Saturday, March 10, 2012

Shopping with Blobby

Yet another installment in the drudgery that is everyday shopping. The camera-phone makes it a bit more fun - though I get looks whenever I take pics of products. Like I care what people think!


Normally, I find funny stuff to post for my SwB segment. There are enough weirdo products out there that I can post something that will make people laugh or smile.

Of course, the joke is, I never actually buy or us any of these products - but this time I'm actually plugging something - and I get no kickbacks.  First a little background.

For years I've been telling you about this wart I've had on my right thumb.  Eight trips to the dermatologist to have it burned/frozen off - and all it did was maim my thumb. I've "joked" that you should buy stock in Band-Aid as I'd be wearing one the rest of my life to hide the shame and ugliness that was the damage - and the wart, which ironically was still there under it all.

On a whim, last November, I axed a pharmacist if they had anything to help that wasn't Compound W.  She did.


So buying stock in Curad might pay-off after all.

Compound W has 17% Sallcylic Acid.  Mediplast has 40%.  Oddly enough, it doesn't burn at all - or better yet, smell.

They come in pads - and yes, I had to buy 25 of them - that you cut into pieces big enough to cover the affected area.  And yes, I put a bandage over it so no one had to see that either.

It was $30 for the package, but considering each burning treatment cost me $189 and I did eight of them, well, $30 was chump change.

The package said to use for up to 12 weeks.  Lo and behold at the 12 week mark I saw a huge improvement. Four weeks later, I won't go as far to say "cure", but closest thing I might ever get.

I'm posting before and after pics, and warning you ahead of time because Birdie gets freaked out by it.  She's a fragile flower.


Believe it or not, this was a good day. Ugly? Yes.  Painful?  It could be.  But months after 'treatment' from a stellar tertiary care facility. Boo on them.  But this is what I had to cover up day after day after day. 



Same thumb as of yesterday.  Not too shabby, huh?

The skin doesn't feel completely normal  - but with the trauma to the thumb, maybe it would be silly to expect that it would go back to the way it was.  And I actually have a full thumb print now. For years - yes years! - I had a mangled digit, but no print.

Skin is a resilient thing.

The joke?  I've used less than two of those 25 pads.  Cutting it to fit that spot went the distance. And now I have two full boxes of Band-Aids that are just sitting in a drawer going to waste.

I think I can live with that.

Clearly, I'm very happy as I truly never thought I could show skin again - well, at least on my right hand.

4 comments:

Birdie said...

Thank you for the warning! 'Cause ew. (Couldn't slide over it quite fast enough.)

But how cool that your cheap fix worked! Thumbs up!

Cubby said...

I'm impressed. Very impressed.

anne marie in philly said...

hmmmm, I may have to give that a try. thanks for the helpful tip!

Erik Rubright said...

I wonder what other awesome things that product can make disappear?