HAPPY FEET: tips for diabetic foot health

Hi everyone! It is National Diabetes Awareness Month! I have been living with diabetes for 5 1/2 years now! Thank you for following along on my blog for the past 2 years. If you are a regular visitor, you already know that here you will find me sharing personal stories, fashion tips, and product reviews. Today, not only do I want to shed light on MediPeds®, a brand focused on products that promote foot health especially in people with diabetes, but I want to share my personal story with diabetic neuropathy in my own feet. Thank you to MediPeds® for partnering with me to share my story + tips! 

​Most know the basics of living with diabetes. Shots, testing blood sugar, insulin, carbs and really just a whole lot of pricks! What isn’t talked about as much is foot health. You might not know this about me, but I have struggled with diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage) in my feet since diagnosis. Before being formally diagnosed with Type 1, I had symptoms that were ignored for a long time. Due to the lack of care, knowledge and uncontrolled blood sugars, my feet took a toll early on. My doctor prescribed me with pain relievers to relieve the pain, but I wanted to be more preventative than reactive from that point on. Here are some of the everyday practices that I take part in to make sure my feet are as healthy as can be! I mean, these feet take me everywhere, so I have to take care of them because they take care of me!

FIRST THINGS FIRST

• The best way to prevent or stop nerve damage is to try to keep blood sugar in range is much as possible! Easier said than done!
• Don’t smoke as it causes poor circulation.
• Inspect feet daily! Look for cuts, sores, blisters, swelling.
• Wash and moisturize feet daily!

​& NOW THE GOOD STUFF

Get active: Regular activity increases blood circulation. I like to wear MediPeds® socks Style #1000 for active days. They have a memory cushion sole for shock absorption and rebounding! These are my number one choice to wear with sneakers and even boots if I’m on the GO GO GO! I recently went on back to back trips to New York and Chicago. I wore these inside my boots. After a long day socks tend to get wet from sweat but I was surprised to kick off my boots and still have dry socks due to the XS Technology.

Never go barefoot, not even at home: You probably already avoid going barefoot outdoors but it’s not recommended to be barefoot at home either! People living with diabetes can sometimes struggle with sensitivity in the feet. You might not even notice a tiny cut or blister until it gets much worse! For at home I like to be comfy in MediPeds® Style #8587 COOLMAX Wide Crew. They are so angelic to walk on and they hug my feet and calves perfectly. Plus they keep my feet cool, dry and comfortable. They make it easy to just slip my feet into some house slippers and walk around with peace of mind. These also serve as a bonus to wear in cold weather with high boots! This Arizona girl was freezing in Chicago recently and these socks came in handy with my boots!

Wear shoes that fit: Shoes that fit can be just as cute as those we squeeze our pretty toes into! By wearing shoes that fit, you can avoid blisters and unnecessary strain on our precious feet! The MediPeds®  style that has best solved this issue for me is the NanoGlide Liner in Style #8617.They help your feet stay blister free while being discreet enough to wear with cute close toed shoes. My favorite feature is the gel tab in the back that keeps the sock in place! I have never found a pair of liners that actually stay! Gel tab = problem solved!

​These are just some of the ways I enjoy MediPeds® line of diabetes focused products. They help me put my mind at ease by knowing that they were specially designed to care for the feet of those living with diabetes. PLUS they are a proud sponsor of the American Diabetes Association which shows just how much they care about people with diabetes!