Barefoot Advice

Not sure where to post this but here seems as good as any. Is there any other barefooters out there? I was born and brought up in Rhodeisa now zimbabwe and l dont do shoes. I wear them if l have to like going to work, and in some shops l put them on but often don't. Yes l walk around the streets barefoot. And l drive barefoot.... and no it isnt illegal. Crocks are a lifesaver before them my feet suffered even more in shoes when l had to wear them even for short times.

In winter l sometimes use socks but still walk barefoot even shot distances but as the top of my feet get cold l do tend to put my crocks on... not always socks though.

I mentioned it to the DN at my first visit along with the info hell will freeze over before l start shoes... her reply with a huge smile "they are going to love you then, they like lace up shoes.

The problem is my feet are used to fresh air and suffer badly in shoes, l have a feeling it is going to be a bit like the nhs treat the VLCD as the brits have a pathological fear of barefeet, l am no longer polite to people who make comments to me in the street.

Anyone any hints about what l will face at the podiatrist and or are you barefooters yourselves. Ok if l end up with a problem l will look at shoes but till then l am not going to cause a different problem by following their rules to stop one problem.

Well if others are not wearing any special footwear and just a case of keeping an eye on things l will hopefully be ok, who knows l may have a sensible podiatrist.

Andy a friend of ours who made custom shoes saw my feet once, he hauled me off the chair snarling told me to stay on my back feet on paper on his chair, grabbed a couple knives, cheese grater, pumice stone scissors various sandpapers and some other bits spent well over a couple of hours trying to make my feet less leather like and less obnoxious to his feelings.... he failed though )
I lay on my back having my first very weird pedicure and a general conversation like you do with friends. hub supped coffee and accepted it as totally unsurprising turn of events.

Only time l have hurt my feet is when l have had shoes on l have a few (about 3) times trodden on nails that have gone through shoe sole, foot out top of shoe...luckily they have had wood on so l just stand on the wood rip foot up hard and fast and continue what l was doing, albeit with a limp

l do use heel repair creme about 3 times a yr in summer as thats when l get cracks up to at times 2mm.> deep. I need to avoid the podiatrist in summer l think if they see my feet in full glory they will freak.

Collectingrocks as l say l get deep cracks in summer especially but they very rarely hurt l assume due to depth of the hard skin. It is annoying not sore, and l spend hours tearing off chunks and strips of dead skin while reading or looking at tv. The problem isnt pain but in bed they catch on the sheets and annoy me, and wear through the sheets as it is basically rubbing them with sandpaper.

Thanks Nobelhead, l will bear the cream in mind if l need i

Alan l can understand why you couldn’t go without shoes as you say we are all different.

Thanks Janine, Foot health wise l have been barefoot for the best part of 51 years and l have lot of problems with shoes they cause me fungus, sore feet, sweat, blisters, rubbing l am in more danger with the problems shoes cause than a problem l don't yet have.

At the moment the only hole is the one on top from where l was pulling the over long bit of torn nail off that was catching on the duvet.....l don't use scissors, just pick and tear the nail off, a bit of skin got caught and tore, it happens l live with it.
It is on the top of the foot not the bottom...shoes socks, steel toe boots wouldn't have stopped it happening. l am thinking instead of my years of pulling bits of toenail off l should file them.. trying scissors is a no go like my cooking, once tried best not done.

Reading this has decided me that when l go in as soon as l get inside l had better make my points then if they don't like it l can walk out before l even sit down.
Advice of what to look out for is fine. If someone seems reasonable and just says ok well your life watch out for x y and z fine but if they do try lecture me l wont tolerate it.
Problem is l have a very hair trigger temper, my folks went through hell at the "gentle hands" of the local nhs over the last few years.....well lets say l am and known to the complaints department at the local hospital, the head a & e consultant and various departments and heads of said places at hospital and psych hospital, heads of nursing the local nhs trust director, the care commission, etc.

Thanks Douglas l am fast thinking past saying as soon as l go in...... l am at point of wont bother going for me there is no "their job" about it. Nore is there a compromise for us to work out.

Their only job is to say look out for whatever may go wrong this is the warning signs if anything and like with my parents (who wore shoes) clip toenails if they want sandpaper hard skin off and say goodbye.

l will decide on the day whether l will bother doing see what mood l am in.

Thanks for all the replies I realise l may come across as angry it isnt angry more upset....in the low carb forum (and l have just become a low carber) people are encouraged to deal with the health "professionals" and encouraged to do what we want to do, despite of all that the literature (and always in a state of flux as new things are learnt) the nhs uses because we have proof it is good for our numbers and ultimately health.

l guess the comments here have answered my question no one fully noticed the problems caused possibly because barefoot is to far out of the psyche of the brits.
There seemed to be a thought by some l deserved a rough ride despite my explaining the problems shoes cause that l should wear shoes have all the problems and if the result is.....Opps we need to chop your feet as shoes caused you unsurmountable problems but hey just think what may have happened if we let you walk round barefoot.

Will stop replying on this thread and just go back to safe questions in the low carb and other forums as l dont want to upset people who were trying to be helpful

MID

Thanks Douglas l was worried l was annoying folks hence backing off yes you make sense on some things but however l did post the problems shoes cause ...up there ^^^ will put it down here again VVV (saves scroll through my waffle and ok first time l didnt put in all the problems in full but l did later)

***Foot health wise l have been barefoot for the best part of 51 years and l have lot of problems with shoes they cause me fungus, sore feet, sweat, blisters, rubbing l am in more danger with the problems shoes cause than a problem l don't yet have.

At the moment the only hole is the one on top from where l was pulling the over long bit of torn nail off that was catching on the duvet.....l don't use scissors, just pick and tear the nail off, a bit of skin got caught and tore, it happens l live with it.
It is on the top of the foot not the bottom...shoes socks, steel toe boots wouldn't have stopped it happening. l am thinking instead of my years of pulling bits of toenail off l should file them.. trying scissors is a no go like my cooking, once tried best not done***

Make my points/explaining the problems different wording same meaning to me but obviously came across differently.

The general feeling that came across was l deserved to be lectured for barefeet and if you want to **** me (or most people off) then start in on them. Although l am more hair trigger than most people about 30 seconds and l blow. I have learnt that there is only one way to deal with nhs people, certainly in the local area.
l seriously have little to no respect for the bulk of them, about 99.5% of who l have dealt with, it is actually depressing to think the people "trusted" with my and family's health have been as they have. In fact it is several years before not just since 2010 when Dad then Hub died (though with hub nhs not involved in that it was a cause of a lot what happened afterwards to mum) and this year Mum died. It goes back several years before that of my folks and their mis-scripting of drugs, mistreatment and mis-diagnosis in hospital and at the dr. To the degree the local hospital admitted my dads mistreatment at one incident is logged as a major incident due to their treatment and yes they had tried to hide it from us.

As to danger l know the risks and accept them (see last post you replied to) What l want is a poddy to say look out for x y z if this happens then then get help or keep an eye.

No matter what you do to make something safe you need to draw a line and lead your life. My husband died skydiving in a collision with a friend yet he was one of the safest people known, The lass was as safe as she was able as well, neither messed about they knew the risks and did what they could to minimize them, it was a total accident and being as safe as he and she was didn't stop it, how it happened no-one knows.
And yes l still support skydiving totally, fairly regularly go to the drop zone, due to problems skimmed over above unable to go more. It is like a second home and the jumpers who were his friends, now mine from around the world have got me through the last 3 years of hell and problems. yes I have regrets the time l lost by working and not being with him, and that we didn't die together, but not the pleasure that Brian got from jumping, and not the fact he passed doing what he loved. I am sorry that his friend passed and glad of the people who are our friends and a couple l even think of as family. Many normal people (non skydivers) don't understand my attitude with jumping.

I don't think l can ever be accused of having my head in the sand and ignoring things, l look at a situation, make a plan and deal with it bearing in mind the above paragraph.