quick foot question...

[Diabetic-Canada]

I remember hearing that we should check our feet regularly for cuts and sores etc. But.... my question to you is, do we have to be extra careful not to get cuts and scrapes on our feet? like, don't walk around in the summer in barefeet kinda thing? :confused:

[KLD]

My endo says that diabetics should never go barefoot, not even inside the house. He says that he has seen seemingly minor wounds on the feet of diabetics lead to amputation, and it is just not worth taking the chance.

Karen

[dpav]

Hello
Just to back that one up. I had been walking around in my home with bare feet and I accidentally stepped on a tack. I did not know it happened and I had bloody footprints all over the carpet.. This can truly be a problem. I did not know that I had enough numbness to not notice a tack in my foot. So I'd recommend wearing slippers at all times indoors and never ever being barefoot outdoors.
Hope this helps
Don

[HeatherP]

NEVER go barefoot. Not only because of cuts and scrapes, but what about athlete's foot and other fungi?

Get yourself a lite pair of flipflops or sandals or something for the times you don't feel like wearing shoes.

[Lorna]

I agree with that and also moisturise regularly. You may want to invest in a pair of soft shoes for around the house to give your feet a break too.

[Diabetic-Canada]

thanks for all the replies... do I have to be as carefull about my hands aswell as my feet, or is it mostly just feet?

[HeatherP]

Well, I don't think you need to wear gloves all the time, but keeping them clean and moisturized is good.

Small cuts can become a problem if they're not cleaned and bandaged w/ some antiseptic.

It just makes good sense to take care of all of your skin. I think there's more emphasis on feet because neuropathy of the lower extremities is more common than the upper.

[LauRa Lu]

I wear flip flops when ever i dont want to wear shoes. But be really careful with the ones that have a little strap that slip in between your toes, if your skins not used to it (worn in) then they will agrivate that area really badly, it's a sensitive soft bit of skin so be careful

(hope i've made sense :p )

Lor x :)

[vgray77]

I had a case of fungal infection that took two rounds of antibiotics to clear up. The Doc. just said that diabetics are more prone to infections. I know I do not heal nearly as fast as before. Cuts seem to take forever.

[KLD]

It's my understanding that it's high blood sugars that make us more subject to fungal and certain bacterial infections. If we keep our bs levels normal, I don't think we're any more prone to these kinds of problems than anyone else. In fact, I was originally diagnosed because I had four kidney infections within a couple of months of each other. For the last two years, since my bs levels have been normal, I've never had another one.

Karen

[SunniD]

I was told by a doc recently that if you keep your inner core warm, your limbs will be warmer and receive more blood so don't walk around with that jacket open.<smile> There's also some very lightwt. underwear (tops and/or bottoms) now that feels real nice to wear.

If you are spilling protein I would then consider wearing gloves and hat more often to keep the blood flow to those extremities
good.

I just had a sensory test done on my feet and I've not lost any of the foot senses after 43 yrs. of D so the doc told me I could wear sandals. That's supposed to not be advised if one 's feet are numb. I'm so glad as I wear sandals all the time other than at work and I've worked hard to keep those tootsies from getting numb.

SunniD

[Drider]

i know it's late to takc on a reply to this conversation but i couldn't find a foot thread on the forum

i've developed a lotta pain in my leggs this ast week.5 and yesterday a very red mark came up on my right leg, it's devel9oped over the last 36 hours to a large mark covering the frint of my ankle & turns round the inside &wrapps round the back.. i don't have a digicam so i can't post a pic of it.. but was wondering if anyone would have an idea of what might be causing ths

Drider

[HeatherP]

It might be a rash or something more serious. Is it possible you've stepped on something without realizing it? If it's streaky it could be blood poisoning. Don't mess around - see your doc immediately!