Toe Infections

[GregandJulie]

Hello all,
I recently got certified and seem to have a problem with infections. I have gotten two infections recently. I have done many pool dives recently and three ocean dives. Two days after 2 of the 3 ocean dives my toe(s) hurt. The first time all of my toes hurt, some more than others. There was some swelling and redness as well. The second time I noticed pain in one toe and got to the doctor before it could get any worse. The walk-in dr.'s told me that it looked like staph and gave me a prescription for antibiotics, both times. It has been suggested that it could be something in my booties but why would it only bring on an infection in the ocean-and not every time. I am afraid that I will need to take antibiotics after nearly every dive, that's just not appealing. I am on a medication that weakens my immune system and have Crohn's disease. I just don't understand why I'm getting infected, only my toes. I have NO open cuts or sores. I don't know what other information might be useful in diagnosing such a strange thing. I searched for something that would keep my feet dry-I had no luck. Is there something/anything that could be done to prevent this. I would appreciate any advise that you might offer. Any doctors in the house? Thanks in advance. Greg

 

[gert7to3]

I am not a doctor, but does crohn's cause peripheral circulation and/or nerve issues?

How well did you respond to the meds? Did they culture a staph infection?

Do you have toenail fungus or atheletes foot problems?

Pool dives are much less rigorous than ocean dives and the water's cleaner (potentially). Which type of ocean environment are you diving, cold water, tropical etc.?

Would there be any pollution issues?

Are you boat or shore diving?

How well do you clean your boots and with which product? Are you prone to allergic reactions to some products, especially soaps or detergents?

How well do your boots fit? Do your fins bind your toes, through your boots? Do your feet cramp or go numb while diving?

All these questions might help you define the problem more closely.

 

[GregandJulie]

Thank you for the response. Crohn's doesn't affect circulation of nerves, it's an intestinal disease. The antibiotics worked perfectly, around the third day (5-day course) I was improving. By the last day I was fine. No culture. No fungus or athletes foot issues, never have actually.
One infection can after a beach dive at Laguna, CA (51F). The second was a boat trip to Catalina Island (66F). Neither dive was within a few days of a rain storm or sewage issue that I know of. As far as cleaning; I rinse and soak with fresh water. I haven't used any detergents. I have seasonal allergies and dust, nothing that I could relate to diving. My boots and fins fit perfectly. My original guess was that maybe they were rubbing my toes raw, but I have never had any pain, soreness, cramping, or numbness while diving. Any other questions or ideas? I want to go diving a lot this summer without loading up on antibiotics. Thank you.

 

[SubMariner]

Hello all,
I recently got certified and seem to have a problem with infections. I have gotten two infections recently. I have done many pool dives recently and three ocean dives. Two days after 2 of the 3 ocean dives my toe(s) hurt. The first time all of my toes hurt, some more than others. There was some swelling and redness as well. The second time I noticed pain in one toe and got to the doctor before it could get any worse. The walk-in dr.'s told me that it looked like staph and gave me a prescription for antibiotics, both times. It has been suggested that it could be something in my booties but why would it only bring on an infection in the ocean-and not every time. I am afraid that I will need to take antibiotics after nearly every dive, that's just not appealing. I am on a medication that weakens my immune system and have Crohn's disease. I just don't understand why I'm getting infected, only my toes. I have NO open cuts or sores. I don't know what other information might be useful in diagnosing such a strange thing. I searched for something that would keep my feet dry-I had no luck. Is there something/anything that could be done to prevent this. I would appreciate any advise that you might offer. Any doctors in the house? Thanks in advance. Greg

Do your booties fit properly? Is anything chafing? Do you tend to have very dry skin that splits?

Sometimes you can get a SKIN infection through a very minor split in the skin. They can be very stubborn and hard to clear up.

BTW, I'm not a healthcare professional (nor do I play one on TV) but I do know someone who wound up with a skin infection through a crack in the skin of their heel.

 

[fins]

Do your booties fit properly? Is anything chafing? Do you tend to have very dry skin that splits?

Sometimes you can get a SKIN infection through a very minor split in the skin. They can be very stubborn and hard to clear up.

BTW, I'm not a healthcare professional (nor do I play one on TV) but I do know someone who wound up with a skin infection through a crack in the skin of their heel.

Greg.

Allow me to add my own .02 to what submariner said. I had problems similar to what you describe. It was caused by the boots rubbing against the skin, specifically the tops of my toes just back of the toenails. I solved this by purchasing a pair of what Henderson calls their polyolefin hot socks:

http://www.hendersonusa.com/product_bgh.html#

This eliminated the boot rubbing against my skin, no more sore feet, no more infections.

Good Luck

 

[GregandJulie]

My feet never got sore after a pool dive and it's actually the bottom of my toes that get the worst of it. I am on Purinethol (6MP) which is also used to treat certain forms of cancer, I also take Pentasa. I've been on steroids before (prednisone-don't get me started on that one), I have fortunately been able to avoid their use for several years now. I see my gastro dr. on Friday. Hopefully he can at least point me in the right direction. I will keep the Henderson socks in mind. Thank you for all of the help. I'll let you know if my doctor had any valuable information. Greg.

 

[DetectiveStardust]

I've recently run into this problem too, and I'm completely perplexed.

I'm pretty knew to diving, but have been on a handful of dives, including some stressful ones, where this didn't happen.

But THEN I wore my nice comfy booties in the Kern River for some whitewater rafting. That time and every time I've worn them after that, my toes seem fine until the next day. Then a couple of the middle toes get really bruised acting on their undersides and swell a little, acting like an infection. It's awful for a few days, then goes away on its own (no antibiotics - I haven't seen a doctor yet either).

I normally have healthy happy feet. There are no open wounds. My booties fit wonderfully, and I have no immune deficiency or circulation problems. The only thing I can think it might be is some freaky parasite or bacteria that got into my booties when I was in the river, but my google searches havent turned up anything.

Has anyone else had this issue or figured this mystery out? I was happy to have found this thread, if only to let me know I'm not totally alone with this weird problem!

 

[Duke Dive Medicine]

Hello all,
I recently got certified and seem to have a problem with infections. I have gotten two infections recently. I have done many pool dives recently and three ocean dives. Two days after 2 of the 3 ocean dives my toe(s) hurt. The first time all of my toes hurt, some more than others. There was some swelling and redness as well. The second time I noticed pain in one toe and got to the doctor before it could get any worse. The walk-in dr.'s told me that it looked like staph and gave me a prescription for antibiotics, both times. It has been suggested that it could be something in my booties but why would it only bring on an infection in the ocean-and not every time. I am afraid that I will need to take antibiotics after nearly every dive, that's just not appealing. I am on a medication that weakens my immune system and have Crohn's disease. I just don't understand why I'm getting infected, only my toes. I have NO open cuts or sores. I don't know what other information might be useful in diagnosing such a strange thing. I searched for something that would keep my feet dry-I had no luck. Is there something/anything that could be done to prevent this. I would appreciate any advise that you might offer. Any doctors in the house? Thanks in advance. Greg

Greg, I concur with the other posters who have posited that bacteria are probably getting in through breaks in the skin of your toes. Your booties are probably colonized. I would recommend you either throw them away and buy new ones or get some hospital-grade sanitizer like Sanizide and soak them thoroughly:

http://safetec.com/files/SaniZide_Plus®_Surface_Spray_SellSheet.pdf

Whether you buy new ones or keep your old ones, I'd recommend soaking whatever booties you have in sanitizer and washing your feet carefully with soap and water immediately after every dive.

Best regards,
DDM

 

[eelpout]

Could it be Gout?

 

[Wookie]

I have gout, and it doesn't result in an infection. It's just sore as heck in the big toe joint. Plenty of water (3 quarts to a gallon a day, more if diving) makes it all better.