Do any of you have cracked heels on your feet? My heels have been dry and cracked for years, seems like no matter what I do. It was never really more than an unsightly nuisance but now that I have diabetes, I am worried and scared about infections/gangrene/amputations, etc. I want to make sure this doesn't happen. Does anyone have any suggestions? They gave me a few samples of lotion at the diabetes education center but didn't really have any suggestions beyond that. I have been using the gold bond cracked feet healing cream but nothing seems to really get rid of the cracks. They don't bleed or anything, they are just cracks but they are kind of uncomfortable. Thanks.
__________________ Mandi-30 Ron-35 Married 6/14/03 DX-2001
Sprintec, HCTZ, Lopressor 200mg, Prozac 20mg, Metformin ER, Byetta
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Not a Type 2 but have the icky feet... as does my dad... I'm convinced it's tied to IR, I noticed my feeting getting hard and nasty around age 8 (my mother suggested Dove soap!) and soon after puberty and all hell broke loose...
I will never LOVE my feet but I can make them reasonably attractive - but damn, the upkeep. My feet are HIGH MAINTAINANCE. Feet are far away so it's easy to ignore them. My other problem is I have limited mobility in my right hip from surgery as a child so it's hard to do anything to my right foot. It's easy to scrub or put lotion on the left, hard for the right.
Anywho. You need to get the old crappy crud off and keep the new stuff soft.
To get the old stuff off - there is a tool called "pedro" callous remover - Tweezerman makes it. I got mine at Walgreens, I think. It's pricey for a foot file - $20? But as far as I can tell it will never wear out and it doesn't grow nasty mildew etc like pumice stones eventually do. So I don't think you will ever need to replace it or if you do it will take YEARS. It's heavy and has a great handle that makes it easy to use. Rough side and smooth(er) side. Take a hot shower or soak your feet - Johnson's foot soak is nice - then soap up Pedro and scrub the hell out of your feet. Rough first, then smooth.
Get out and lotion up!
Flexitol Heel Balm is good - they make a diabetic version but I don't know if it's any better than regular... DiabetiDerm is nice, they have a minty version which is nice and cooling... and finally I have discovered Nutragena Nowegian Formula Hand Cream (something like that) which I hate for my hands - too greasy and thick - is great for feet.
Lotion up and put on thick socks.
Ideally you will lotion up twice a day - but I find that challenging. I hate working on my feet.
Use Pedro as needed, lotion daily - once your feet look "normal" you can do the lotion just a couple times a week... but let a few weeks slide and you're back to nasty feet.
It's an endless battle for me.
I wish I could just have normal feet.
__________________ DS b. 11/16/03 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
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"We've tried to wash our hands of all of this
We never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt-stricken, sobbing, with our heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..."
- the verve pipe
I wouldn't mess with working on your feet. I would go to a foot doctor and have him remove the dead skin. If you cause a sore on your foot or feet, that sore won't heal easily and could really cause problems. You can also go to a spa and get a pedicure. Make sure they know you are type 2 so they won't do anything to cause you problems in the long run. The best thing to do is to see a foot doctor...I have the same thing as you do, but I haven't seen the foot doctor for it. There is a really good lotion at bath and body works that works real well and I really like it...It helped make my feet soft, but I ran out. I need to get myself some more. I hope this helps.
__________________ DX 1994-told to lose weight by GYN,Suffered 12 years before seeking treatments: REDX 2006 by a family doc sent to endo July 31, 2006 and glad I went; Byetta, 2000mg Metformin, 28 units of levemir, fish oil, 1000mg calcium. Type 2 diabetic and high cholesterol dx March 05, psoriasis dx 1992. Married 20 yrs 2 kids: girl 19 yrs old and boy 17 yrs old.
I wouldn't mess with working on your feet. I would go to a foot doctor and have him remove the dead skin. If you cause a sore on your foot or feet, that sore won't heal easily and could really cause problems.
True - let me clarify that Pedro is not one of those bladed sharp deals - it's really just a good stone with a nice ergonomic handle so it's easy to use. I think it's pretty unlikely to cause damage - I have been pretty aggressive and have never managed to cause a raw spot... I think when you use a stone the "deadest" nastiest stuff is what comes off my readily (esp. if you soak beforehand) whereas when you use a blade you can end up slicing into live, healthy skin underneath.
But getting all the dead stuff off and moisturizing really helps those cracks to heal. Once the skin gets super thick and hard, that's when it cracks, and the cracks can either be just ugly or they can be deep enough to bleed - and those HURT. So you want to get & keep the dead hard stuff off to keep that from happening.
__________________ DS b. 11/16/03 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts.
DDs b. 3/28/08 To view links or images in signatures your post count must be 0 or greater. You currently have 0 posts. X2
"We've tried to wash our hands of all of this
We never talk of our lacking relationships
And how we're guilt-stricken, sobbing, with our heads on the floor
We fell through the ice when we tried not to slip..."
- the verve pipe
foot issues? 
