That’s why no one hears of “athletes hand” .
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earthingcat,
One little thing I would like to interject if I may. My peripheral neuropathy wasn’t caused by my diabetes but rather from my rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia. My diabetes came much later. So as someone else mentioned, PN can be caused by other issued which can make you feel “pins and needles” in your hands and feet or lose the sensation in your fingertips and toes, resulting in you injuring yourself and you not know it.
Also, you can lose sensation in your hands and feet from low blood sugar episodes, that was my mom’s case.
I have a bit of both – tougher skin on my feet, but some calloused areas - probably because I can’t be truly barefoot all the time, and sandals and even “healthy” shoes take their toll. I’ve had lots of “fun” dealing with those periodic cracked callouses. My PCP recommended three ingredients (that escape me at the moment) to help with that. I found a crème that annoyingly is hyped for “diabetic foot problems” that actually contains all three of the needed ingredients and works quite well – I just wish they’d lay off the diabetes-specific marketing on it, after all, ANYONE can have cracked or damaged callouses (as I did for years before Dx).
As was my mother’s PN - though in her case, it was nerve damage from a herniated disc.
I do get some callouses, particularly my big toe and around the back part of my heels. Almost certainly due to wearing shoes at work, as it wasn’t a problem when I wasn’t in them 8 hrs a day.
I keep them trimmed up with a microplane for feet (like a pedegg but what I have is bigger). It removes just the dry part and won’t hurt the good living skin…much better than sandpaper or some other really abrasive tool. That seems to be all I need personally.
I guess I have no idea if my feet are technically, ‘callous.’ I do know that I can take off a quarter inch of skin with an exacto knife and not feel a thing. Doesn’t hurt or bother me. Can walk on hot coals, probably, as an advantage, LOL.
earthingcat I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis and as explained by many there is a risk of going barefoot. I’m an avid boater for over 60 years. Had Type 1 for 46 years. It never affected my boating enjoyment, even sailing solo many, many miles and always barefoot.
One thing I don’t understand is your 1st paragraph comment. You can’t enjoy driving because you can’t drink alcohol??? Driving a boat or a car is no different and one or the other doesn’t make it more enjoyable when drinking alcohol as you shouldn’t.
I go barefoot on all my boats because I know I won’t step into something unexpected even though you can still stub a toe (or break one) (don’t ask me how I know).
Bottom line you can drink (in moderation), you could go barefoot (watch where you walk) as long as you keep you BG levels under control by often checking and making adjustments.
A CGM is the best diabetes tool currently available for treatment, get one, and get some of these https://www.amazon.com/Vibram-Cross-Training-Black-11-5-12/dp/B0114F68V4/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1532692859&sr=8-4&keywords=running+toe+shoes&dpID=41LX5eV0c6L&preST=SX395_QL70&dpSrc=srch
That’s what I need to hear. 46 years with this boating over 60 ! It was so terrifying still in that DKA blurry vision head messed up trying to learn what I am up against teaching myself diabetes with google and those webpages like “health line” that insist on listing all the scary complication in the first paragraph of every single article about anything diabetes. I don’t know why the non diabetic writers think we need a complications reminder in the first paragraph when writing an article on how many carbs are in tomatoes. We have diabetes not memory problems.
Why do I feel like without drinking boating will be no fun ? No one besides other alcoholics can understand us. I was sober for 7 years pre diagnosis with the exception of on boats cause it was the only place I enjoyed it. I did not go for that total absence program, I went for the only drink if there is 100% assurance it would be fun program. The boats were the only activity that qualified. I was good at running a tight ship with a beer in my hand, it may be politically uncorrect to say it but I absolutely was. 30 years and at least 1000 runs and no problems. Its over so I can admit having done it and brag that I was good without jinxing myself. Alcohol effects me different now with the blood sugar thing I can feel it. I am not dumb, drinking and running the boat all night is over.
Doesn’t matter, I learned how to do everything else in life sober years ago, never thought it possible. Took a sober run on the boat today it felt fun enough.
I am going to get these ones you suggest. But check this out,
Vibram Agrees to Settle Class Action Lawsuit
Valerie Bezdek brought the class action suit against Vibram in March 2012. She filed her complaint in Massachusetts, the state where Vibram’s U.S. headquarters are located. Bezdek alleged that Vibram deceived consumers by advertising that the footwear could reduce foot injuries and strengthen foot muscles, without basing those assertions on any scientific merit Vibram Agrees to Settle Class Action Lawsuit | Runner's World
BS BS BS and more BS ! A BS lawsuit. My feet absolutely got stronger and better from giving up shoes. Barefoot is best but this has a similar effect for sure.
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I’m with you. In my 40s. Diagnosed 2 years ago, type 1, never saw this coming. Think we are all healthier w/o shoes. Can’t drink or eat like I used to
I wear Merell trail gloves,you can find older versions online cheaper and a bunch of flip flops. The merely brand fits me, is affordable and suits my style. Not pushing them but encourage you to try as much minimalist footwear as you can until you find yours.
I do check my feet and do control my A1c with low carb diet, daily activity and tresiba. I’m with the previous poster. You should be able to drink just not like before. For me that means no empty stomach drinking and limiting my choices to lower carb options. I love craft beer and use my meter to check the content of the craft beers I so love. So I ask for lots of samplers and it drives my kids crazy. I know this isn’t a perfect reading but it gives me a sense of what will spike my BG. Any beer below 50 I can have a couple, anything around 100 I only have one anything over 120 I don’t drink. I do enjoy more wine these days. Dry farm wines is a wine of the month club that sources low sugar wines. No affiliation other than being a happy customer
Hope this helps.
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I’m a T1D 52 years. Diabetes of any type can and all too frequently does cause loss of circulation in your feet and hands due to peripheral atherosclerosis. It also can/does cause peripheral neuropathy, resulting in numbness in your feet. If you can’t feel sores or punctures of your feet, and that wound isn’t getting good circulation and blood flow, you can get gangrene and then it’s amputation time.
I get my arterial blood flow measured yearly and I see a podiatrist regularly.
I don’t take the risk. I’ve had enough problems without stepping on some stupid goatshead barefoot.
Are you telling me you can use the blood test meter to find the mg/dL sugar or carbohydrate content of beer ??
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There are two problems with going barefoot.
One is that if you have any loss of feeling in your feet you might not know it if you injure your foot until serious infection sets in.
The other is that due to impaired circulation and high blood glucose you may be less able to fight off an infection, so problems are more likely to occur.
Why would you insist on going barefoot? If you need to go barefoot to fix anxiety and do earthing and stuff, I don’t think footware is your issue.
If you are one of those people whose feet actually seem to function better without shoes, try sneakers. That is what my godfather did. I mean those old fashioned flat footed canvas top things like Michael Jackson wore. They’re back in fashion. Kids are even sporting bright colors, like red, and neon green. You could make a much hipper hippie fashion statement!
Yes earthing cat I do exactly that. I had heard tale of people using their meters to double check diet soda orders. Not being a soda drinker I thought I’d apply this wisdom to one of MY favorite beverages. I don’t consider the actual number accurate but do use it as an index. Seems to be working so far. I keep a spreadsheet so in my travels I can pull up my less frequent but still loved beers and enjoy responsibly (from a blood glucose perspective;-)
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With Diabetes, you are at increased risk of Peripheral Neuropathy, so there is a real danger you could not be aware that you have lost protective sensation in your feet, incur and injury, and just not realise it. It would make sense to check yourself regularly with the Diabetic Toes Test by Medipin, which alerts you as soon as you are risk
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earthingcat good to hear boating is still enjoyable and yes take the “general” diabetes comments with caution. All our bodies are different and all our bodies react different to diabetes. A beer or a glass of wine once and a while won’t kill you, but like you said as long as you know how it affects you.
Don’t let it rule you, make some changes and you’ll have a happy and long life.
Boating is always fun.
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I know that you love going barefoot, and consider wearing shoes or other protective coverings for your feet to be just one more hassle, but I would argue it is not nearly the hassle of finding yourself an amputee. When you have higher than normal blood glucose levels that is practically a buffet for bacteria. On top of that, you might find, if not now, sometime in the future that your sensation in your feet is less than optimum, which means it is very easy to get a cut and not feel it until an infection sets in. In the end we all make our own choices about what we are willing to deal with and what we are not, but I can tell you that every time I have my diabetes specific check-up I see one or more amputees, in addition to people suffering vision loss. I wear shoes or slippers all the time, and take my Preservision tablets too.
I’m not fanatical about shoes. I wander happily outside barefoot in summer, until I encounter a prickle or stone, then I retreat inside to find shoes!
My sensation and circulation are very intact after 40y of T1D, and I’ve always had really sensitive feet, so I’ve never been concerned about missing an injury. I feel everything! Including uneven fluff in socks. Drives me mad and I have to stop and remove it. My control is near non D levels, and I’m not prone to skin infections at all.
I have always exercised barefoot or in socks only. Gymnastics, trampoline, iaido (Japanese swordsmanship), and in the past few years, aikido.
I even did some barefoot/minimal shoe running a few years ago.
Some barefoot shoes I’ve enjoyed are Furoshiki wrap shoes and Skinners socks (all terrain soles on thick ankle socks, very, very comfy). Five fingers was too restrictive for me. Skinners would be very ideal for boating. Have a google.
I mostly wear sneakers for everyday life these days, and flip flops in summer. I also have to occasionally wear ghillie brogues when I play bagpipes in my pipe band, and OMG, so restrictive and heavy. My feet hurt for days after I take them off.
Occasionally I frock up like an actual woman (which I am), and wear heels and so on, but I always carry an alternative in my handbag! Dance shoes, Furoshiki shoes keep me sane on nights out.
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So THAT is how it works. THANK YOU !
40y and no problem that’s what I like to hear. So much online information is all gloom and doom. Still scares me but in the beginning it was terrifying.