Weird Q re: Feet

N

Nomad

Guest
Our difficult child daughter has foot problems. She is overweight and I don't know if this has anything to do with it (perhaps it make s a small contribution).

The primary problem is that she usually wears what we call "flip flops." She rarely washes her feet as well. She has dry skin on her feet. She gets callouses.
Her feet are often dirty.

Lately, those callouses on the back are cracking BADLY.

I have often given her creams, socks, vasoline, soap (of course) and she loses them.

About every 8 weeks, we take her for a pedicure. They are always flabbergasted.

Last time I made the offer, she declined. So, it's been a long time.

I saw her feet yesterday and I'm worried. They are cracked badly.

What is going on? I've never seen anything like this. What medical problem might be developing? The cracks are bad. Anyone have any experience with this? Is there a medication I might purchase for her?

Thank you.
 

Star*

call 911........call 911
Allergies? I can't tell you how badly my feet would crack when I was younger. To the point that I had literal fisures in them that would bleed. The only thing that would help? Soak my feet every night in a bucket of warm water with Alpha Keri, then coat my feet with Vaseline, wrap them in baggies, and put socks on my feet. In the morning? Put lotion on them and if I wore flip flops it was okay - but if I worse shoes? Had to be white cotton socks and shoes that got air to them. Or take shoes off during the day to get some air to my feet.

I LOVE hand tied wool rugs! LOVE them. But my feet and wool? Not a good combination. In the 50's and 60's a lot of the carpets in houses were either 100% wool or wool blend. I was absolutely positively allergic to wool via my feet. Parents took me to an allergist, I was tested over a period of a week for over 400 things - I tested positive to 360 things and started allergy shots immediately and took them for the next 10 years. To this day? I still can't use Crest toothpaste - lol- makes my feet break out in lumps. Odd huh? Anyway - I would say that her feet just need mositure, and daily washing and try alpha keri. The baggies at night are NOT comfortable? But waking up in the Am with feet as soft as a babies bottom? Lovely!
 

keista

New Member
Sounds kinda like my feet, although mine are not cracking badly. The problem with anything you get/give/offer her is that it will probably "get lost"

I WANT to fix my feet, I BUY stuff to fix my feet, but I DO NOT follow through with the care of my own feet. She sounds very similar, possibly more extreme.

The best you can do is to keep offering assistance and maybe find educational materials of the importance of taking care of your feet. She really has to want to do this for herself. Once she wants to, and is willing, you can help by giving daily "reminder calls" to use the creams or whatever.
 

Marcie Mac

Just Plain Ole Tired
I was wearing flip flops or running around barefoot and had the same problem with cracking and drying feet. My cure was to have a pedicure every other week for a while, and using a product called Miracle Foot Repair after a shower. Its really good stuff. I bought it at Bed,Bath and Beyond but have seen it at other places.

Marcie
 

AnnieO

Shooting from the Hip
The pedicures are nice, but they're not addressing the real problem. Which is... That difficult child does not take care of her feet.

Flip flops? Are about 9-million percent better than high heels. No, they don't have decent arch support, but comparatively speaking.

My Mom gave me this stuff called "heeltastic" for Christmas. It's OK. The thing is - she needs to stop "losing" these things. You can't take responsibility for this!!! If her feet hurt? She might be willing to do something. In the meantime? You have done what you can. Just tell her you are willing to help when she wants it.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Vaseline lathered on thick and wear white socks to bed. Several days of this ought to drastically improve the condition of her feet. IF she washes them on a reg basis.

The problem is that she's not washing/caring for her feet daily.

I wear flip flops as long as it's warm enough to get away with it. I do have callouses and dry spots but nothing like that. But then I'm also a run around barefoot kind of gal too.

The Vaseline/white socks thing is a very old remedy that works wonders. We used to use it for severely chapped hands/feet in the winter months.
 

DDD

Well-Known Member
I have no idea how old she is but age might be a factor. Guessing that she is a teen I would assume that she has issues if she is overweight. I've been there done that with one of mine and it is so frustrating because the parent can't control diet or exercise as it has to come from within the child. There were occasions, I recall, when I privately teared up when I went shopping with my easy child. Chances are that is the root issue.

Truthfully I have never wanted a pedicure. I surely wouldn't want to get a pedicure if I had a visable problem that I knew would cause comments after I left if not, even worse, in my presence. Even at 70 I think that most people who get manicures and pedicures are proof that "together" people like to enhance their appearance. Unhappy and overweight people aren't up for the scrutiny.

Wearing flip flops all the time, to me, is another sign that she has relegated herself into the category of "different" and likely says she wears them for comfort. If you don't feel pride in how your clothes fit/look then you're not going to want shoes that are stylish either.

Obviously I don't know her but I think the only way to "possibly" address the problem is to share the foot bath experience combined with something that she enjoys. While watching a movie or a special tv program? While eating takeout together? It's a pain to find something that you can use to soak but a generic brand I use occasionally really helps. I think you're right to be concerned. DDD
 
N

Nomad

Guest
wHAT is Alpha Keri? Is it a liquid or cream?
I'm buying this and the vasoline pronto.
I have found someone to do her pedicure (at my home) and she and a friend are working together (allegedly) to get and go to a pediatrist (sp?) next week. This is one of those RARE occassions that I am intervening 'cause I'm worried about infection. Will give her the products and make the offer to provide her with a pedicure periodically once again. However, I can't force her to go. Hopefully, but getting this one done at the house, her feet will look at allittle better and she wont hesitate to go next time. I think when she skipped last time, it caused a HUGE problem. I don't pay for it often, but it apparently was enough to keep it from getting outrageous.
But, I think the majority of the problem is that she just doesn't take care of her feet and it frankly shocks me. I'm going through a bit of an adjustment phase.
 

seriously

New Member
This happens to me if I don't wear closed shoes and sox. My feet sweat and then dry out really badly when exposed to the air. I have never been able to wear sandals or flip flops for more than a few hours.

As for finding something to make them better - whose feet are they?

My feet get very painful when they get cracked. it is highly motivating to me to deal with it. Unless she is developmentally disabled and cognitively unable to care for herself this way, it is her job. Not yours.

Sorry to say that I think you need to let this go. If she wants a pedicure she should be getting one for herself. If she asks and you are inclined to pay for it go ahead but I wouldn't pay for it if the only reason she needs one is because she refuses to take care of her feet in between.

Why should she take care of her own feet if you are doing it for her?

Hopefully she won't get an infection but if she does then perhaps the natural consequences will get her to change her behavior.

Hugs
 
N

Nomad

Guest
Seriously....you make a good point that I will "seriously" think about.
It has been up for discussion whether or not she has some cognitive impairment.
She had brain surgery when she was nine years old and there has been no final determination re: her status.
Personally, I think there is some minor impairment (minor brain injury) combined with having mental illness.
I would like to see her try harder...but it is a hard call with reference to her actual abilities.
 

Hound dog

Nana's are Beautiful
Nomad

Any chance of getting her evaled by a neuropsychologist to evaluate cognitive function? In other words, would she be willing to have it assessed? So much can be missed........and back then.......even more was missed.

With the obesity I worry about type II diabetes. If she doesn't improve foot care and ends up with diabetes she's going to be in big trouble fast. A real worry given anyone with weight issues.

Travis has poor hygiene, although I am glad to say it has MUCH improved over what it once was. It is just not something that occurs to him........because he could careless what others think, so even that feed back doesn't do much as far as motivation. He used to chew the pure hades out of this toe nails.......that plus poor hygiene led to a nasty infection......which led Mom treating nasty infection with scalding hot water and Epsom salts.....which seems to have been painful enough to stop the toe nail biting thing.

Dry skin/ callouses aren't painful so she probably doesn't even think about it. (mine aren't painful at all) And if like Travis she has any issues with pain reception in certain areas of the body due to the brain surgery......she just plain may not be feeling it the way she should. Travis has ran a knife through his hand, 3rd degree burns on his hand and up his arm and didn't so much as wince in pain..........let him stub a toe and he'll go on and on as if someone cut off his leg. His pain receptors are messed up from the brain injury.
 

rejectedmom

New Member
I align with hounddog on this one. I get very dry cracked feet in the winter. They hurt like heck. I cannot imaging no pain in your daughter's feet from your descripton of how bad off they are. Therefore I too am concerned that there is possibly some diabetic neuropathy going on. Blood test is in order to determine if there is diabeties and a visit to a podiatrist to make sure it isn't fungus related. I am sure it is hard for you to see. -RM
 

seriously

New Member
My original post assumed she was a teen/adult - if she's not then my post was perhaps a little "calloused" :groan:

Have you consulted her doctor about this? Has she been checked to make sure she has full sensation in her feet and any other causes for this condition like fungal infection have been ruled out?

If those things haven't been done then I would start with them and go from there based on what you find out. Clearly if she has lost sensation in her feet then that is a big red flag that requires follow up.

If the cracking is so bad that they are bleeding (mine get that way after only 1 day of open shoes/barefoot in warm weather) then I would definitely get an appointment ASAP.
 

KTMom91

Well-Known Member
I would worry about diabetes as well...I'm another one who doesn't like shoes, but because I'm overweight and diabetic I'm more careful now. Don't want to lose a toe. I've used Gold Bond cream on my feet, and I've also used a paraffin bath. If you can find one of those, they're great!
 

susiestar

Roll With It
I haven't read all the responses, but have a few thoughts. Diabetes is one - she needs that A1C test to see. It is a fasting blood test that shows how likely you are to have diabetes or if you have it. A LOT better and easier than the fasting glucose they do for preg women.

She also needs to clean them more often. If she showers regularly, go and get that easyfeet thing in the As Seen on TV section. It sticks to the shower floor with suction cups and has brushes on the bottom and top to clean your feet with-o bending over. Even if she won't soap them it will be better than nothing.

This may be a type of psoriasis or eczema. If so, she will need to care for them better. My psoriasis for a long time only showed on my feet. The entire bottom of my foot would peel of in sheets of skin liek sunburn but much much thicker sheets. They would crack and then start to come off like that. It felt like walking on glass shards - every single step. It was NOT normal callouses but took twenty five years to get anyone to tell me what it is.

The most likely big issue is a yeast infection. Athlete's foot or something like it. I have found that the foot creams like lamisil are outrageously expensive and pretty much are close to the vaginal yeast creams. I use miconazole (the cheapest yeast cream I can find - NOT in prefilled applicators) and it helps a lot. It also helps with some patches on the kids. We tried everything, esp when they show on J's face, but this is the only thing that works. IT may be called lots of things, jock itch, yeast infection,athlete's foot, etc... but that cream works on all of it.

Would it work if you had a basket for her to keep them in? What daily routine does she have that this can be tied to? For years my hands were like sandpaper on the tops as well as the palms. The knuckles were the worst and often bled just from being in cold weather. I started putting cuticle cream from burts bees or that neutrogena hand cream on them really thick, not at all rubbed in as I drove to and from work. It was awesome.

You can also get the chapped hands remedy hand cleaner from the CO Bigelow collection at bath and body works. It looks like vaseline but has other things to help your skin. You rub it into dry skin then rinse off instead of using soap when you are washing your hands. It works very well.

I hope that some of this helps. They do make special socks with stuff to help moisturize skin in them. Check the dr scholls section to find them.
 
N

Nomad

Guest
Thank you everyone.
difficult child is planning on seeing a podiatrist next week and she is doing this all on her own.
After that, it might be an appointment with the internist.
I'm buying many of the products mentioned here.
 
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