Do you take care of your feet?

[Sara]

Since it's such a big problem for diabetics, I'm always harping on Joe about it.  I got him a pair of Crocs (rubber like shoes that don't have seams that rub and they are easy to slip on) so he doesn't have to wear lace up shoes all the time.  He does wear them for walking around sometimes, but frequently still goes outside to the laundry room or the car with no shoes.    

Diabetics are supposed to:
Inspect feet and legs EVERY day, or get someone else to if you can't see
Wear shoes to protect your feet and don't have sharp areas or seams that rub
Keep your skin moisturized (but not between the toes - not sure why)
Get any sore looked at sooner rather than later
Wear clean white socks every day so you can tell if you are bleeding or have draining sores anywhere

Any more to add?  What do you do or not do?

[Sluff]

Good rules to live by... but we sometimes are not as compliant to the rules as we should be. I'm guilty as well.

[Chicken Little]

I am not compliant.  I live barefoot.  I hate shoes.  Socks?  I don't even know where my socks are.  99.9999% of my shoes are flip flops or slip ons, so I can kick them off quickly.

What I do do though is pluck down a hideous amount for a pedicure every 2-3 weeks from a technician in a doctor's building.  It's done in a sterile, private room and there are doctors to consult if something looks off.

I am very diligent when it comes to my skin care overall.

[jbeany]

The only place I have bare feet is in bed and in the shower.  I step out of both straight into slippers.

You shouldn't moisturize between toes to keep from breeding bacteria in warm, moist spots.

I don't wear white socks every day, though.  Sounds sensible, but I don't think I've ever heard that one before. 

Diabetics aren't supposed to wear sandals, either.  Your shoes should completely protect your feet.

Diabetics aren't supposed to shave their legs, either, and I'm never compliant on that one. . . Ewwww!

[kianhu]

I had a patient once whose wife took him for a pedicure at a salon.  Wrong idea.  He got infections in both feet (cuts around the toenails) and lost both legs within 3 weeks.  I felt so bad for him.  I think alot of people dont realize how important it is to protect your feet.   

[skyedogrocks]

My hubby Rob is a diabetic and it took him getting Osteomylitis 3 years ago to take control of his feet. 

See your podiatrist every other month.  Once a year is not enough. 
Moisturize your feet so that they are not dry and cracking.  However, they shouldn't be too soft either.
Wear diabetic socks, it helps improve blood flow.
Wear sensible shoes with no seams.

Rob doesn't have wide feet, but due to the Osteo he had, he can't wear shoes where his toes rub together.  He has found that New Balance sneakers really work well.  Plus, they are still in style.  Those diabetic shoes can really look outdated.  He also buys his workshoes through Dunham.  They are nice and wide with no seams.  The drawback to these sneakers and shoes is that they are expensive.  However, when it comes to Rob's feet, we don't care.  We want to keep his feet on his body!

We also found a web site that deals with wide shoes for men:  http://www.wideshoes.com/catalog.cfm?page=sale-items_sale.-boots
Their headquarters are in MA, which is where we live, however, the store is about 1.5 hours from us.  We definitely hve to plan to get there.

[Sara]

Good advice skyedogrocks.  Check out Crocs shoes www.crocs.com they are really great, Joe has a pair and loves them.  I own 3 pairs for myself.  And they have a new diabetic version that's supposedly even better.   

[skyedogrocks]

I see these around all the time.  Lots of nurses wear them and say they are so comfortable.

We are going on a cruise in August and we need water shoes, I think I'll look into these for that.  I know Rob won't wear them in any other situation, but I think I will.

Thanks!
Larraine

[Sara]

Good idea about your cruise.  They were actually first developed as a boat shoe so that's how I explained them to my husband LOL.  Plus I work in a medical office (part time now but used to be up to 50-60 hours a week) and being on my feet all day in regular shoes killed me.  It was instant improvement with the Crocs.   

[Bajanne]

Why am I seeing this thread two days after I went to a salon for a pedicure?
I usually tell them I am diabetic before they start, but this time I didn't.  Anyway, everything seemed to have gone quite well.

[kianhu]

I clicked on the Crocs website.  I absolutely love the little charms you can add to you shoes.  I am going to the store this afternoon to look for some.  Thanks for the link.   

[thegrammalady]

I clicked on the Crocs website.  I absolutely love the little charms you can add to you shoes.  I am going to the store this afternoon to look for some.  Thanks for the link.   

those little charmes were created by a gal here in colorado. she sold them to crocs and made a small fortune. might as well have pretties for your feet. i have a friend who uses them to identify who's crocs are who's, she has two girls.

[livecam]

I've been a diagnosed diabetic for over 12 years now and take no special precautions with my feet.  That might be because I've never had any known problems with them, no loss of sensation anywhere in the feet or toes or any other changes over the years.  Knock on wood that after two wrecked kidneys and some temporary eye troubles all is well with my feet.

[Chris]

I don't care for those diabetic socks, even after trying different brands. They are just to loose and usually fall to my ankles, might as well not wear them. I did get diabetic gym shoes though that look just like my black Reebok's I have. Plus they gave me extra formed to my feet inserts for my other shoes. At least they finally make shoes that are for the younger crowd now, or I wouldn't have gotten them.

[ODAT]

One of our big concerns when mom was in the hospital was her feet being a diabetic. The rash/reaction she had from who knows what (I think it's the plavix because it looked like the description, still it could have been the dye, meds on the stent, or the drugs on the stent) made her red all over and her feet swelled and developed red contusions on the inside of her left heel. These ended up blistering and one big one just opened last night. My sister told them of our concern and all's they did was agree! Hello! How about some advice here - is what I would have screamed at them if I was there. We are watching them very closely. They are still red, but not swollen.

[Chris]

Hope she get's better ODAT.

[boxman55]

I went up north Wisconsin a week ago to go snowmobiling. Before I went out I put a thin liner sock on then a fairly heavy sock on then, I attached a toe warmer pad to the sock on the bottom of my foot and put my boots on. When I took my boots off 6 hours later I took the pad off because it was done. I did not realize till I went to bed removing my socks that the little pad burned my foot. I now have a burn blister that the foot doc is treating agressively. I never felt it because of the no feeling I have in my feet...Boxman

[Joe Paul]

I went up north Wisconsin a week ago to go snowmobiling. Before I went out I put a thin liner sock on then a fairly heavy sock on then, I attached a toe warmer pad to the sock on the bottom of my foot and put my boots on. When I took my boots off 6 hours later I took the pad off because it was done. I did not realize till I went to bed removing my socks that the little pad burned my foot. I know have a burn blister that the foot doc is treating agressively. I never felt it because of the no feeling I have in my feet...Boxman

That sucks Box, I hope the Doctor gets it healed up for you.

[boxman55]

ya you can't win JP, you try and keep your feet from getting frostbite and wind up frying them...Boxman

[Chicken Little]

I hope you heal up soon Boxman.  I still have feeling in my feet, but last time I was getting a pedicure the tech pointed out a small healing blister that I have no idea how I got and I never felt it.  I've started checking my feet every day now.     

[7piglets]

I have to go once a week to foot dr...I get open sores on side of both my big toes due to mechanics of my feet so they have to debride and rewrap them. I also broke both of my feet same time last year and got wear the cam walkers in both feet and low and behold the ulcers after years went away ..YEAH but I had to get out of one cam walker and now it is back again.
I hate this no feeling in the feet thing. I also have they think is bone infection setting in or AVN in my toe joint..either way i know that bone is coming out in near future..
(sorry for any typos I took an ambien and getting blurry LOL)
I have been type 1 diabetic for 26yrs now and I was alwasy so anal about my sugars ...look where it got me ...kidney failure, lazer eye surgery and foot problems..

[Chris]

I have to go once a week to foot dr...I get open sores on side of both my big toes due to mechanics of my feet so they have to debride and rewrap them. I also broke both of my feet same time last year and got wear the cam walkers in both feet and low and behold the ulcers after years went away ..YEAH but I had to get out of one cam walker and now it is back again.
I hate this no feeling in the feet thing. I also have they think is bone infection setting in or AVN in my toe joint..either way i know that bone is coming out in near future..
(sorry for any typos I took an ambien and getting blurry LOL)
I have been type 1 diabetic for 26yrs now and I was alwasy so anal about my sugars ...look where it got me ...kidney failure, lazer eye surgery and foot problems..

Have the trid other types of shoes for you other than the cam walkers? I'll have to look up what a cam walker is when I get back to class for my orthotics class though. But when I had an open sore on my big toe for many years, it did not go away till I got fitted for shoes by taking an impression of my foot for inserts that conform to my feet that releve boney prominences of the foot andallow tisue to heal better, also having shoes that were better fitted for my feet. I use to have my toe debride, but that did not help much. Hopefully they gave you some sort of anitbiotics or watching for infection. Kinda odd, you were anal about blood sugars and I wasn't ad we both have similar problems, go figure. Well in 1978, we had urine test for blood sugar, no sliding scale, a set dose of insulin twice a day for me. No diabetic classes for kids either.
Good Luck

[boxman55]

7piglets I am sorry to hear about your foot problems. I am diabetic also and have had laser eye treatments, blood drained from the eyes, kidney failure, just recently two toes amputated and so on. I try to control my sugars also but this dam disease is brutal. Please hang in there...Boxman

[Run8]

If you have read my profile you will have seen i work for the railroad. the railroad is very big on safety, so we get glasses, gloves,and my favorite boats. Being a diabetic i know the importance of our feet. For the last 10 yrs. i have been wearing boots made by Whites boot company. These boots are expensive I paid 390.00 for mine,but they are great. They are made custom to your own foot, so they are a perfect fit.