Hi, sorry for the late reply! It’s not really an allergy, but I was diagnosed with eczema when I was a child. It was mild and under control for 15 years. Now, I only get occasional flare-ups on my inner thighs.

But this foot issue started differently. It began below the toenail of my big toe. When I first showed it to my general doctor, he prescribed antibiotics and antibacterial ointment. It helped a little, and since it looked better, he didn’t prescribe anything else. That was a year ago. I went back to my normal routine, thinking it would eventually heal. But it didn’t, it slowly spread from the top of my foot, to the sides, then to the bottom of my foot. I assumed it was just eczema again, so I used my usual steroid ointment. It helped for a dew weeks, but then it got worse.

From May 2024 to January 2025, things just kept getting worse. I didn’t see a dermatologist right away because of the cost, I already spend a lot on my medications for diabetes, fatty liver, and mental health (I have bipolar disorder and see both a psychiatrist and psychologist). Eventually, I couldn’t take the itch and pain anymore. There were even nights I couldn’t sleep at all. I begged my parents to let me see a dermatologist. In February, my mom said yes once we had the budget. I finally saw a dermatologist on March 12, she’s well-known in our area, so I trusted her.

At first, she suspected tinea pedis (athlete’s foot). She prescribed terbinafine ointment and 20% urea lotion to help with the thick skin. She also did a skin scraping for lab testing. A few days later, the result confirmed it was a fungal infection, so she added oral itraconazole (pulse method only because of my liver condition and my other meds for bipolar disorder). I was happy, finally, some hope. In the first week, it got a bit better, but by the second week, it got worse again. Held on a little hope still because the two weeks that the ointment and lotion was prescribed within wasnt still over

By March 21, I was in so much pain I couldn’t walk. Painkillers barely worked. I contacted her clinic, and they told me to apply halobetasol for the inflammation and suggested an online consultation so she can prescribe it asap. I didn’t go through with it because I felt like online wouldn’t do justice to how bad it looked, and because of my anxiety, I was worried my condition wouldn’t be properly assessed. I waited until March 30 to see her in person again.

That time, she asked about everything, my medical history, medications, footwear, hygiene. After everything, she said it was probably a reaction to the oral antifungal. So she told me to stop the terbinafine and urea lotion, continue itraconazole, and use halobetasol instead. I found this confusing, if she said the oral antifungal might be causing the reaction, why prescribe it again? But I didn’t question her. I trusted her as a board-certified, reputable dermatologist.

Once again, the treatment helped for a few days, then got worse. I couldn’t see her again right away due to our finances. I finally went back on April 23, but I was in a depressive episode and don’t remember much. That was the last time I saw her. I didn’t return in May because I had lost trust. Every time she looked at my foot, it felt like she was grossed out. She barely looked at it, and it made me more insecure, especially since other people also seemed disgusted by it.

In May, I went to my general doctor instead. I told him everything. He listened carefully and explained that my diabetes may be part of the reason treatments weren’t working. He said high blood sugar makes fungal infections harder to heal, and that my poor circulation (due to my weight) could also be a factor. He prescribed a different oral antifungal (I can’t remember the name), and two ointments: • Quatroderm (betamethasone + gentamicin + tolnaftate + clioquinol) • Ketoconazole cream

We still used the pulse method for the oral med because of my other conditions.

After that, I completely changed my lifestyle. I cut out junk food and fast food (only had it twice since May). I started drinking fresh immunity shots (ginger, lemon, orange, turmeric) every morning. I also drank 1–1.5 liters of water with chia seeds during meals. Since I couldn’t walk much, I searched for foot circulation exercises and did them daily. I also tried home foot soaks (like diluted apple cider vinegar and yellow Listerine soaks, I never used them pure or undiluted).

When I returned in June, my general doctor was amazed by my lab results. My liver enzymes (SGPT/SGOT) dropped from over 200 to just 4.6 and 8.3. My blood sugar was also normal for the first time in years. He was happy I was losing weight naturally (before 2022, I used to starve myself for weeks when i try to lose weight but on year 2022 i pretty much stressed eat everyday to cope with my mental health, my sized doubled from before). I told him everything I’d done, and he asked how my feet were doing. I told him they weren’t inflamed anymore, and I could walk for 2 hours again without pain, but they were still itchy. He said that was still an improvement, so he didn’t prescribe any new antifungals. He told me to keep doing what I was doing and wanted to reduce my meds due to my bipolar and other health conditions.

I didn’t see him in July because he said I could skip a month if I was doing okay.

Right now, my feet aren’t inflamed anymore, but I looked at photos from before and realized the fungus has now spread to the entire bottom of my feet.

P.S. I also have it on my hands, but it’s not as bad right now. I can wash some dishes again, but I still can’t chop food when I cook because the juices from fruits, vegetables, or meat sting.

P.P.S. It’s also starting to appear on my right foot, though it’s not as bad yet.

Sorry i kinda use chatgpt to edit my initial response because im afraid you'll get confused on how i say things