Rawhide Part One

Skin infection on residual

A couple of weeks before Memorial Day weekend I noticed a red spot forming along the incision line on the front of my residual. I am very conscientious about keeping my liners clean, using antibacterial soap, and immediately attending to any skin issues like the occasional pinched skin break. This wasn't an abrasion, so I knew I had to be careful.

"Good good good lookin' out our back door" (S&L Photography)

We had been to Devil's Fork State Park where Jennifer had grabbed a great deal for a villa by staying up to midnight earlier in the year to snag it. We had a restful weekend, and did a little hiking at Oconee Station to Station Cove Falls. It was rather warm though not yet as hot as will be in another month. With my new walking prosthesis and the Renegade AT foot, I was enjoying the ease I could traverse the hills and uneven ground. With my old arthritic ankle, I could have not done this without a great deal of pain if at all; now I look for roots and rocks to walk over it because it does not hurt anymore. I never get tired of doing this!

Station Cove Falls (S&L Photography)

Anyhow I was sweating in my liner, not unusual and less than I have in the past, but still not the best environment for what was already starting on my skin. Despite applying a topical antibiotic to the spot, it continued to get bigger, and more red spots radiated from it. Follicultis? When we got home I noted things were degenerating, and was able to see my MD on Tuesday afternoon. He treated my previous infection with an antibiotic that quickly cleared it up; this time he used a different one that I began that evening.

I continued to run, not wanting to lose the microscopic fitness gains I have made since my knee surgery. This is obviously slowing the healing process so I am taking time off until the infection clears up. I'm also looking into changing my cleaning protocol, sterilizing my liners more often, and asking my amp running friends what they do to help prevent the problem from occurring in the first place. I don't want this to become a chronic condition or worse.

It is couch surfing season again, something I have done through my surgeries and other bumps in the road on this new running journey. I am hoping to heal in the next week as we have a race on June 14 at Charles Towne Landing. This is a Thursday evening event I choose because it could serve as a tempo run for me, since my racing speed, such as it is, will not return for many more months. With a few more workouts I should be able to run without someone mistaking me for a static park display.

Come to think of it, I ran my middle-aged PR at this location many years ago...it will be a nice reunion with the old me there, to see how far we have come and how far we will go. A little older, a little slower, but more thankful than ever, that...I...can...still...fly.

Red wing and all.

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Update: One of my CPs believe this may be fungal so some athlete's foot type medication may clear it up and be an excellent preventative.