Foot/Heel Pain

[TracyC]

Hi folks,

Just wondering if anyone might know if the pain I am experiencing in my heel ( underneath ) could be anything to do with diabetes. I used to run last year and looked after my feet well but I stopped in November and my feet became a little more neglected. I started to develop very thick dry skin on my heels, one in particular that would crack, deep cracks. Stupidly whilst trying to remove some of it I pulled a little too hard and made it bleed slightly, it was sore but gradually seemed to get better. However the past couple of months now I am in pain when I put pressure on it,

Im ever so slightly limping t avoid weight bearing but if I'm sat on the bed with my knees drawn up and my soles of the feet pressing into the mattress, even if only lightly its very sore. I started to use cream on my feet, initially just generic foot cream, then cream for cracked heels when that didn't do much, then the night before last I got so fed up with it I went at it with a wee craft knife. I did manage to remove a lot of dead skin but the pain actually feels worse now than it did before.

Pretty fed up with it by now, Im thinking maybe the wound i made pulling off the skin never really healed or could it be something else? It feels warm but not very so. Could it be diabetes related? This thick skin is a fairly new things for me, its started to happen on the outside of my foot just down a little way from my little toe, maybe because I'm compensating when walking? For the record I am nearly diagnosed type 2 with BG averaging 11 to 18 and 90 for my three monthly test ( cant remember the name right now ) I am now on a low carb diet and due to start Metformin tomorrow 500mg morning then evening. Any ideas and thoughts appreciated!

 

[13lizanne]

Hi there and welcome @TracyC I will tag @daisy1 one of our members who will be along shortly with some great information for you about your diabetes which I'm sure will prove helpful. I'm not a doctor but I did have very similar symptoms once which were unrelated to diabetes and easily fixed. I think that you should consult your GP Tracy who will know exactly what's causing the pain. Do ask any questions you may have and have a good read found the forum and the duk site there's lots of great info there.

 

[serenity648]

I am recovering from planar faciitis, sounds similar.

 

[TracyC]

Hi there and welcome @TracyC I will tag @daisy1 one of our members who will be along shortly with some great information for you about your diabetes which I'm sure will prove helpful. I'm not a doctor but I did have very similar symptoms once which were unrelated to diabetes and easily fixed. I think that you should consult your GP Tracy who will know exactly what's causing the pain. Do ask any questions you may have and have a good read found the forum and the duk site there's lots of great info there.

Thank you! just to hear it isn't a 'known' diabetes thing has made me feel better already, pain i can cope with but the worry I might lose a foot or something ( yea I know Im a panic pants lol ) isn't. x

 

[TracyC]

I am recovering from planar faciitis, sounds similar.

Hi, thank you, away to go google that now! x

 

[daisy1]

Hello again Tracy. The information referred to above is what I posted to you a short while ago. If you want to see it again the link is in my signature, also the link to the Low-Carb Program. Hope this helps.

 

[TracyC]

Hello again Tracy. The information referred to above is what I posted to you a short while ago. If you want to see it again the link is in my signature, also the link to the Low-Carb Program. Hope this helps.

Thanks Daisy! x

 

[ally1]

I used to have very hard skin on my heels and was painful to walk on. I now have a foot lady come to my house every 6 weeks to keep the hard skin away. It was so bad that there were deep cracks. All gone now

 

[TracyC]

I used to have very hard skin on my heels and was painful to walk on. I now have a foot lady come to my house every 6 weeks to keep the hard skin away. It was so bad that there were deep cracks. All gone now

Mine were like that, but I think that picking and bleeding once ( Disgusting i know! sorry ) has caused some kind of damage there. I see the DN on Thursday next week and Im going to ask her about it then x

 

[witchfire]

Hi , i had a foot ulcer start on bottom of foot ,i was put uner the care of a Podiatrist who took all the hard skin off the bottom of my feet and padded them up .i go every 2 weeks at moment but soon will stretch out i was advised to use heel balm which helps quite a bit . my feet are prone to hard skin and dodgy toenails lol . but this is now taken care of .hope this helps and you get some relief soon .

 

[TracyC]

Hi , i had a foot ulcer start on bottom of foot ,i was put uner the care of a Podiatrist who took all the hard skin off the bottom of my feet and padded them up .i go every 2 weeks at moment but soon will stretch out i was advised to use heel balm which helps quite a bit . my feet are prone to hard skin and dodgy toenails lol . but this is now taken care of .hope this helps and you get some relief soon .

Thank you, I think ultimately at the back of my head this is what I was thinking it might be. I see the Diabetic Nurse on Thursday so I will speak to her about it then, or might even go to the walk in clinic we have here ( although shut on Monday ) if It plays on my mind too much. You say they were padded up, were you able to walk though?

 

[witchfire]

Thank you, I think ultimately at the back of my head this is what I was thinking it might be. I see the Diabetic Nurse on Thursday so I will speak to her about it then, or might even go to the walk in clinic we have here ( although shut on Monday ) if It plays on my mind too much. You say they were padded up, were you able to walk though?

Hi yes its only a foam pad and it fits in shoe but it stays on nearly 2 weeks very comfortable ,they shave the hard skin off ,sounds bad but actually very relaxing as they do it .

 

[TracyC]

Hi yes its only a foam pad and it fits in shoe but it stays on nearly 2 weeks very comfortable ,they shave the hard skin off ,sounds bad but actually very relaxing as they do it .

I purchased a wee tool for doing that today and have used it but actually think I nicked it a wee bit in one area, went too far so I think I will just wait now. After looking at the instructions leaflet ( should of looked before I began ...silly me ) It says it shouldn't be used by diabetics... oops! Thanks again for the info x

 

[Magisham]

Hi. I'm not diabetic, but I come on here because my partner is and I like to do what I can to help him. Just wanted to say that, a few years ago I was spending about 3 months at a time abroad and started getting hard skin and bad pains in my heels. I was told it was because I was living in flip flops and, sure enough, as soon as I came back and started wearing a variety of shoes, it got better. Not suggesting this is what it is and do speak to your diabetic nurse about it, but thought it might put your mind at rest a bit to know that there are probably lots of things that could cause this.