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Diabetes & Taking Care of Your Feet - It's Important!

Posted by John, Volunteer Mentor @johnbishop, Aug 16, 2017

If you have neuropathy and if you also have diabetes, it's really important to take care of your feet. Mayo Clinic has some good information on the subject here: http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/diabetic-neuropathy/basics/prevention/con-20033336.

I do not have diabetes but it runs in my family. My mother and my two sisters had it. I've never had it but my doctor has told me that I fall into the pre-diabetes category. I learned to take better care of my feet the hard way. I have had peripheral neuropathy probably for 20+ years in my feet and legs. Mostly just numbness. I was used to rubbing my feet together at night as a habit due to the feet always feeling kind of cold. One night several years ago I had to get up in the middle of the night for my old man's trip to the bathroom. When I was in the bathroom I glanced at the floor and there was blood everywhere. I kept turning in circles to see where it was coming from until I noticed a small little pin spray of blood coming from my ankle in spurts. Long story short - a trip to the ER via ambulance when I couldn't get the bleeding to stop. The paramedics did get it stopped wanted me to go to the ER just in case. What I found out was my big toenail had a sharp edge and cut into a blood vessel just under the skin. So now, I check my feet everyday. When the toenails grow too long I trim them. I also wear socks at all times so that if I step on something and my foot bleeds I'm going to see it (white short crew socks at night). It's funny looking back at the incident but it was a little scary when it happened, especially when the paramedics were taking me out of the house on a stretcher and wanted to cover my head with a blanket to keep the sleet off my head. I saw my neighbors lights on and told the paramedics please don't cover me up - don't want the neighbors to get the wrong idea.

Anyone else have any taking care of the feet tips?

John

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oldkarl | @oldkarl | Nov 28, 2017
In reply to @oldkarl "@johnbishop Hi, JohnBishop. Another tip for anyone with neuropathy. If you wear compression stockings, get good..." + (show)
@oldkarl

@johnbishop Hi, JohnBishop. Another tip for anyone with neuropathy. If you wear compression stockings, get good ones. But most importantly, be careful about putting them on. I was half asleep a few days ago. I was careless, snagged my "Lil' Piggy" with a sharp splinter, pulled the toe out to a 90 degree angle from the foot, and broke the bones of the toe and the foot into several pieces. Take my advice. Have that coffee BEFORE putting on the compression stockings. OldKarl

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@johnbishop John, one of the things we are not told when we volunteer for diabetes and neuropathy is that we will be using and dirtying multible pairs of sox each day for the rest of our lives. Daytime compression sox and nighttime warmer sleeping sox. Fiddle!

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Nov 29, 2017
In reply to @oldkarl "@johnbishop Hi, JohnBishop. Another tip for anyone with neuropathy. If you wear compression stockings, get good..." + (show)
@oldkarl

@johnbishop Hi, JohnBishop. Another tip for anyone with neuropathy. If you wear compression stockings, get good ones. But most importantly, be careful about putting them on. I was half asleep a few days ago. I was careless, snagged my "Lil' Piggy" with a sharp splinter, pulled the toe out to a 90 degree angle from the foot, and broke the bones of the toe and the foot into several pieces. Take my advice. Have that coffee BEFORE putting on the compression stockings. OldKarl

Jump to this post

Yup...I have my basic black sox for daytime and ankle high white sox for bedtime. Usually buy them 12 pair at a time so I've got something even if the washing machine is broken. I've never been a fashion guy and could easily pass for one of those guys that rides the rails. Speaking of which that is fun. I did it in my pre-teen years with a pal growing up in San Bernardino, California. We hopped into a slow moving empty box car and rode it out into the high desert and caught a slow moving one back into town. We were gone for the whole day and I never did tell dear old Mom. It would have been the end of my freedom.

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Gary, Alumni Mentor | @gman007 | Nov 29, 2017
In reply to @oldkarl "@johnbishop Hi, JohnBishop. Another tip for anyone with neuropathy. If you wear compression stockings, get good..." + (show)
@oldkarl

@johnbishop Hi, JohnBishop. Another tip for anyone with neuropathy. If you wear compression stockings, get good ones. But most importantly, be careful about putting them on. I was half asleep a few days ago. I was careless, snagged my "Lil' Piggy" with a sharp splinter, pulled the toe out to a 90 degree angle from the foot, and broke the bones of the toe and the foot into several pieces. Take my advice. Have that coffee BEFORE putting on the compression stockings. OldKarl

Jump to this post

@oldkarl I have very minor symptoms of neuropathy, but very common for my feet to be very cold at night. I assume you were advised to wear warmer socks? Do you know if there is a reason why you would not wear the compression ones at night as my understanding is that compression is just to enhance circulation? Am I off base in that regard?

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okay | @okay | Dec 13, 2017

I will add what I feel is important just because...
I have neuropathy in both legs and feet from the knees down to the point that I have zero feeling. My right foot is a "sharko" foot with every bone in the foot either broken or dis-located. I don't wear any socks and only wear sandals occasionaly. That way I can keep track of any injury that may occur. I see my podiatrist so often we are on a first name basis. My point is this, if you have neuropathy be very careful as it doesn't take much to injur yourself. I sleep with a towel between my legs to prevent them from touching. I cared for several blisters before I figured that one out. My podiatrist cuts my toenails since I can no longer see or reach my feet. I also have neuropathy in both hands from the wrist down. So much for the golden years. I hope this helps someone.

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1 reply
Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 13, 2017
In reply to @okay "I will add what I feel is important just because... I have neuropathy in both legs..." + (show)
@okay

I will add what I feel is important just because...
I have neuropathy in both legs and feet from the knees down to the point that I have zero feeling. My right foot is a "sharko" foot with every bone in the foot either broken or dis-located. I don't wear any socks and only wear sandals occasionaly. That way I can keep track of any injury that may occur. I see my podiatrist so often we are on a first name basis. My point is this, if you have neuropathy be very careful as it doesn't take much to injur yourself. I sleep with a towel between my legs to prevent them from touching. I cared for several blisters before I figured that one out. My podiatrist cuts my toenails since I can no longer see or reach my feet. I also have neuropathy in both hands from the wrist down. So much for the golden years. I hope this helps someone.

Jump to this post

Hi @okay, welcome to Connect and...thank you just because! ☺ It sounds like you have learned the hard way also. I pay close attention to my toenails too - learned that they can kill you if you are not careful and rub your feet together and open a vein close to the surface on your ankle and almost bleed out in bed only to get up for a bathroom trip and wonder where is all that blood coming from that's on the floor. I have much difficulty trimming my own and am close to going with my wife for one of those foot sessions.

Thanks for sharing!
John

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okay | @okay | Dec 13, 2017

Hi John and thanks for the reply.
I might add that if you are over 65 Medicare will pay for the trimming. I was out cruising the neighborhood one day and saw my footrest on my wheelchair covered in blood. Not remembering any crash in the last 1/4 mile I had somehow injured a big tow bad enough to seek out my doc. He said
"Yup" you need to see your podiatrist and then he bandaged it up and sent me on my way. This morning my podiatrist looked at it and said "Yup" you hurt it but it's git'n better. I can't see down there but my care-giver says it's good. Well, nobody tells you about all the side trips you get to take with diabetes just know there are a lot.

Dave

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Gary, Alumni Mentor | @gman007 | Dec 13, 2017

Glad you did not do any permanent damage. My Dad's condo was directly behind a podiatrist office and he would walk up the hill about once a month and have his nails clipped. Whatever they charged, it wasn't enough.

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Mentor
John, Volunteer Mentor | @johnbishop | Dec 22, 2017

Greetings Connect Friends and Members! I hope you are all taking care of your feet. I know, I know - it's not easy sometimes. I can relate to that when I try and trim my toenails or put lotion on them to keep them moisturized. I ran across a chart from one of my neuropathy association meetings this past year and it prompted me to write this post. The chart - "Foot Care Tips | 12 Steps to healthier, happier feet!". Boy was I surprised when I did an online search to see if I could find the chart and it popped up under the list of links found for the search. It is a nice, concise list of steps to better foot health. Here is the link:
https://allforlegs.com/blogs/news/34693189-foot-care-tips-12-steps-to-healthier-happier-feet
Hope you all have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

John

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Parus | @parus | Dec 23, 2017

Good tips for happy feet for most anyone.

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