horrible feet !!!!

[larissa]

On friday , during an examination i felt really embarrased , looking at the state of my feet ! Anyway, i was browsing the net , when it occured to me , would i be able to get a podiatrist on the nhs to help maintain good foot health????? I'm sorry to say , i have so much hard skin on my feet ! Icannot afford private and find it so hard to remove the hard skin and keep my feet looking and feeling nice ! I have fibro, sjogrens, and Mctd .

[bam1993]

Hi larissa-I really don't know about getting it done on the NHS-my Mum has type 1 diabetes, and it is really important that she looks after her feet-but she still has to pay (and she is a pensioner!) it cost them (Mum and Dad) £50 for the both and that was with a discount as there was 2 of them!!! It might depend on your area-why not ask your GP or the consultant on next hosp visist? Good luck-its worth asking-they can only say No!

[letslaugh63 in reply to bam1993]

I knew someone years ago with diabetes and their foot care was free bam but I know the system changes but have your mum and dad asked go x

[bam1993 in reply to letslaugh63]

yes we did double check-she used to get it free at the hospital-but not anymore!!!

[EOLHPC]

hello larissa

feet have been a big preoccupation for me all my life, and i'm 60 in oct. my spine also has been a big issue, and its condition has limited me reaching my feet to do any sort of 'fine' care for years/decades. and because the nhs (at least nhs anywhere near me) seems to have closed down most all its podiatry depts, i've had to figure out how to get good feet maintenance etc done without spending loads of lolly. you're right: in my experience the nhs has sorta done what they did to dentistry, only maybe even worse: you kinda have to go private or look really really hard, and even think laterally (e.g. there sometimes are podiatry clinics for diabetics and the really elderly you can plug into.

anyway, for what it's worth: over the past, say, 20 years i've been trying out various beauty salons for monthly pedicures but without the nail polish. the logic being that they can't charge the earth the way medical consultants can, and they really have to be v careful with customers or they get bad publicity, and they certainly must see ALL SORTS of feet in all sorts of conditions. during my trials years (ha: i did have to try out a few before i found one i really liked) i tended to ask for a senior staff member to work my feet. anyway, finally a few years ago i found a salon that really suits me (it's family owned and run, up to date but has a special integrity cause it;'s not pushing the fashion thing hard) and i've clicked with the deputy manager, a young woman who has always been mad about taking care of feet (interesting passion to have?!) and has always taken care of her older relatives feet. i do feel that finding her is a sort of miracle. but i had to explore a bit, and invest time & some cash, and it has all paid off. i live in a remote spot and don't have many women friends near me so couldn't ask for recommendations from others. more recently, i've found the best people to ask about affordable feet care are the elderly (i mean, say, 75 + ) or the diabetic, cause they so often have had to figure this one out

i could go on & on about all/any aspect of feet !!!!! but i'll just add now that seems to me you're totally right to get a handle on your feet maintenance! every lupus & sjogrens book i read says how important this is for us. and that goes for mctd too.

good luck, and if you feel like more sharing of feet stuff: i'm up for it (yesterday broke a big barrier: had a steroid injection in my worst forefoot: i'd been dreading it and stalling for over a year.......now on watchful waiting....)

take care

[EOLHPC in reply to EOLHPC]

PS had been hoping your feet stuff is mainly the hard skin, but if it's more than that: cause i have a mix of medical issues with my feet, i do make sure that additional to the monthly pedicure, i see a good local podiatrist at least 1x a year (and she has organised the bespoke orthotics i have to wear in my shoes) and also i make my nhs rheumy hear how my feet are doing generally at my 6 monthly appt.

[letslaugh63]

Hi Larissa there are some great foot care products you can buy and get a good friend to do your feet if you can't manage on your own.just a suggestion as I used to an old customers feet for him (cancer)as his home care didn't do them.you could have a pedicure party as some beauticians do group discount in comfort of your home ((well they do here)x

[letslaugh63]

Anyway I didn't come on for that my feet are giving me problems after work.my feet really kill me last night really badly so I had a look they were so red and the veins were popping out badly,I took a PIC to show rhuemy next month x

[Purpletop]

Maybe we should get ourselves a bunch of that fish for the new rage in pedicure, the fish pedicure (put your feet in a little pool of water where this fish eat the dead skin). It must be better than bending over. Never tried it myself, anyone tried it??

[mstr in reply to Purpletop]

Ive tried it and it truly works....feet felt fab afterwards. At first it is a funny sensation and made me oo and argh for a few minites as it's quite tickly. Feet feel fab afterwards. Someone also said walking barefeet on sand is good too, I don't know if it's true or not but as I'm in Cyprus from Sunday for two weeks I will check it out x

[Sher78 in reply to Purpletop]

Fishy feet r fab! It DOES help & it's excellent 4 u're circulation & Raynauds too. Whenever I have a session I can go almost 2 days with 'normal' coloured feet & no numbness or pins & needles. However, it isn't recommended 4 lupoids (but I do believe that this is basically just 2 cover themselves, however I MAY b wrong) but each 2 their own & those who know me will know doing things by the book & playing by the rules very rarely works 4 me

[Purpletop in reply to Sher78]

Yes, I heard that lupus shouldn't use it, don't know why - maybe it kills the fish (joke). I've never tried it but if you two had it and liked it, I will give it a go.

[Sher78 in reply to Purpletop]

Honestly purpletop, it's lovely, I certainly feel the benefit.

It's a funny sensation when u first try it & still now, every time I put my feet in, the initial bit where they all latch on 2 u're foot surprises me. Basically, if they go at u with gusto, u know u're in a decent place. If they don't seem that interested, it means they have been over-fed.

Depending on how long u do it 4 (I tend 2 do a 30 minute session), they do get bored after a while & ease off but if u move u're feet or change the position of them they tend 2 get renewed interest