One more question....feet.... - Diabetes Message Board

pumpkinpatch73 · 10-06-2003, 06:53 AM

As mentioned in my other post, mom isn't taking care of herself. She does have a lot of foot problems. Really BAD problems. Can anyone tell me what the stages are and how serious things are to watch out for - when they are in danger of losing their feet?

For example, she's gotten HUGE blisters on her feet and they seem to go pretty deep (taking months to heal - if even that fast). When she was in the hospital they told her not to peel the skin off, but she does it anyway. I'm just trying to find out if this is a common thing or is this something that could turn potentially serious enough for her to lose a foot.

Thanks for your help. I'm just concerned.

dwpavlik · 10-06-2003, 08:05 AM

Ah Feet!
Sometimes one does not have a leg to stand on in their defense. OOOH! bad joke.. OK; when it comes to feet. Look for the signs of sensitivity being lost. She will lose the feeling in her feet. this danger is mainly if she then steps on something that she does not feel. If this happens, she could get cut, and then infected, if not treated. The feet need to be checked literally each and every day. My wife puts my socks on for me specifically so my feet are looked at each day. I had a tack stuck in my foot and did not know it. I bled on the carpet and saw my foot prints in the bedroom floor. There was a lot of blood. So my wife looked at my feet and we removed the tack. We then needed to treat the cut, care for it and kept it clean and treated. If the cut is not cared for it can get infected. If an infection gets real bad it can get gangrene. If that happens then it gets removed. So the big problem is a lack of blood flow to the foot. If you take her foot pulse and see if it is still strong, then she is ok for healing. If it is a weak pulse then the healing will take much longer if not at all, depending on the healing needs of the foot. So it is lack of sensitivity, Increase of pain, poor blood flow, or weak pulse, untreated cuts and wounds and blisters. Walking barefoot should not be done anymore either. I hope this gives you an idea about the feet. If you have additional questions just ask either myself or someone else on here will help. We have qa good group that can give a lot of experience and knowledge.
Don

pumpkinpatch73 · 10-06-2003, 09:25 AM

OUCH Don! That had to hurt, but you didn't even feel it? Wow!

Thank you for that input. It helps. I *think* that she does still have feeling in her feet. I know that they're very sensitive due to firing nerves (?).

Thank you! Wow, I'm glad your wife does that everyday so that your feet are looked at. That's serious!

Eagle · 11-02-2003, 05:24 PM

I have some answers, but first my question, please. I know from two podiatrists that I do have blood flow to my feet but those ulcers last 5 mo. or more anyway, no matter what, and HOW DO YOU TAKE YOUR PULSE IN YOUR FOOT? Never heard of that.

Okay for the person who peels off the huge blisters dead skin, you do see a podiatrist, and maybe one or two others for extra opinions, don't you?

My first one had me on just ointments after shaving off (debridement) some of my callus dead skin (on bunions), but it wasn't working. The 2nd one said ointments will never work while there's any dead skin, and you can't get it all. What you gotta have is a prescription for some of those ultra-thin patches called DuroDerm, to put on right after removing that skin. They're $8 each, 4" approximately, and you don't use a whole one, just cut a big enough piece.

My pharmacy didn't carry them so I went to a medical supply place where they sell wheel chairs and the like. The girl didn't read the 4X on the script which probably meant I'd only need four pads, so I bought ten! Hope they don't get old. The condition can be chronic. I heard of a man who had the ulcers on his leg or legs, had to have skin grafts or transplants.

It's serious. Yep, podiatrists told me after a while they just won't heal at all anymore, and one xrayed to make sure the infection hadn't gone to the bone of my toe joint, which would have meant amputation. I hadn't known to see a doctor until there was a smelly discharge. Don't wait that long!

I'd had that blister from some summer sandals with cork (copies of Birkenstocks) on one foot, not the other, for a year or two. While under treatment a couple blisters came up on the other foot, and with the DuroDerm patches, they healed immediately. The first one is still giving me trouble.

Mine was from friction so I was told to try to stay off my feet, bought a used wheelchair from a weekly paper, and it helped a lot. Take care and good luck.
The debridement of calluses doesn't usually hurt, because diabetics have some nerve damage by the time they have those, and less feeling in the foot.

Mommyof4 · 11-02-2003, 08:01 PM

Don't know if the question was rhetorical or not but I will answer anyway. To take a pedial pulse, you take your first 2 fingers.. Never your thumb as it has a pulse of it's own, and run them along the top of the foot from the inside out. Lightly place the fingers on the skin as it is not a strong pulse and too much pressure will make it impossible to feel. When you get to the outer edge of the foot, you should feel it.

I dont use lotions on my feet at all. I soak my feet in plain water and then use a pumus stone lightly on the callous. It works for me. HTH