Help Bleeding Feet!!

[lynne99]

Hi, I've just come back from 4 nights away in this country at the sea, in my camper van. I have worn sandals for the first time this year and within 2 days my feet were cracked and bleeding. No particular hard skin. Very sore to walk on. I am type 2 but take insulin. I will buy some flexitol, but would like to know what causes this. Thanks in advance. PS the avatar makes me look like a man, but \\i am a woman.

 

[hankjam]

Are you bleeding from cracks in heals or blisters? It's never too early to get the heal balm on. I'm 60, was at my Podiatrist last week and we had a lengthy chat on the need to keep feet moistured with a quality balm, he mentioned 25% Urea, which is what Flexitol is.
Hope they improve quickly

 

[lynne99]

Thanks for answering. I don't have a podiatrist. I have ordered flexitol on line and hope it will be here soon.

 

[Guzzler]

Did you walk on/near a beach at all? Sand can be very drying and abrasive.

 

[hankjam]

Podiatry has been withdrawn from regular access in this part of Scotland, NE Fife, only for emergencies only....
Amazingly enough a boy has opened shop in my small village and as I have two really uncomfortable corns I decided to drop in and ask his rates. £32 for a 40 min appointment. A complete check up and corns removed... heaven. It's a sad state of affairs but it is what it is. Email sent to my MP and MSP.... grrr.....
What ever happened to preventative medicine..

 

[Pinkorchid]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

 

[Resurgam]

Have you nothing in the house you could use in the meantime?
Olive oil or coconut oil are both excellent for moisturizing skin - though if from an already opened container I'd be wary about getting any in the cracks, but a new one should be sterile.

 

[first14808]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

Yes, I do in Berkshire. I saw them just after I was diagnosed and being referred again after seeing the DN at the GPs last week. I have fairly high risk feet though due to circulation damage.

But I'd get an appointment to see the GP/DN, and keep a close eye on any bleeding feet. So clean and dry them carefully. My go-to lotion for this kind of thing is good'ol Savlon cream. And being warm-ish, try and avoid hot & sweaty shoes, make sure your socks are clean. And if it gets worse or inflamed, get thee to a doctor pronto!

I think we underestimate our toes. They're not just useful for finding doors in the dark, but can take quite a bit of physio if they drop off. As a mate discovered when he lost some in a motorbike accident.

(Also pet peeve this time of year watching people on bikes wearing shorts & sandals. Road vs skin gets rather messy, even at fairly low speeds).

 

[Australiadiabetic2]

Yes Savlon cream is great

You really need to take care of your feet,sounds like they are very dry with them cracking

Moisture EVERY day , dry in between toes ,
If your heel is cracking you may need the outerlayers to be shaved off because the skin has become hard ,it needs a podiatrist to shave of the excess outer skin

Experiment with different oils for yiur feet,i found $2 baby oil or vaseline just as effective as $25 foot cream.

Soaking your feet in warm salty water then drying and moisterising ,wear socks with your sandals(i know it doesnt look good but hey it protects your feet)


I dont know how many diabetics lose their feet every year but it must be in the thousands i would imagine so act now,be too late later

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

I'm in High Wycombe Bucks and have never had access to NHS podiatrist. Something I willingly pay for, but there are times when my head goes the "I paid N.I. for 50 years route". But that paid for the NHS during the years that I paid.

 

[Circuspony]

I'm in High Wycombe Bucks and have never had access to NHS podiatrist. Something I willingly pay for, but there are times when my head goes the "I paid N.I. for 50 years route". But that paid for the NHS during the years that I paid.

Are you under the High Wycombe hospital diabetes team? The DNs would refer you if there's a problem

 

[briped]

I have worn sandals for the first time this year and within 2 days my feet were cracked and bleeding.

I wear sandals every day every summer, and my feet do tend to go dry because of this, but not after only a couple of days. I hate socks and closed shoes, but to alleviate dry skin I'll sometimes apply ointment at night and wear a pair of socks in bed.
A few years ago I got cracked heels, and walking was no pleasure. Also I was worried about the cracks becoming infected, and a heel is not an easy place to treat with an ordinary band-aid. I bought one of those sprays called 'op-site', instead, and it worked a treat and protected the crack from becoming infected. Since then I've become so much better at using a heel 'chap' stick.

 

[DavidGrahamJones]

Are you under the High Wycombe hospital diabetes team? The DNs would refer you if there's a problem

I've been type II for 20 years and the last time I saw someone from the hospital was in 1997 and I'd rather not repeat in public what I thought . . . . . . . I wasn't given a single iota of advice, just a b . . . . . . . . g Sorry, telling off, but no advice.

I've never been given the opportunity of seeing anybody else. Getting my feet looked after every six weeks is a bit like getting a hair cut really.

Just remembered I saw a diabetic specialist at Amersham last year, for dietary advice. Very nice person who was going to give me a book on low carb diets. I'd beaten her to it by 4 years.

 

[Resurgam]

I have worn sandals almost all the time for decades without any problems but I do put E45 cream on my feet a couple of times a week, usually after a bath and again after a shower if I notice they feel in need of it when drying my feet - my father and brother in law both had dreadful feet and I left home determined never to acquire the same problems.

 

[Robbity]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

Yes sort of - I was referred to our local hospital for treatment of an ingrown toenail by the podiatrist after my first foot check with our surgery's DN - but this was over 4 years ago. I was told I could go direct to her if I continued to have any problems.

Robbity

 

[Bluetit1802]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

When I was first diagnosed in 2014 there was a self referral scheme to see a podiatrist, so I referred myself. She said my feet are perfect, and gave me a booklet about recommended shoes for diabetics (which was binned as soon as I got home) . She discharged me, saying no need to see her again. Since that time all I get is the nurse foot check (pulse and sensation), and I believe the self referral scheme no longer exists.

 

[maglil55]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

I certainly don't . As @hankjam said in Scotland unless you're an emergency case tough.
My feet were covered in really hard skin that kept peeling off and my feet were agony but I still wasn't an 'emergency'. Doctor tried all kinds of creams and nothing worked. I gave up and started seeing a podiatrist 6 weekly privately - £25. Worth every penny. The solution to my feet was very simple. Wear cotton socks.

 

[hankjam]

I certainly don't . As @hankjam said in Scotland unless you're an emergency case tough.
My feet were covered in really hard skin that kept peeling off and my feet were agony but I still wasn't an 'emergency'. Doctor tried all kinds of creams and nothing worked. I gave up and started seeing a podiatrist 6 weekly privately - £25. Worth every penny. The solution to my feet was very simple. Wear cotton socks.

Agree with you comment on "worth every penny".

On socks... I have drawers full of socks in my vain attempt to find ones that I am happy with... I now wear wool ones... they are looking a bit thin at the heal though... and they don't give them away.

 

[Bluetit1802]

I now wear wool ones... they are looking a bit thin at the heal though... and they don't give them away.

My great aunt knitted woollen socks on 3 needles. It always fascinated me. My dad would wear nothing else.

 

[Boo1979]

Does anyone have access to a NHS podiatrist or chiropodist because they have diabetes we don't in my area

Yes. But only because GP incompetance when I was first diagnosed led to major foot surgery (left massive scars) and the loss of a toe so Ive been under under the “high risk” podiatry clinic ever since