blister treatment on feet

[Shaywood]

I've dealt with this a million times before..but the result is always different. I develop blisters on my feet, they get infected, i end up in the hospital. sometimes they simply heal but that doesnt happen very often. i woke up this morning to discover a big blister on the bottom of my big toe. I'm not sure how to go about treating it...I've had many positive/negative experiences with both leaving it be and with draining it. The only thing that scares me about leaving it and letting it try to heal on its own (which is what is usually recommended for those without circulation problems) is that sometimes an infection develops underneath the outside layer of skin and I've gotten bone infections this way. any suggestions? I'm an L4/L5 by the way, and I walk on my own.

[LillyPie]

I would to hear answers to this Q. Currently Lilly has a crack under her pinky toe ... it looks like it may be getting infected. She gets these cracks always on the same toe, same foot. I've seen it worse in the past but what can be used to heal it fast and keep it from infecting.. she has to wear tenni-shoes for school so I cant keep it open to air???

[Dodger67]

"Has to wear tennis shoes" why? Is it really impossible to wear something better?

[BrinaRad]

I used to get several blisters that led to infections on my right foot. At the time I was in my late teens to early twenties, needless to say, I didnt follow doctors orders very well because I knew everything. I would not stay off my feet when suggested or not take meds like I was supposed to. At the age of 17 I got a huge deep blister on the bottom of my heel. After several surgeriey and several infections, not taking proper care of myself, I had staph in the heel bone for the third time. The wound would not heal and I ended up loosing my foot at the age of 22. Not trying to scare anyone, but the end results of a wound not properly taking care of can be very serious. Today if I get blisters, anything Im not sure about, I see the doc. Anything on the bottom of my "good foot" gets immediate attention. It is hard to stay off your feet if you are active and ambulatory, but if needed, that is the best way I have found to get a wound to heal.

[cadon's mum]

Really glad this post has come up, i was just about to post myself, Cadon has been crawling round our garden barefoot as it's been really warm, today i noticed he has blisters on his toes from dragging his feet, have now realised i can't let him crawl barefoot anymore, any ideas on shoes/ feet protection for him he is only 14 mnths and wears piedro boots for support but they are really big and clumpy, he needs something a little more suitable for the summer weather.

[LillyPie]

She attends a school that requires a specific uniform and open toed shoes are not allowed. No sandals either. The only option pretty much is a tenni-shoe, for school anyway.

[NerdaliciouS]

Different shoeeeeees?
I got a reallllllly bad blister on my right pinky toe. It was so bad I couldn't walk, and now I can't feel it, just pressure. But my feet are all wonky, but it's generally been shoes causing the stuff for me.
Maybe padded socks? They make padded socks that also soak up the sweat, so it doesn't give much time to harbor all that gross bacteria and stuff?

You could put padding on it and take it off every time you have a chance, to let it breathe? I used to use these "corn" pad things. They help. Or just a hunk of gauze even, it just needs to stay still or it rubs, and as we all know, OWWWWW! But that's only if you have one already!


And hmmm, they make tiny little sandals, don't they? Or something similar to those, but that'd still probably get the toes. =/ Could he wear those?
Plus, runners are pretty good as long as they breathe. But that's good for cement! Otherwise - grass all the way! lol

You know what? Or maybe just socks. Kids usually have "dress clothes" and "play clothes", could it be the same for socks?

Just throwing suggestions out there! lol

[LillyPie]

She has shoes on most of the day because we are a pretty busy family right now. 3 kids in softball, 2 different teams and we are coaching one of them ..haha.. no practice or games on Tuesdays and Sundays so I am thinking that I will just leave her sockless and shoeless those days... she drags her foot so when she is shoeless and sockless she hurts her feet without completely knowing, so she will just have to be lazy and watch TV those days. I'll try a few of your suggestions Nerdalicious. Lillys doesnt look like its blistered though. Its like the skin under the toe right at the part that her toe ends and foot pad starts is cracked... I hav'nt even told her its there because she will start picking and poking and peeling at the skin..(shes awful about that). I did apply some antiobiotic ointment to it last night.

[Jwm]

I had a blister my right foot , one time, I seen it was getting a little puffy so I figured well i will cushion ( I was in Public school at this time) since i had never had a blister before i didn't think it would get worse..(i showed my mom and we patched it up). well at school about 10 minutes before getting out, I figured I would check on it...no clue why not before never thought about it back then...really should have I know but... (this was in 1st grade) I checked my foot, It had gotten alot worse and was bubbly, we got home and my mom took care of it with peroxide and some other stuff not so sure what else as this was almost 11+ yrs ago...after i got that i put on a different kind of shoe and was in my wheelchair so i didnt put pressure on it for a few days, it did get better by 2 days though now i keep alot better watch on them...

[Dodger67]

In the US there's a very handy bit of legislation that says they have to allow "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities - the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If wearing open shoes are necessary for her health they have to allow it. If they object, use "strong language" - words such as "lawyer" "civil rights" "lawsuit".
That should get the message across.

[Shaywood]

I'm staying off it right now..it seems to slowly be healing but i guess we'll see. any recommendations for special shoes? I've tried various types of shoes but none seem to make things any better. I put soft foam in the ends of all my shoes to help my toes and whenever i know im going to be walking a lot i wear running shoes that provide good support. Any other types of inserts or pads ive tried from suggestions by doctors has just relieved the pressure in one area and put it on another.

[LisaJoy]

Lillypie, I agree with Dodger -- I think she should be allowed to wear the footwear she needs. Does she have an IEP? This is a reasonable accommodation.

Shaywood -- Footsmart.com sells shoes that are diabetic-friendly. Sounds like that is what you need. They also have socks & hosiery for diabetics which helps improve circulation. I think any type of footwear designed for diabetics would be applicable in your case. Unfortunately, this stuff is not cheap, but it is good quality. You might find something on footsmart and then see if it is available for cheaper on zappos.

[Lifeisgood]

I don't wear open toed shoes because I have injured my foot and not known it. I also have to be really careful breaking in new shoes as there was one time when I had just started a new job and got new shoes for it. When I got into work one day that first week, my coworker was staring at my foot. Turned out I had gotten a blister so bad that I rubbed my toe raw and it bled through the shoe. Needless to say, I never wore those shoes again...

Then there was the time when I stepped on a tack while walking around the apartment with just my socks on. All day long I heard a "click, click, click" with each step I took, but it never "clicked" to me that I should check my feet. The next morning while I was sitting indian style in bed, I found the tack in the bottom of my foot. Never felt it!!! All of that to say that people with SB need to have really good shoes that work for them! (And don't hurt them either!)

[technovicki]

I check my feet almost every night thoroughly, it really becomes a habit. I've been in the hospital a couple of times for antibiotic treatment when they've gotten really bad and luckily it was treated before reaching the bone.

Definitely recommend a good pair of shoes, and even though I wear braces it makes a difference in how they fit in the shoes. Also, just being kind to the feet, not let them get too dry by keeping them moisturized. I've also developed blisters or pressure sores under the skin. As soon as I see something becoming worse or beyond my methods of treatment I make an appointment with the podiatrist. So far I've been blessed that insurance will cover those visits.

[LillyPie]

Yes she does have an IEP. I will talk to her teacher about it tomorrow. I never thought that this issue would fall under the ADA, but now that I think about it... yea, it makes sense.. thank you guys for bringing this to my attention.

[Shaywood]

I used to wear braces and had so many more problems with blisters. every time I developed a blister I'd have some padding put onto the area but it just put pressure on another area. Also, I just went to a new hospital since I recently moved to CA and they were very rude to me - the doctor didnt bother to check my chart at all and proceeded to make fun of me for coming into the ER for a blister. She just kept going on and on until I had to stop her and explain that I had a long history of infections and that she shouldnt be so quick to judge.

another thing - when I was in high school ( I went to a semi-private school that was strict on dress code) I had an IEP that allowed me to sometimes wear slippers to school when my feet needed something soft. They also allowed me to have an extra chair so I could keep my foot elevated during class whenever I needed to heal an infection or blister/cut. You have to be forceful sometimes when it comes to schools but you can definitely get them to see things your way.