Manny,
The big issue with shoes and diabetes occurs if you have neuropathy in your feet–pain or most importantly numbness.
The reason is that when your feet are numb, it impacts on your immune system’s ability to fight infection. Partly it is because there will be vascular damage with numbness, but another reason many doctors even don’t know about is that it turns out that the nerves communicate via the Vagus nerve with the brain and this modulates the immune response. Dead nerves mean that the immune system doesn’t get the message “Invader, prepare to board!” So infections once they set in become extremely difficult to fight no matter how much antibiotic you pour in and this leads to gangrene and amputation.
So if you have neuropathy you must be obsessive about keeping your feet clean and away from anything that could damage them. If your feet are numb, you may also end up getting cuts etc and not notice. You are also at more risk for invasive fungi normal people can fight off.
So if you have any numbness or pain in your feet your shoes must 1) NOT cause blisters which can become infected, 2) cover and protect you from dirt. No sandals!
I don’t have diabetic neuropathy but I burst a disc years ago and spent about 6 weeks with a leg that was numb in the “knee sock” pattern. I ended up with an intense case of athletes foot fungus between my numb toes, which only went away when I recovered sensation. I’d never had atheletes foot before or after. If the numbness doesn’t resolve, that fungus can become limb threatening.
As a final word: YOU DON’T HAVE TO DEVELOP NEUROPATHY. Keep your blood sugars under 140 mg/dl as much as possible as that is the level where studies show neuropathy starts to develop and it might be worth trying benfotiamine, too as there’s some intriguing data suggesting it might prevent neuropathy.
I agree with everything Jenny said but I have had a pair of Aetrex X521’s that the podiodrest prescribed for me last year and I LOVE them!!! I also got a set of inserts to put in them when the previous set wore out!
I have shoes just like those, or pretty close! Check out FootSmart and look for their “Stretchies” or “Confortinas.” If I have to wear shoes, it will have to be these. I’m such a barefoot kid. ( I have sensory issues.) It’s aweful.
MeadowLark
Doc Martens. I love my Docs.
i wear my trusty sneakers or pumps. my pumps are ALL round toe so my toes don’t get squished at all. i use extra padded insoles for my pumps so my feet stay cushioned all the time. however, i don’t enjoy wearing covered shoes all the time though i know i should. so i still wear my birkenstock sandals from time to time. even though i know that’s helping me become a naughty diabetic.
ACK!!! What is wrong with Birkenstocks? I thought they were ok… sigh… I cant handle wearing anything. I stay barefoot in the house!I wear thongs/flipflops,Birkenstocks and my Confortinas. 
Does that make me naughty too:( I HATE SHOES!!! ugh.
MeadowLark
I wear crocs made for diabetics. Very comfy!
there’s nothing wrong with birkies its just that it is recommended that diabetic try not to go barefoot or wear sandals or flip flops.
that’s because we may have poor blood circulation in our feet and may hurt feet without realising it. my mum’s colleague’s niece has T1 diabetes and she cut her foot at the beach, didn’t realise it and ended up in surgery.
however, i profess that nothing tears me away from my birkies. comfy, good for my high-arched feet and best of all, very chic! they’re the best! i do stay away from wearing flimsy rubber flip flops, unless i’m walking around my front porch. the other reason why i wear them is because it is very humid here and even with socks on when i wear sneakers, my feet get very sweaty. not nice at all.
I wear crocs too! I practically live in them! I do miss flip flops though.
This is a huge conflict for me. I really feel that going barefoot goes hand in hand with good foot care. My gram used to make us walk on the river washed pebbles that filled her driveway as a primitive form of reflexology. My toes are only a little “civilized” and that does make it harder to shoe my size 11 foot, but I manage to find shoes that don’t crowd my toes. And I did that before I found out about my bg problems. I understand i need to be even more careful now about my feet and even more attentive to their care. As I have gotten older my feet have become a lot more callous-y. And over the past year I’ve been doing pedicures. I guess I am not suppose dto do that any more, but I am not sure how to take care of the callouses.
Anyways, about shoes, I am really picky. Right now, my best three pairs are men’s Dr. Scholls work shoes. I also wear two pairs of mens crosstrainers. I don’t have any good women’s dress shoes right now, and that really stinks, but from now on I’ll probably be more picky about those than ever.
I’m loving this thread! I ADORE shoes but now recognize I need something “good” for my feet. Any more brands you can suggest? Wearing running shoes all the time leaves something to be desired in terms of fashion.
For years I have worn Rockports. Thankfully, they have branched out a bit from their 3 dorky styles. After I recovered from a broken ankle I had to get custom orthotics because the doc said your foot never “plants” the same after a fracture. I wear them all the time and they really help.
You mean there are SPECIFIC models meant for diabetics? I didn’t know. I JUST ordered my first pair of Crocs online…
There are some ones with silver in them to help combat infection, which are, I think, the ones they recommend for diabetics.
I’ve got a pair of regular crocs - I like them for work but not for walking, and I have to have socks on with them - the little foam nubbies hurt my feet otherwise.
I love my Doc’s… and I haven’t found anymore like them… I have small feet… like size 4 in kids size… I live in a small town and not every many stores carry Doc’s Martins… But I went to a health fair and I’m going to find me a Diabetic shoe that doesn’t look like a granny shoe… Home health store has some cool tennis shoes for Diabetics that doesn’t look like granny shoes… I just need to go in…
Manny,
I didn’t know about these til my GP sent me to a podoritist and I’ve had this fun for 35 years! But after wearing these the rest that I have waren (sp) seem like a joke!!1 There feel like you have nothing on and I think me and meadowLark are a whole lot alike as for going barefooted in the house. Flipflops are another story for me though…I can’t stand anything inbetween my toes! HA!
A couple of days ago I received my two pairs of Crocs I ordered from their web site.
I purchased a pair of Hydro (black) and a pair of Professional (Khaki)… can’t stop using them! It’s like floating while walking. Luis in the office tells me I look like Frodo… He just hasn’t tried them! 
Hey, I, myself wear skate shoes with an arch inside them. I only get foot pains when i skate, but that’s because my trucks are loose, and I find myself leaning back and fourth a lot which cause my foot the have some pain, but it goes away… Oh, my, I’m drifting away from my main point. I wear these shoes… Are these o.k. and what do you recommend?
I tend to stand and walk a lot since I’m teaching, and while something like a cross-trainer is certainly the most comfortable, it’s not really appropriate with dressier clothes, so I’ve finally broken down and bought two pair of good quality dress shoes: a pair of black Rockport maryjanes and brown leather slides from Lifestride. Much more expensive than running down to Payless, but I can find the sizes I need (6.5 wide US) and know they’ll be healthier for my feet.
That being said, i prefer to go barefoot at home since I have such a hard time finding comfortable shoes (but not outdoors… always at least sandals). I’m not really having any problems with neuropathy yet, though.