

See that large perimeter of dry skin surrounding the healed skin? That's the original size of the injury.

What to make of the above? Well, the blood on the sock amounts to maybe two or three drops. It looks bigger simply because of how the fluid spread through the fabric. The second photo shows the sole right after sock removal. There's barely any wound there at all. The last photo is the same area after a bit of wiping with an alcohol pad. Under a square centimeter left to go.

I no longer wear any coverings, so the above seepage wasn't through two layers of bandages: it was directly into the sock, and as before, the stain was dry—I left no blood spots on the floor. So we're almost at a point where I can take a decent stroll out to the river (hopefully, more than once this coming week). And barring that, I can at least keep on with the stairs training. Even if the wound isn't totally closed up this coming Friday, I'll be heading out to Daegu and finishing the walk. I might be a bloody mess by the end, but I'll have done the walk, and as I mentioned before, I'll have a year to heal. Two years, really: in 2025, I'm heading to the States to visit friends and family before I croak. Right now, I'll be happy just to get through this year.

So that's the final report. Not the complete healing I'd been hoping for, but damn close. I'll do what I can to prevent a re-worsening of the injury—lots of Leukotape and gauze—but there's little else I can do except to enjoy the walk as winter begins. 

Fingers and tentacles crossed, as always.

today, an experiment

While I don't quite think my foot is healed up, per se, the skin is at least looking healed over. I slept, last night, with no bandages on my foot, and this morning, I saw none of the little, telltale dots of moisture on my studio's floor to indicate that the foot was still leaking. So today, I'm walking around with no bandages on my foot. We'll see what my sock looks like this evening when I get home. If there are dots of moisture, then the foot obviously isn't healed. If there are no dots, then I might try a 9-10K walk this weekend to test things out and, I hope, to help toughen the new skin. In one more week, I'll be putting my healed skin through its paces, and unfortunately for me, one of the segments of the upcoming walk is 36K. Let's hope that, during the trek, nothing rips or bursts or re-blisters. As I said before, though, I plan to walk through whatever difficulties arise this time. The mission is to complete the walk. I'll have a whole year to heal afterward and ponder this year's failure—the first of its kind.

Side note: last night, I went to Nambu Terminal to get a bus ticket to go back down to Hyeonpoong, Daegu.  So I am now beticketed. On Monday (11/25), I'll hit Immigration to have my F4 visa renewed; on Tuesday (11/26), I'll go to the dentist to get my permanent crown installed, and in the meantime, I'll be cooking like a madman in preparation for Thursday (11/28), which is American Thanksgiving. On Friday the 29th, I'll be fasting in penance for all the carbs eaten on Thursday, and I'll go to work early and leave early to hit the express bus on time. It's a 6:10 p.m. departure. This coming Monday, I'll also find out whether I can pick up my F4 visa card after I get back from my walk, or whether I have to wait in Seoul for the processing to be done (probably not), or whether I'll have to pick the card up on Friday, thus turning Friday into a rush-rush day (Immigration in the morning, work in the afternoon, bus ride in the evening). This could be a zoo.

UPDATE: I'm still at the office, but I checked my sock, anyway. There's still a tiny bit of ooze, so I don't think I'll be risking a 9-10K walk this weekend. Monday, though, ought to be fine. A post-Immigration celebratory walk along the Tan Creek to the Han River and back!

this may be the week

This may at last be the week that my skin heals up. While I've engaged in limited stairs training, what I'm really eager to do is to get out there and walk—not long walks, mind you, but short walks of about 9 or 10 kilometers. It's frustrating, now, how close I am to being completely healed. There's still a tiny bit of leakage; I can see a stain on my sock at the end of a work day, but when I pull the sock off, expecting to feel a damp bandage, I'm surprised to find that the bandage feels dry. So maybe the seepage simply stops or something during the day. I don't know what's going on. Anyway, since that last Friday photo, the skin has closed up even more; this Friday's photo will, I hope, show a completely healed or nearly healed sole. We'll see. In the meantime, I guess I was wrong about needing to expose the skin to dry air at night; I never stopped bandaging everything up and using ointment; I'm also still doing Epsom-salt soaks, and despite all of that, the healing hasn't stopped. (No need for more antibiotics, either.) As they say: if it ain't broke, don't fix it, right? I'm hoping that, by the end of this week, I won't need any more bandages, ointments, or soaks. Fingers and tentacles crossed.

Next week's going to be very busy: Immigration on Monday, dentist on Tuesday, Thanksgiving on Thursday (I start prepping the meal tomorrow so that it'll all be done and ready for next Thursday—stuff that can be made, then fridged or frozen), then departing for Daegu on Friday. And I'm not sure how much I'm looking forward to walking in the beginning-of-winter cold.

UPDATE—Wednesday, November 20: I now have my bus ticket for the 29th to go right back down to Hyeonpoong, and it's a short walk to the Hong-C Motel from there. I'll stay overnight and restart the walk in the morning. I'm excited and a little nervous. It's gonna be cold.

foot update: one week later

As you see below, more improvement since the previous week:

Friday-night results; the whole thing is pinching closed. Clouding-over is unmistakable now.

There isn't much oozing anymore, and I still have about two weeks until I leave for the rest of the walk. More time to heal. The opening is under a square inch in area. And you see how the ring of skin around the raw patch is completely healed. Incredible.

Look at how much ooze there was into the bandage on Friday:

barely anything

I'm confident I'll be fine when it's finally time to leave again.

interesting foot update

I was delighted to come home from a day at the office (I'm still not distance walking) to discover only minor discoloration of my bandages and no red/pink fluid anywhere. There was a little bit of weeping from the damaged skin, but it had gone way down. Quite a difference from this past Friday night. We may have entered a new phase of healing.

First pic: you can see the two layers of bandaging that I use. Sorry about the collected hairs; I thought I'd plucked all of the hairs off, but I would have needed much brighter, stronger lighting to see them, so here we are. Nasty hairs aside, note how little discoloration there is on the two layers of bandages. (Note, too, that I clipped out all of the bloody callus on my right big toe.) This minimal discoloration is a good sign.

hairy hairs

In the next pic, below, I've peeled back the bandages to reveal the damaged skin, which seems to have healed even more since Friday. Note how thick the healing epidermal skin is next to the still-raw, exposed dermis. Even after all of this heals, I'll be Leukotaping and maybe even gauzing the area up just to be sure this problem doesn't return. I'll also be taping up the big toe now that I've taken away that nasty-looking callus. And other areas will be taped up as well since I've already found some new friction spots that have appeared thanks to my new shoes (found while wearing the shoes sockless), which I'm still getting used to, and which still need to undergo some distance testing once I've healed enough.

with the bandages peeled back

In this final pic below—maybe you can see this, and maybe you can't—I have a closeup of the exposed dermis, which seems to be clouding over, i.e., there may already be the first tentative bits of new epidermis reaching across that opening so as to seal everything up again. I hope that that's what's happening, anyway. It could be that I'm just seeing things.

In the meantime, the care routine continues: bandages are changed twice daily, and before the second change, done in the evening when I get back from work, I still soak my foot in Epsom salt. While I eventually need to expose the new skin to air and let it dry out and toughen, the salt soaks help with the healing and have a slight antibiotic effect, purging the exposed area of bacteria. (I ran out of my prescribed antibiotics this past Sunday; I might go get more.) On random days, I also rub the skin down with something painful, like rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide. This isn't like the situation with the diabetic ulcer from a couple years ago; I'm not impeding any healing because the dermis isn't broken. Besides: after the salt-soak and the alcohol/peroxide treatments, I always pat the foot dry before applying new bandages.

Does the dermis look to be clouding over to you? It doesn't look as moist and raw as it did when I'd just gotten back from Daegu. Behold:

I think healing has reached the final stage.

Expect another report this Friday if not before.

Friday-night foot

My original plan was to restart the walk today, the 9th, and to walk only on weekends. If you've been keeping up with the blog, though—and I know you have—you know that I changed that plan to restarting on November 30, which means busing out to the Hong-C Motel in Daegu on the evening of the 29th and walking the rest of my calendar straight through (but with the calendar's rest days still in place to minimize the risk of reinjury). Eleven days on the trail; eight days of walking and three days of resting after 30-plus-kilometer segments.

It's a good thing I decided to go with that plan. Below are pics of my right foot's injury as of Friday night. There was actual bleeding (I think), something I haven't seen for days. I wonder if the bleeding is at all related to the new shoes. The new shoes, by the way, generally feel comfortable but not stellar. I'm not blown away by them, but then again, I haven't taken them for a substantial walk yet. I am, however, impressed by the wider, more breathable toe boxes.

As you look through the pics, though, you'll note that the foot's injury (I still refuse to call it a "wound" since the dermis isn't open anywhere obvious) has really healed up. I've posted a link, below, to the photo of the original injury for comparison.

typical: I've soaked through the sock yet again

I had also changed one factor: because I'd been oozing only clear fluid for days, and because the ooze had been abating somewhat, I switched from two layers of bandages to only a single layer. After seeing this mess, though, I've switched back, and it'll probably be two layers from now until the thing is totally healed.

And here's the injury in all its glory, but mostly healed:

From this post: here's the fresh injury, dead skin cut off, for comparison. See how much has grown back?

The healed skin will be soft for a while; some light walking ought to help toughen it up, not to mention exposure to the air instead of constant covering with ointment-infused bandages. Ideally, the skin needs to be dry and fairly hard by the time I start walking again.

That said, this new bleeding, after days of clear fluid, is disappointing:

Oddly, the bleeding (if that's what this is) seems to be coming from the "top" of the injury. I have no idea what that implies for my foot care, aside from Don't walk on that part.

Another week ought to showcase even more healing, so expect another set of gross photos on Friday the 15th. I do what I can to keep your appetite up. There's another two weeks of healing after that, and given how far things have come over the past two weeks, I really ought to be healed by the end of the month. If the skin is still too tender, I'll be sure to gauze up to relieve pressure. I now have shoes that give me more room for gauze.

More soon. Keep checking back.

new walking shoes

The walking/running shoes you see below were recommended by several experts I saw on YouTube. A lot of praise went to the shoes' wide toe boxes, as well as to their arch support. I've been wearing them to work for the past few days, but once I'm healed up enough, I need to taken them on some longer walks to break them in. No more Skechers, I guess, and I'm back to having laces, but I still have the nasty habit of slipping my shoes on and off without worrying about the laces.

just out of the packaging

US size 13 wide (I wanted black, but Amazon didn't have my size in that color)

I'm not actually a size 13: I'm closer to an 11, but my feet have definitely spread a bit from all of the walking, and 11s and 12s are just too tight across my feet.

These shoes, at least for the moment, feel comfortable. Once I start distance walking again, I'll find out all sorts of things about pressure points, etc.

on my feet

The laces are a bit too long, so I'll have to figure out a better way of tying my shoes. I'm sure YouTube is full of tutorials by people with weird accents.

new walk plan & the restarting of training

I had a chance to think about my walk schedule, and I can see that my foot is definitely not going to be ready for travel this coming Saturday the 9th. Then it hit me: the boss needs me in the office to finish our current project (Book 3 in a series of English workbooks) by the end of November; it's also unwontedly warm despite it now being November; I also started looking into the complicated transportation issue that comes with picking up where I left off every damn weekend, so I thought to myself that it might be a better idea just to delay the start of the walk until Friday, November 29: I could take a bus back to Daegu's Hyeonpoong Public Bus Station, stay overnight at the Hong-C Motel, and start out the next morning, doing the rest of the walk in one fell swoop instead of busing/training out every single weekend. This would also have the advantage of letting me continue to heal without interruption (if I did the weekends-only schedule, I'd be setting back my healing a bit every time I went out to walk), and I could even do a few trial walks during the final two weeks of November. So: continuous healing, no unnecessary bus/trains for every segment, ability to work on this work project until the end of November, and—assuming the unusually warm weather holds until late in the month—no deep cold as we move into December (snow or ice would likely kill the walk in its tracks).

I revised my walk calendar. See here or look below:

11/30 (Sat.): Daegu Hong-C to the Daegu If Hotel (25K)

12/1 (Sun.): Daegu If Hotel to Chilgok Lee Motel (33K)

12/2 (Mon.): overnight stay (rest & recuperate)

12/3 (Tue.): Lee Motel to Gumi City Libertar Pension (32K)

12/4 (Wed.): overnight stay (rest & recuperate)

12/5 (Thu.): Libertar to Sangju City Havana Motel (23K)

12/6 (Fri.): Havana to Sangju Bobos Motel (25K)

12/7 (Sat.): Bobos to Gyeongbuk Yecheon-gun Jibo-myeon Daeseon Motel (36K)

12/8 (Sun.): overnight stay (rest & recuperate)

12/9 (Mon.): Daeseon to Andong City Songhak Motel (30K)

12/10 (Tue.): Songhak to Andong Dam (27K)

So the rest days are back in. I'll essentially be walking the remaining 11 days of the original 20-day calendar, but delayed by a few weeks thanks to this injury. I might also have to bring along a somewhat bigger, heavier jacket that's almost a coat... or I might not. A lot depends on what regional temperatures are like. Frankly, I hope I can get away with toting along what I'd had originally: my light windbreaker and a poncho, the two of which, when used together (and assuming it's not rainy), provide plenty of warmth when it's cold. I guess the real concern is the early mornings, when it might be freezing out in the sticks where there's no urban waste heat.

I think I'm also going to get back into stairs training starting this week, but nowhere near as intensely as at the beginning of this year. I'll just go Tuesday-Thursday-Saturday, either at night or in the early morning, and once my foot heals enough, I'll start some limited walking so as to stay in condition. If I can force my lazy ass to do so, I'll also do a bit of biking just for the cardio benefit. Whether I restart heavy clubs, kettlebells, etc. before the end of the year is an open question. Maybe; maybe not. We'll see how lazy I'm feeling.

Here's hoping 2025 is a much better year. This one's been a bit abusive.

healing

There's been progress in my foot's healing. Compare the two photos below. The first is from 10/25, and the second is from yesterday (10/31):

as of October 25, just after coming back to my place to recuperate

Halloween, a day ago

While it still hurts a bit to walk on that open dermis (yes, I slather on ointment and bandage it up twice a day), and the exposed area still likes to weep clear fluid (no blood), the skin is obviously a lot better than when I'd just come back. I'm not sure whether I'll be ready to go on November 9 at this rate, and I'm prepared to delay a week more if necessary. I think November 16 ought to do it, what with the skin so obviously closing up again. I'll keep the area clean; salt baths, however, will eventually have to stop in favor of letting the wound dry in the open air. Moisture is ultimately the enemy, keeping the sole's skin too soft for long walks. And as long as there's an angry red patch in the middle, not even a tape-over with gauze and Leukotape will prevent re-injury should I try to walk while my foot is like that. I can guarantee, though, that even when the foot is healed, I'm going to be a lot more Leukotape-happy this time around. Luckily, by switching to the weekend-only format, the foot will continue to heal between walking sessions. I may have to buy a lot of gauze in preparation, though: the reason such sores form to begin with has everything to do with friction and pressure.

At present, my new schedule (also visible here) looks like this:

11/9 (Sat.): Daegu Hong-C Motel to Daegu If Hotel (25K)
11/10 (Sun.): Daegu If Motel to Chilgok-gun Lee Motel (33K)
11/16 (Sat.): Chilgok-gun Lee Motel to Libertar Pension (32K)
11/23 (Sat.): Libertar Pension to Sangju Havana Motel (23K)

11/24 (Sun.): Sangju Havana Motel to Sangju Bobos Motel (25K, by the terminal)

11/30 (Sat.): Sangju Bobos Motel to Yecheon-gun Jibo-myeon Daeseon Motel (36K)

12/7 (Sat.): Daeseon Motel to Andong City, Songhak Motel (30K)

12/8 (Sun.): Songhak Motel to Andong Dam (27K)

I bolded 11/30 for two reasons: (1) that's the longest segment on the route after the 40K segment that killed my foot, and (2) it marks the point where I turn from the Four Rivers trail (which would lead me to Incheon) to the Nakdong River trail, which goes east to Andong. I've never stayed at the Bobos Motel before, but next to the bus terminal is a motel-rich area, so I'll have no problem finding a place to stay. I've stayed at Daeseon before, but not the Songhak (last time, it was the Da-u), so this will also be a new experience. If something isn't to my liking though, and if there's another nearby place to stay, I'll simply move over to that place. The final day ought to be pretty straightforward.

There's going to be a real temptation, if my foot heals nicely, to ask my boss whether I can just do the rest of the walk straight through. But that would risk re-injury, and besides, the boss has me working on another project at the office since his understanding is that I'll be walking only on weekends starting on the 9th.

You'll have noticed that, for some of the weekends listed above, I'm walking only on Saturday, whereas there are other weekends when I'll be walking on Sunday. The reason should be obvious: if the Saturday walk is over 30K, I don't want to risk re-injuring myself on the Sunday walk. So 11/16 is Saturday only, and 11/30 is definitely Saturday only.

So there we have it: foot healing proceeds apace, and the above is my schedule past Pearl Harbor Day. I'll so what photo-uploading, enlarging, captioning, and commenting I can during the week between sessions. In theory, I'll be done before New Year's.

More soon! As I get closer to departure time, I'll have weather reports.