Feet problems

[rowan]

I have some peripheral neuropathy but not sure if all my symptoms belong to that or not. I get the numbness, burning and stabbing pains etc, but sometimes my feet get quite swollen, red and very hot - they're usually freezing! They were like that today and I have to take my socks off to cool my feet and put some moisturiser on as that seems to help the tight skin. Is the swelling normal for neuropathy? I also have kidney failure which can cause swollen ankles, but my ankles are fine, its my feet and toes that are swollen.

Today though I noticed the top of my big toe was black, so phoned the doctors and the duty doc saw me straight away and said it was a bruise and gave me antibiotics. He said the burning and swelling could be neuropathy or it could be an infection, but I get this at least once a week and it lasts a day or two before slowly improving, so I don't think it's an infection.
The antibiotics didn't make any sense to me so am seeing my regular doctor on Friday. I'm hoping it is just a bruise although I've never seen one that black before, and I don't remember stubbing my toe at all. I just checked it and it seems to have faded a tiny bit so hopefully that's a good sign.

Going to bed now, night-times seem to be the worse for my feet, just can't get comfortable with them at all.

 

[rowan]

Can anyone help with the swollen feet question?

 

[bobrobert]

I think the problem is best left to the doctor. It is clearly a medical problem.

 

[brettsza]

Hi rowan

I am going through this and saw a podiatrist last week and she just said it's chilblains.

Let me tell you my problem though so you could relate or eliminate the possibility of having the same thing

My toe are swollen at the top end near and around the nail, gp said it's ingrown toe nail but pod said it's chilblains.
I do have on and off tingling in toes but very very rare and slight pain too but if I let's say hit anything even a baloon with toe nail end part it hurts and stings a lot. Thats what I know. Hope it helps.

 

[rowan]

Thanks, this isn't chilblains though. Both feet are completely swollen, not just the toes, I just wondered if that's usual with neuropathy.

 

[PatsyB]

sounds painfull ...my big toe is swollen but think it is the joint itself....hope all gets sorted for you nothing worse than a bad back and bad feet

 

[rowan]

I forgot to mention that the pulse in my feet is fine, isn't the pulse usually affeected by neuropathy?

 

[kateincornwall]

I`m sorry I cant help Rowan , just hoping you get some relief and support from your doctor real soon x

 

[DeejayR]

As if you hadn't enough to think about already ... sorry, don't know but just hope someone can throw light on it.
Mrs DeeJay had a nasty swollen red foot recently and the GP suggested an insect bite; it took a whole course of antibiotics to clear it up.

 

[rowan]

Thank you. This happens quite a lot but only lasts a day or two each time so don't think it's an infection. It seems to happen more after I've been walking more than usual, which isn't far at all, so I've tried wearing different shoes, and use the liqua-care gel insoles, but nothing seems to make a difference.
I'm seeing my doctor this afternoon, but sod's law dictates that the swelling has gone down so she can't see it!

 

[kateincornwall]

Good luck Rowan

 

[rowan]

Ok, doctor says the red burning swollen feet is down to diabetes, she told me what it was called but I've forgotten! How good at you at guessing games? It's 3 words, first word Complex. I think Pain might be one of the other words but can't think what the other one might be!

 

[kateincornwall]

Is there any help for you Rowan , with the foot pain and swelling , hope so .

 

[rowan]

Just remembered what she said it is - complex regional pain syndrome. But I've looked that up and it seems it's usually only in one limb after an injury of some sort, and mine is in both feet, so I'll have to ask her about that when I see her next week. I've had a lot of injuries on my feet with the very deep-seated pustular psoriasis, but from what the doc was saying it can be caused by very high BG too.

Doesn't seem to be any cure, just pain relief.

 

[zand]

Will it maybe get a bit better in time on its own?

 

[Amethyst8]

Thank you. This happens quite a lot but only lasts a day or two each time so don't think it's an infection. It seems to happen more after I've been walking more than usual, which isn't far at all, so I've tried wearing different shoes, and use the liqua-care gel insoles, but nothing seems to make a difference.
I'm seeing my doctor this afternoon, but sod's law dictates that the swelling has gone down so she can't see it!

 

[Amethyst8]

I am glad i came to this page,I am also suffering the same swollen feet & doesn'r seem to be going down easily except overnight rest/sleep & then back to square one.GP/Nurse cannot advise thinks more than one things going on my feet & doesn't give anything
tells me to take ibuprofen,which I am not care to do.
At present has a cured ulcer wound,due to warm weather today went to clinic without socks,insole in shoes & it got opened up & re-bandaged again going back on Monday.
But I really like to know how to get the swollen down,have tried bathing feet in warm water,ice pack only go down very little.
I can see that I am not alone in this problem.

 

[Winnie53]

Rowan, sorry to hear you're going through this. I looked it up... http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/...rophy/detail_reflex_sympathetic_dystrophy.htm

If you're up for doing a bit more research, this section of the above linked fact sheet offers a list of conditions with similar symptoms...

How is CRPS diagnosed?

Currently there is no single diagnostic test to confirm CRPS. Diagnosis is based on the affected individual’s medical history and signs and symptoms that match the definition. But because several other conditions can cause similar symptoms, careful examination is important. Since most people improve gradually over time, diagnosis may be more difficult later in the course of the disorder.

Testing also may be used to help rule out other conditions, such as arthritis syndromes, Lyme disease, generalized muscle diseases, a clotted vein, or small nerve fiber polyneuropathies (such as from diabetes), because these require different treatment. The distinguishing feature of CRPS is usually a history of earlier injury to the affected area, as most of these other conditions are not triggered by injury. Individuals without a history of injury should be carefully examined to make sure that another treatable diagnosis is not missed.

Magnetic resonance imaging or triple-phase bone scans sometimes identify CRPS-characteristic changes in the bone metabolism. CRPS is often associated with excess bone resorption, a process in which certain cells break down the bone and release calcium into the blood.

This information may be of interest... "Diagnosis and Treatment of Pain in Small Fiber Neuropathy" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3086960/

Two terms in the article were unfamiliar to me. Here's their definitions... "Allodynia (pain due to a stimulus that does not usually provoke pain) and hyperalgesia (increased pain from a stimulus that usually provokes pain) are prominent symptoms in patients with neuropathic pain. Both are seen in various peripheral neuropathies and central pain disorders, and affect 15–50% of patients with neuropathic pain."

All I can add is that I've had intermittent foot swelling for years, but no pain or discoloration, and I don't know what causes it, nor did my doctor. Swelling remits by morning. It began soon after I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in 2004. I also wonder if it's diabetic neuropathy related.

My only suggestion in the future might be to take pictures so you can show your doctor how it begins and progresses. Hopefully, it's remitting now.

 

[rowan]

I am glad i came to this page,I am also suffering the same swollen feet & doesn'r seem to be going down easily except overnight rest/sleep & then back to square one.GP/Nurse cannot advise thinks more than one things going on my feet & doesn't give anything
tells me to take ibuprofen,which I am not care to do.
At present has a cured ulcer wound,due to warm weather today went to clinic without socks,insole in shoes & it got opened up & re-bandaged again going back on Monday.
But I really like to know how to get the swollen down,have tried bathing feet in warm water,ice pack only go down very little.
I can see that I am not alone in this problem.

I think the usual advice to stop swelling is to raise feet above hip level, doesn't help me but might be worth a try.
I do get some relief by bathing feet in lukewarm water and putting lots of moisturiser on, it helps relieve the tightness of the stretched skin.

Amethyst, how long have you had this? And do you have any kidney problems? I'm wondering if there's a connection there. But seeing as you've had an ulcer I'd have thought they'd be doing everything they can to find out what's causing your swelling. Have you asked to be referred to a podiatrist?

 

[rowan]

Rowan, sorry to hear you're going through this. I looked it up... http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/...rophy/detail_reflex_sympathetic_dystrophy.htm

This information may be of interest... "Diagnosis and Treatment of Pain in Small Fiber Neuropathy" http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3086960/

All I can add is that I've had intermittent foot swelling for years, but no pain or discoloration, and I don't know what causes it, nor did my doctor. Swelling remits by morning. It began soon after I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes in 2004. I also wonder if it's diabetic neuropathy related.

My only suggestion in the future might be to take pictures so you can show your doctor how it begins and progresses. Hopefully, it's remitting now.

Thank you, I've already seen those links and everything else that comes up in the first few pages of google
Doc thinks it is related to neuropathy which apparently I've had for a lot longer than I realised. I've had the stabbing pains for a few years and was told by my dermatologist that it was nerve damage, and I wrongly assumed the nerve damage was caused by the pustular psoriasis - the pustules come up from deep under the skin and are unbearably painful, so it made sense to me that it would have damaged the nerves.

So all this now seems to be from mis/undiganosed, untreated and ignored peripheral neuropathy.
Doc said to take photos of anything that happens to my feet or toes. It's a shame the doctor i saw on Monday took one quick look at my feet and gave me antibiotics as he said they were infected, which they aren't so I didn't take the pills. It was the first time I'd seen hom and i tried to give hoim some background info but he wasn't interested. It would have been so helpful for a doctor to take a proper look while they were at their worst!

I've also had a black mark under one nail that's been there a few months now but hasn't changed size or shape much, and the larger black mark I got last week is fading slightly, so I think that was a bruise after all.
But I'm really peed off with all this. I've just started a remission from the pustules, first remission in 9 years so I thought I was free of foot pain for a while, then all this happens!