Does anyone find that a type of shoe helps your foot neuropathy?

I have several pairs of Ugg shoes and boots, I find that the shearling insole liners and lining of the uppers delay the onset of burning which I experience when wearing regular shoes. I have even ordered shearling insoles from Ugg and other manufacturers, and scrap pieces of shearling (cheaper) to make my own liners.
It's not a miracle, but it helps.
I feel best when I can walk around barefoot, which is problematic in the winter.
Interestingly, I also feel better when the sun is out. Has anyone else noticed this?

I look for soft inside and soft outside too. The squishy shoes that give runners good rebound are my favorites (Skechers Goga Mat is one of them). Peggy

My sugars are in excellent control but neuropathy isn’t, please don’t make judgments that hurt.

I hope I am not upsetting anyone with my concern about neuropathy. My neurologist thinks it is nerve damage from surgery as it only affects one side. She tested my big toe and said nothing can be done. I exercise anyway and try not to sit very long during the day. I only have it occasionally so I don't take anything for it. I know very little about the subject and am careful to not make statements about the cause. I am finding that I don't know nearly enough about diabetes, either, as it fluctuates, in my case. My endocrinologist dismissed me and my family doctor says nothing at all when he sees me, which may be only once a year. He leaves it to me to manage the diabetes. That is why I need to be on the website. I try to learn every day to stay ahead of problems. Thanks to everyone for their support. Dorisena

Hi Dorisena @dorisena -- You are your best advocate for your health and you are doing what you need to be doing to help yourself - learning as much as you can about any health condition you have. That way we can learn to ask better questions with our doctors and health care providers to help us get the best possible treatment. You may want to join in on the following discussion and meet other members with similar health symptoms and find out what they are doing for treatments.

As one that has small fiber peripheral neuropathy I can understand your concern about neuropathy. You are doing great to keep exercising. Do you have pain with your toe with neuropathy? Also, what is your biggest challenge? Is it managing your diabetes?

I really haven't suffered managing my diabetes, John, except in social settings. I think it is rude to not consider the needs of people when serving food to a group, especially in church settings. I have left two churches partially because of this inconsiderate behavior. I am serious about managing my diabetes and many people my age are not, and they don't encourage my good behavior. It would be nice to have respectful support. With the neuropathy I had a little at the beginning of my diabetes treatment, and my doctor never said a word about my complaints. So I exercised and that went away and has not returned.
My recent neuropathy and cold feet is possibly from spinal surgery, as I am still slightly handicapped after three years, but I do not used a walker. That doctor recommended nothing. Yes, my toe hurts once in a while, and my replaced knees hurt sometimes, however I was pain free from that for a few years. I am thinking arthritis has returned to the area somewhat. My ankles were hurting, but that has stopped. Getting my blood pressure to improve has been a big challenge as I can't tolerate all the pill side effects, but I changed church membership and left some social problems behind. I am happier now. Dorisena

Hi @dorisena. I agree, it is difficult to manage diabetes in a social setting. I hear my mother who has diabetes say that others are always persuading her to eat. They tell her they eat what they want and are fine. My mother is now 89 years old. I tell her it is NOT a good idea to eat whatever and load up on sugars. Taking insulin should not be the ultimate solution for diabetes type II. Those people are taking the easy way out but little do they know they may be causing more harm to their health in the long run. There may be a spike in blood sugars until the insulin is taken. During that time the blood may not circulate as well to the tiny blood vessels. People I know that control their diabetes through diet and exercise only (no medications) do not seem to have neuropathy issues, like my mother. I always tell my mother that she is the one that has to deal with the pains and aches not them and to listen to her body. I think it is harder to control diabetes through diet and exercise. Weight loss may help too. It takes a lot of discipline so good for you for trying to achieve better health, after all, we have to deal with the choices we make. Have you been diagnosed with neuropathy in your toe? You mentioned you may have an increase in arthritis. Is perhaps gout a possibility? I know that it can be painful when a flare up occurs. Eating cherries or drinking cherry juice is very helpful to my uncle when he gets a flare up. He does not have diabetes.

The only thing that helped my arthritis before I went into diabetes was giving up sugar. I could really feel the improvement when I would stop the home made ice cream and carrot cake, heavily iced. When I gave up all sugar with diabetes, I couldn't decide what helps improve arthritis anymore. No, I have studied gout and know that I did not have that problem because I ate too well for that. When the doctor prescribed metformin and the endocrinologist said two pills instead of one at night, I thought that was to carry me through to morning, but apparently that is not the case. My son and I argue over when to take the pills, and I do better with the numbers than he.
In the summer I eat too much fruit and enjoy a cold dinner. The homemade ice cream last night did a number on me, for sure. I will send the rest to my family next door. I think I need to give up so much sweetener because I read it fools your body. I would rather discipline myself with eating than resort to insulin shots. They sent insulin home with my husband and said to give it when his blood sugar reached 200. He ignored that and continued his overeating. I had to throw the shots out. He didn't test. He thought he knew better than the doctors. Most obstinate man I ever knew and I lived with him 50 years until he died. That experience motivates me well to behave.
My goal was to give up the Metformin, but I am not reaching that goal. I am thankful for everyone's support. Dorisena

Lest anyone think I was cooking too much for a diabetic husband, that was not the case. I cooked a heavier meal for him and more veggies for me. He did eat the vegetables, but not chicken. I stopped baking, or sent the baking to my family, which he could smell and that made him angry. I only baked All Bran muffins, which were good for everyone. So he would leave after dinner saying he needed something and go to the store and buy candy. He also became obsessed with restaurant eating and stopping at drive-thru's, and skipped home dinners at night because he said he had board meetings to attend. I could do nothing about the eating problem and he treated me with contempt. He said I wouldn't do what he wanted. It was the dementia working on him, as well. Dorisena

I haven't eaten sugar since 1987 and I don't miss it. I had to formulate a circle of people that I could go to to get real help, comfort, advice, encouragement, entertainment, and go on adventures with, instead of zoning out with sugar whenever I had a feeling or a 'want' that wasn't immediately satisfied. My life is so technicolor with all these people! I have to give back to them of course - and it is a pleasure to do my part in my group - they can count on me and I can count on them. There was some trial and error in gathering 'my circle', and it changes from time to time as people move away or die but it's just part of life. I get to live this normal life instead of stuffing with sugar -- a good trade I think! It doesn't matter what other people eat, I give myself food today and it makes me wake up feeling good tomorrow. Sugar gives my tongue a splendid sensation for a few seconds, then it deforms the rest of my body, I would wake up not feeling the 'zest for life' that I have come to enjoy. Peggy