I could really use some help with this.
I hate wearing anything on my feet. Still, my feet are getting cracked and dry. I soooo dislike lotion on my feet as well. It feels greasy, wet, just yucky.
What can I do?
I hear ya... I don't like shoes, and don't like socks. I just get the thinnest socks possible, and put non greasy lotion on at night, before bed (and preferably right after a shower, so the skin absorbs really well), and then put the socks on... this way, I have em on for when I'm not really conscious for the most part... and the next day, my feet won't feel very greasy, cus it will have absorbed fully into the skin... I also have a special dremmel tool now, just for callouses... so it gently removes all that dry stuff... it helps a lot.
I got some calluses last winter, I think from 2 pairs of socks, and the Burt's Bees Foot Lotion stuff worked great!
I don't usually wear socks unless I'm wearing sneakers. Otherwise, I wear slip-on shoes and slip them off at work (I have my own office, I'm not rude enough to spread foot-stink!). You might also invest in some flip-flops just to keep the soles of your feet covered when walking around.
Yes, I wear flip-flops all of the time. It protects my feet from getting scratched or splinters. It's just the realization of the edges around my heels that are getting cracked and rough that is bothering me. I'm fearful of scratching an "itchy heel and possibly causing damage."
I did find a pair of socks that are comfy to wear at WalMart yesterday. (still, it makes my feet feel so hot!)
I know of a guy that stepped on a piece of metal and was totally unaware of it. He ended up losing his foot. (I've still got six kids at home and don't want to lose the ability to get around easily. I like to bowl and in general play with my kids :o)
I think you need to weat something on your feet besides socks for safety reasons. Any floor can have a dropped pin or sharp piece of gravel brought in or other sharp objects. If you are not inspecting your feet every day, you can get a sore started before you know it. No bare feet is the standard recommendation for diabetics so this is not my personal bias.
Everyone has their favorite lotion or cream so I would try several until you find something that works for you. My favorite lotion is Gold Bond Shea Butter Softening Skin Therapy Lotion. Long name! 14 oz is $10 in my local CVS but I see it is $8 online. My endo says I have the best looking diabetic feet he sees! Not that my feet are that good looking but they aren't scaly because of this lotion. and if I let them go they would be cracked and rough. It soaks in quite well. I use it at night as I am lying down for the night and it soaks in quickly, no greasiness at all. next time I will see if just shea butter alone is cheaper. If not, I will stick with this. It lasts a long time for me.
I use urea cream on my feet, any pharmacist will point you in the right direction. This is what my podiatrist recommended for moisturising feet. I hate wearing shoes and socks too, but wear mules round the house and garden and kick them off indoors where hopefully my cleaner will have removed any sharp objects.
Over the last few years my big toes started to develop a callous on the outside edges. It was thick enough for the podiatrist to slice off with a sharp blade.
I asked the podiatrist why foot callouses are dangerous to diabetics. He replied that the outside layer of skin (with the callous) can detach from the underlying tissue, form an abscess and lead to an infection. If the diabetic has lost protective sensation in his feet then he will not feel the problem and the delay in treatment can lead to amputation of toes and feet.
He prescribed urea lotion. I have been using it for the last month or so. I put it on after I shower. It has kept the area soft and the callous buildup stays thin.
I have special indoor shoes that I wear indoors that I never wear outdoors so they are clean and don't track dirt around from outside. Basically I come home and take my shoes off and put another pair of shoes on..LOL. Some of the kids tiny toys can be brutal to step on. Especially the metal hot-wheels/matchbox cars!!!!
I don't have any real bad issues with my feet. Every once and a while they get dry and I use Neoteric Diabetic Skin Care. It works better than any other cream I have used. After about 20 minutes it is no longer sticky and it seems to last about 8-24 hours depending on how thick I put it on.
I've read that diabetics shouldn't wear flip-flops or open-toed shoes, either. The worst risk is if you have neuropathy and don't feel what you're stepping on. Poor blood circulation doesn't help, either.
I wear shoes with cotton socks when out and about; at home I wear some sheepskin-lined slippers -- the lanolin in the wool makes my feet feel good.
I do need to get some lotion for my feet, because they are dry, but my sensation is still good, and I look at my feet often. I had a painful pressure sore when I was in the hospital, but the blister didn't break, and started going down in 2 days, whew!! It could have been bad news!
Please take care of your feet; one of the bloggers on Diabetes Self-Management just had a below-the-knee amputation because of an infection in her heel that just wouldn't clear up. Scary!!
Vibram FiveFingers 
I live in mine… and I used to hate wearing shoes.
If you can find a way to protect your feet without wearing shoes, then do that. You need to do something for the dry-cracked skin. I almost lost my leg over what started as dry-cracked skin and I did everything that I was supposed to do by calling my doctor on day one. It was literally a two year battle with several hospital stays, surgeries, IVs, hyperbaric oxygen treatments, home nurses and seeing doctors mostly weekly or at most every other week for 20 months and then monthly for the next 4 months.
Here is a link to the pics of my foot if you want to see what dry-cracked skin can turn into – don’t look if you just ate or have a weak stomach!
http://kellywpa.wordpress.com/diabetic-foot-wound-picture/
The second wound center that I went to (the one that ended up saving my leg) recommended a cream called Elta Swiss Crème Moisturizer. It kind of melts into your skin and you don’t know it is there after a minute or two. It is about $25 for a one pound container but that will last you six months. I have not had dry skin since I started using that. The home nurses that were coming in had never heard of it because I went to a wound center several hours away and they all loved it. My pharmacy doesn’t carry it but they will order it for me. You can order online but if your pharmacy will order it, you won’t have to pay shipping.
Check this out Discussion about all the issues
This is very interesting. I too don't like shoes or socks on my feet. I feel my feet are too hot with them on my feet and don't like any lotion on my feet. I LIKE THIS already got some ideas from it. Thank you for posting it.
Yeah, for me it isn't even the type of shoe, or being hot... it's having anything on my feet at all... It's very annoying... lol Like I dunno how people wear those toe socks! My mom got me some once, and they drove me nuts! lol
Hey Liz I'm really sad. No matter how cold it gets my feet are out from under the cover. LOL! NO KIDDING!!! I've had my husband, my kids and now my g-kids make fun of me agout it buuuuut I don't want ANYTHING on my feet really. Just an old country gal here. AS for lotion? I HATE the greasy feel most of them give you!
I never wore socks until I graduated from college (1976) and now I wear them all the time unless at home, them I'm barefoot, from habit only. No issues other than drier feet than when I was younger. But at 56 that's life.
Doris, I'm the same. I've got my head buried under blankets & my feet sticking out. Aaah!
I never wore shoes in the house & went barefoot outside at every opportunity until diagnosed. Don't like shoes or socks or anything heavy on my feet. Now, I'm a good little diabetic & keep my feet covered. I got a serious gash on the top of my foot wearing flip-flops, so don't wear them anymore.
I use emu oil or coconut oil on my feet. They're as soft as a baby's. A dermatologist told me that lotions & moisturizers do nothing to help dryness. Our own natural oils are what keep skin supple. Emu oil is very close to our own oil. It's thick stuff, so only a little bit is needed.
I tried the Elta Swiss Crème Moisturizer. Yup, it was expensive. I got the smallest tube for $8.00. The shipping is what was the killer… it only comes through Fed Ex. It’s worth every penny! I had a spot that was so dry and sore… it was pretty painful even having bed linen cross over it. I applied it twice on one day and then twice the next day. That spot is now soft and no longer painful! YIPPPEEE!!! I just had to let you all know.
Still, I’m working on trying to find comfy shoes. I did find some socks that are “crew cut and not tight on my ankles” at WalMart. I know it won’t be so easy to fit my feet in to much of anything. I need a really wide box toe as both feet have “wishbone toes.”
Meadowlark, if you wear running shoes, try out men’s. In men’s, the toe box is bigger, but you need a smaller size–1/2 to a whole. I particularly like Saucony, because they make the heel smaller and the toe box bigger in both men’s and women’s sizes, but the men’s is better. I have been wearing men’s Sauconys for years.