Barefooting

Doctor said:
Meh, I'm diabetic and they say I shouldn't go barefooted.

I don't listen when it comes to the beach though, the beaches around where I live are really sandy, hardly any stones at all.
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You're the second person who's mentioned being unable to (or advised against) walking barefoot as a result of being diabetic, so I just did a bit of reading. If you already know this, sorry for repeating it, but it seems that the reason for the advice is that diabetes can interfere or destroy nerve pathways to the feet, particularly to the plantar fascia, which can lead to a lack of sensation in that area. As a result, sufferers may be unaware should injury occur, so the general advice is to remain shod at all times.

Personally, I'd say that is perhaps slightly over the top - if you can find a surface like a sandy beach or a well-kept lawn where the chance of injuring your feet is tiny, there doesn't seem to me to be any reason not to let your toes see the sun.
 
Yeah they say that you loose sensation in your feet and apparently I am starting to according to the nurse at my last checkup.

Admittedly I work 11 hour days and have to wear steel toecap boots which don't help but if I'm loosing sensation/feeling, why the hell do my feet hurt most of the time.

Like I said at the beach I rarely wear anything and when I do it's flip flops, can't beat flip flops. I just wish someone would invent a steel toe capped flip flop.
 
Flip flops are about the extent of my shoe collection. They are great when barefoot is just not an option, but there's nothing quite like actually feeling the ground beneath your feet, and allowing your toes to grip the floor etc., all of which is prevented by strapping rubber soles to your feet.

This is about as shod as I ever like to get until Winter comes around.

IMG_1772_c.webp
 
I have 3 pairs of flips flops, well 2 and a half now.

One of my dogs likes to grab hold of things when he's going for a walk or out in the car, he took a flip flop one day and hell if I know what he done with it, I haven't seen it since.
 
Kier said:
You're the second person who's mentioned being unable to (or advised against) walking barefoot as a result of being diabetic, so I just did a bit of reading. If you already know this, sorry for repeating it, but it seems that the reason for the advice is that diabetes can interfere or destroy nerve pathways to the feet, particularly to the plantar fascia, which can lead to a lack of sensation in that area. As a result, sufferers may be unaware should injury occur, so the general advice is to remain shod at all times.

Personally, I'd say that is perhaps slightly over the top - if you can find a surface like a sandy beach or a well-kept lawn where the chance of injuring your feet is tiny,
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Doctor said:
Yeah they say that you loose sensation in your feet and apparently I am starting to according to the nurse at my last checkup.

Admittedly I work 11 hour days and have to wear steel toecap boots which don't help but if I'm loosing sensation/feeling, why the hell do my feet hurt most of the time.
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Peripheral Neuropathy is an evil beast. I'm the other person Kier is talking about. And yes, there are a few times I go barefoot, the beach is one and that was three years ago now that I put my mind to nailing down when. I also go barefoot in the house sometimes but not much, mostly summer. There is an excellent book at that site called Numb Toes and Aching Soles written by John A. Senneff, a lawyer who also suffered from PN.  

It's a strange conundrum to have your feet losing feeling and still hurt....doesn't make sense does it? Don't know if you have read up on it but here are some links:

PN Fact Sheet
PN - Mayo Clinic
Diabetic PN  

Hope you find some relief. Liz 
 
Kier said:
How tall are you? Are your feet in proportion to your height?

I'm 6'2" and I (don't) wear UK size 10 shoes (Euro 44, US 10½), which seem to look about right for my height.
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I'm about 5"5' but based on your numbers I would say they're not. My feet have always been a source of amusement to my mom since the day I was born. :rolleyes:

I've always thought that because I'm flat-footed my feet are bigger. If I wasn't I imagine that the foot length would be shortened a bit because of the arch.
 
Kier said:
Personally, I'd say that is perhaps slightly over the top - if you can find a surface like a sandy beach or a well-kept lawn where the chance of injuring your feet is tiny, there doesn't seem to me to be any reason not to let your toes see the sun.
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Kier, it's not as over the top as you think. A few years back I was at the Jersey Shore and we (my husband and I) shared a house with another couple and their kids. Well, I had gone into the bathroom that morning and later on, Kelly, my friend, comes out and goes
"Liz, did you cut your foot?"
I said, not that I know of, why?
"Well, there are drops of blood in the bathroom and they aren't any of us"
So I turned my foot up and sure enough, I had cut mine and didn't even know it.
 
Liz
 
A lot of people who believe they are flat-footed actually aren't - if you wet your foot and make a footprint on a piece of paper, or make a footprint on a flat surface some other way, what does the print look like?
 
Thanks for the link Liz, I appreciate it.

The trouble I find with diabetes is you are ill and it can become very serious, yet most of the time you feel like there's nothing wrong with you and tend to ignore it.

As with your foot cutting, I had something similar. I had an ingrown toenail but it wasn't util I went to cut it that I realised it. Until I touched it I couldn't fel a thing.
 
Kier said:
A lot of people who believe they are flat-footed actually aren't - if you wet your foot and make a footprint on a piece of paper, or make a footprint on a flat surface some other way, what does the print look like?
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I can't believe I tried this but... :p

There is a tiny spot beneath my ankle that stayed slightly less than wet but otherwise it was a fine print shapes like an oval/egg/however you describe the shape of a footprint.
 
Onimua said:
I can't believe I tried this but... :p

There is a tiny spot beneath my ankle that stayed slightly less than wet but otherwise it was a fine print shapes like an oval/egg/however you describe the shape of a footprint.
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What I'm getting at is do you see a footprint like this one...
footprint.gif


Or is there more of a straight line between the ball of your foot and your heel, like this?
footprint-2.gif
 
Kier said:
What a great shame, Liz. Would you say you have a particularly advanced case of PN?
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Actually, mine is fairly mild compared to most. And yet, I've had it for over 25 years. Part of it, I've had my diabetes under very good control for the last 12 years. But I have all three types, Sensory, Motor and Autonomic. 
 
Doctor said:
Thanks for the link Liz, I appreciate it.

The trouble I find with diabetes is you are ill and it can become very serious, yet most of the time you feel like there's nothing wrong with you and tend to ignore it.

As with your foot cutting, I had something similar. I had an ingrown toenail but it wasn't util I went to cut it that I realised it. Until I touched it I couldn't fel a thing.
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You're more than welcome. Knowing as much as you can about the beast is half the battle. 

Liz 
 
Okay, you may be one of the few people who says they are flat footend and appear to actually be so. Have you ever had any treatment for it? One of the simplest things you can do without specialist equipment is foot gymnastics.
 
Nope, haven't had any treatment for it. I wasn't even aware you could! The only thing I had seen someone for was to help with my scoliosis in my lower back (just a slight case, nothing extreme) and that has resulted in me having a lot less issues than I did in my early teen years.

As to the foot gymnastics, you just blew my mind. :eek:
 
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