Pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela

[Karo]

I have read some comments about Compeed and problems with it's use. I have used Compeed before blisters and after a small one has already appeared. I think that the trick is that you are not supposed to take it of every day, but let it stay as long as it holds. The istructions on the paccage are good, but here are my suggestions. Warm Compeed between your hands for a while before applying. Put Compeed on absolutely clean, not infected skin and press it gently for a moment so that also the ends get attached. Let it stay as long as possible, if it's attached well. This way I have kept Compeed for more than a week, without any problems. No blisters, or with small ones the skin still in good condition after removal. Remove the Compeed by pulling it "horisontally", not upwards. And never, ever put it on already infected skin, big trouble ahead in that case. This worked for me, but everybody has a responsibility of their own. I recommed Compeed if blisterproblems arise.

[marktqm]

The question here Karo is whether one should 'prick' the blister first before putting on Compeed.

I personally believe it is better to have the blister dry out than be covered in hydrocolloid for days. I walked for 3 days with sandals (on the meseta), the blisters dried out, bought new socks, and no more blisters until that horrible next to the last walking day between Ribadiso to Monte do Gozo.

Mark

[Minkey]

Sock liners are always good in avoiding blisters. There seem to be a million and one ways of dealing with them once they come up... I just leave em. I had a beauty on the side of my little toe once... Managed to keep it intact throughout the entire journey, then once I got home, had a bath, the damn thing popped...

Hasta luego, my little watery friend!

[Karo]

Good points! I also had a good pair of sandals, and as the hiking boots I had became too moist ans hot, the sandals were divine. But as said, there are one and a million ways to deal with these problems. For me, the tricky business started first on the Camino, despite all training and old hikingboots. . About "pricking" the blister, I would leave the skin intact if possible to avoid infections. If it brakes by itself, I wouldn't put Compeed on, it would be too hard to see the signs of infection. Lots of air and good hygiene in that case. And here I mean small, small blisters or read skin, not large, half heel size monsters. I could think that those are hard to heal in the conditions on the Camino. But as said there are many ways, and trying to prevent them in the first place is probably the most important of all?

Karo

[Magnara]

The idea with Compeed is to leave it on for several days, after which the skin has healed underneath and it comes off almost by itself.

[notion900]

Put the compeed on in the evening, then it has more time to bed down and stick well before you start walking. This makes a huge difference to how well it stays on. I think they are brilliant by the way.

[falcon269]

If you can, leave Compeed on until it falls of naturally. I have been successful adding tape along edges that come loose, but that can lead to friction points. I have used a Compeed over the edge of a Compeed that is coming loose too early, and that also worked.

Compeed can rip off healthy skin if removed prematurely, leaving an open, painful wound.

[notion900]

Its important not to pull them off too soon. If they are nearly falling off but a bit of the gluey stuff remains firmly stuck, you can trim it down to the last sticky bit with small scissors and stick a new one over the top.

[Trudy]

Actually Compeed should not be used on existing blisters, the packets we get here in Australia make that quite clear. It's a preventative and should be applied when you feel pain or a hot spot, and then left on for a few days.

Once a blister has formed it's too late for Compeed and alternative treatments are necessary.

Trudy

[Rambler]

I had a real issue with the compeed peeling off while I was sleeping. Every morning I would wake up to 40% of it being curled up on one side from my foot rubbing against the sleeping bag. Fortunately I was mostly using it to prevent a blister reoccuring on the side of my heal, so I was able to peel them off fairly easily. I began putting tape on the Compeed at night and then removing it in the morning.
My daughter had similar problems with the small compeeds staying on the underside of her toe. She switched to only tape and was fine.
In the States I only found two sizes before we left, so I was amazed at all the varieties and sizes in Spain.
The stuff is great.
A Welshman on the Camino with us swore by the needle and thread. He would pierce the blister, thread it, and make sure that the thread was movable each day. It seemed to work wonders for him, though I only saw it after the fact.

Rambler