The Fungi Problem

Arghhhh!!!! Finally, finally I get to squeeze out some time and write something.

In fact, I wasn't so super busy la, i did allow myself to slack last Friday and Sunday, I let myself to just burn the time away during those two days with Dota and JackD.

I was in the library mostly throughout last week, delving into annual reports. It's actually quite interesting to see how an organisation evolved through the years. And I was touched, yes touched, by the fact that these people were actually so knowledgeable already well before I was born. Twenty plus years ago, they were already quite sophisticated, they took things seriously, with proper planning. It was just beautiful, to read something written so many years ago. And I wonder, did they at the time of writing, expect someone in my generation to read it?

Ok, back to the topic Fungi.

Fungi (plural), fungus (singular). Mushroom is fungi.

I mentioned it previously that on the day before I left home for Sydney, there was obvious itch on my feet.

The itch wasn't constant. They lasted for a few seconds the most. I could probably sense the itch a few times a day. It was like something tickling me.

There was no blisters or obvious rash.

On the same day when I arrived in Sydney, I quickly went to the nearby GP, and requested for an examination. The GP was a new guy, just graduated. He couldn't see anything suggestive of an Athlete's foot (Tinea Pedis) infection. He consulted another GP who is more senior than him, and decided to take some swabs, from both of my feet for a bacterial plus fungal test (with the use of wet cotton buds).

As expected, the tests didn't find any White Blood Cells on the swabs (so they ruled out bacterial infection) but for the fungal part of the test, the 'preliminary' (or 'interim) result was also negative.

The doctor didn't explain clearly to me what a preliminary result for fungal test meant. There was nothing else I could ask the doctor to do anyway at that time.

Shortly after I came home from the doc, the itch appeared again. It lasted for a few seconds, but it was obvious. It wasn't hallucination. There was something on my feet!

The thought of having something unidentified growing on my feet was scary. I was worried that this thing would spread from my feet, to my bed sheet, then to other parts of my body.

So I went to the nearby chemist (after having done some research online on what to buy for fungal infections).

Terbinafine 

So I bought this. Lamisil is quite a reputable brand for treating athlete's foot. Lamisil ONCE is a relatively new thing, as it only needs to be applied ONCE, unlike the usual ones which will require at least a week's long of application. And so I treated myself with it, left it on for 24 hours (it formed a thin layer of white film over my feet)

My feet looked dry for the next few days. But the problem is, until today I still can feel the itch from time to time. 

It did not get worse, but it did not go away. 

I googled a lot on anti fungal soaps, creams, natural food, etc. 

And apparently Tea Tree Oil which is an Australian thing, is very effective against fungus. 

So this is what I am using now. 

Contains 20% Tea Tree Oil, 80% alcohol

I pour the solution into a mini spray bottle and spray it over my feet, including the sole, every night. I don't want to use it excessively because Tea Tree Oil is a rather strong thing, it can burn your skin and causes dermatitis if used excessively.

I thought I was on the journey to recovery. But started a few days ago, I noticed the skin around my elbows were dry, and i could feel the slight burning sensation when I had shower, when the water touched the area. 

This morning, I noticed this coin shaped red patch on my left elbow. It looks like the 'ringworm' picture I saw on the internet. 

Ringworm is another word for fungal infection on the body. It's not a worm. It's called ringworm because of the ring shaped rash. 

I really don't know what to do. 

I am pretty sure the previous test wasn't done properly. Because from the quite extensive research I had conducted, a fungal swab is not performed with a wet cotton swab. 

To have a fungi culture, the doctor would normally use a blunt object to scrape some skin from the site, put it in a dark container and send it to the lab. And it normally takes a while for the results to come back. 

And from what I gathered, this fungi thing is not as well researched as other areas. 

Most medical advice would be topical anti fungal creams, then in serious cases, oral anti fungal medication (which can cause liver problems). 

An article says that there are fungi living on our skin naturally, just like bacteria. They don't cause problems (infections) normally. 

And I am pretty sure, most of us have some sort of resistance to fight against fungi. Otherwise, 99% of people will have the same problem like me. I am very hygienic by the way. I never walk barefooted in the gym locker room. 

Why me? Why so much problem?