I love being barefoot. As much as possible. But I have diabetes, so my mom always tells me how important it is that I wear shoes wherever I go, especially outdoors. If I get damage to my feet such as a deep cut or something like that, it's possible that it will get infected easier than with most people. Stuff like that. But hey, i'm a risk taker, so I go barefoot a lot anyway. I figure if I just start walking around barefoot outside all the time then i'll build up tough spots on my feet like I had when I was a child and was barefoot all the time, and then I won't be as prone to getting cuts in the first place. I want to be sure that I am in good health, but I love being bare waaaay too much. Anyone else here a diabetic? or know anything about this?
Since you've been diagnosed with diabetes, you REALLY need to become your own expert about it. No matter how good your doctors are, YOU have to take charge of your own health. First of all, I'm NOT a doctor, but... As I understand it, diabetes is a system-wide condition, and its effects are cumulative. In other words, since you are so young, what you do now may not feel like it matters that much, but the effects of letting your sugar run out of control will build up over time. If it stays out of control, it can lead to heart attacks and other circulatory problems that can lead to nerve damage and possibly blindness. But don't panic! Just take good care of yourself now! If you keep your sugar under control now, you should be able to almost completely avoid all of these problems later! I would suggest that life changes (diet and exercise) are far better than insulin. Learn to listen to your body. About your bare feet: Try googling diabetic foot care. The deal with diabetic foot care is that diabetes can mess up the circulation in your legs. Bad circulation damages the nerves, so you can't feel well enough to avoid hurting your feet, and you can't even tell if you've hurt your feet. Also, bad circulation makes injuries very slow to heal. That is why they urge diabetics to never go barefoot and take extra care of their feet. I know a diabetic who is a young 50 who has no feeling at all in her toes due to diabetes. The good news: If you have kept your sugar under control, you may never have any of these problems. Have your feet checked for feeling. Talk to your doctor. If your sugar is under control, and you have good circulation and feeling, I don't see any problems with baring anything you'd like to.
There's one potential benefit to being a barefooter if you're a diabetic - barefooters watch where they are walking! The whole point behind the medical community advising diabetics to avoid going barefoot is because they can injure themselves and not know it. But that sort of assumes that you walk with a "shod gait", - in other words, you aren't watching where you step, but rather ahead of where you are. I find that when I go barefoot (and I would bet that a lot of the people on here would back me up on this) I am more in tune with the ground and what's immediately in front of me. Now, I am not a diabetic myself, so I can't really claim any expertise on how it must feel, but if you do lose sensation in your feet, it would be even more important to watch where you step. If you're already doing this as a barefooter, I could only assume that it would be a tremendous help if you already had the good habit of "looking down".
Thanks you guys.... I have had diabetes since I was almost 3 years old, so I'd like to think I am my own expert on my disease. I get my feet/circulation checked every few months when i'm at the doctor and i have no problems as it is. I'm thinking that if i've got my diabetes under control and my circulation and nerves are fine then I won't have a problem. I definitely feel it when I step on something sharp.
Yeah, I have diabetes too, since I was about 15. I don't have much experience in the barefoot department, but I haven't lost any feeling in my extremities, and I don't notice cuts on my feet healing slower than before (not that I get cut on my feet much anyway). I just need to stop enjoying food so much.
Don't forget that going barefoot will boost circulation in your feet and legs, while wearing shoes and socks may inhibit it...
Thanks! I didn't know that. It makes sense though. That'll be good to tell my mom next time she tells me to put my shoes on, ha.
Yeah, I remember I used to think, based on the warnings, that it was absolutely imperative that diabetics never go barefoot, period. As it turns out, that's probably just American squeamishness/paranoia talking. Still, nevertheless take extreme care out there and stay on top of your sugar level and checkups. But it sounds like you're already doing that, so yay. BTW, you're in Raleigh? A shame! I used to live in Durham up until a little over a year ago. We could've been barefoot buddies trodding the Triangle together in our bare feet!
Good point! The reasons I hear from why diabetics shouldn't go barefoot are as follows: you may have neuropathy, and not notice when you step on something, so that while we would notice and remove a thorn or a glass splinter, someone with diabetes might keep walking on it, increasing the damage and the risk of infection. Second, any damage done takes longer to heal so even cuts you find and treat may not heal well. But this neuropathy doesn't suddenly appear the moment you are diagnosed as diabetes. It's a slow process; I'm sure you can feel for yourself whether you still feel things or not, if you step on pebbles and such do you feel them clearly or hardly at all, do scratches still heal well... as long as you're aware of this risk and on the lookout for it, I see no reason to stop going barefoot before this has progressed to the point where it's a problem. Also if you regularly check your feet, you can minimize the risk of having something go undetected until it's too late. Of course a lot of people with diabetes are older, stiff, may not be able to check their feet closely every day, but if you can then it's not so dangerous. And to return to the quote; I have no diabetes but I've heard from a couple barefooters who are, and they report their doctors are quite happy with how slow their neuropathy is progressing. They believe it's the constant stimulation from going barefoot that plays a part, and while I'm no doctor, I have some interest in biology, medicine and especially how it all pertains to going barefoot, that makes a lot of sense to me too. Besides once you do have serious neuropathy, wearing shoes doesn't give you full protection either; another diabetics site told me diabetics also frequently tend to get blisters & have *those* get infected. So you still have to check your feet, you still risk injury & infection (infection from shod injuries can get real bad due to all the bacteria inside shoes)... I think it's because most people think of shoes as 'protective' they keep recommending them at all times, ignoring the problems that can be caused by them.
I have some circulation problems and love to go barefoot. If the area is risky I wear Flip Flops. They are confortable and close to be barefooted. Enjoy and take care of ur feet.
I have some circulation problems and love to go barefoot. If the area is risky I wear Flip Flops. They are confortable and close to be barefooted. Enjoy and take care of ur feet.
