Pitter Patter

Yup, you guessed it.

This post is about feet. My feet in particular.

I bought some health socks that I chanced upon at the polyclinic last Monday but I think I may have bought the wrong one. =(

Yes, I have been worrying about my feet for some time now because of the new but not exactly good experiences I have been having with them.

First, there is neuropathic pain. Secondly, I think I am losing a bit of sensation on them. Thirdly, I have been having cold feet which I've not had before. No, it's not nervousness but rather the nerves. Get the joke? No? Nevermind...

It has a lot to do with blood circulation, I would say.

The easiest way to see whether enough blood is circulating to your extremities is to see how fast things are growing. Fortunately, my hair still grows quite fast but that's because I think a lot, so that explains all that hair. And when I had debridement to my right hand the other day, and the surgeon removed some nerves there, a fingernail there did not grow at all for weeks. 

Unfortunately, the nails on my feet have been growing very slowly lately, and my left foot is still a little bit swollen.

Doesn't help too that the graft wound on my calf is taking forever to heal, and that is a worrying sign indeed.

So, that's why I bought those darn socks but today I realized that although it was marked as a medical sock and I presumed there was 35% of the silver X-static fiber - apparently I was wrong and I think I may been misled by the information put up at the polyclinic.

The one I bought (MS04-MGL) only has 14% of the silver fiber and I only realized it after reading it on the official website and after retrieving the box from my rubbish bin. I did not read the fine print at the back of the box where it is stated, apparently. =P

But anyway, good news is I got it at a discounted price of S$32 (website price is S$39.95) and the silver fiber apparently works and it has sort of cleared the eczema on my feet.

This is due to the fact that according to the website -

X-Static® offers both anti-microbial and anti-odor performance by inhibiting growth of bacteria and fungi, and it neutralizes ammonia and denatured proteins. Bacteria are only one cause of body odor. Ammonia and denatured proteins are also significant contributors to odor. Incredibly, both ammonia and denatured proteins bind most readily to silver.

Because silver is on the outside of the fiber, X-Static® allows for immediate binding with ammonia and denatured proteins – resulting in instant odor reduction.

Well, I guess I have to buy the one meant for diabetic foot care because it is supposed to promote blood circulation and that's my primary objective ya.

It is way more expensive at almost S$70 but I guess I don't exactly have a choice if I still want to walk around with my own feet for a long time. It'll certainly be worth if, if it helps to prevent any complications to my feet.

Obviously I can't just rely on the socks alone but it has got lots to do with having a tight control on my blood sugar, washing my feet carefully and inspecting them for anomalies every single day without fail and to go to the doctor at the first sign of infection, and to not walk barefoot anywhere, even in the house.

It is really depressing to see those amputees being wheeled around at the hospital, and it scared me silly last Saturday when my father said he just received news that my auntie's husband also had just got one of his feet amputated due to diabetes. =(

So, for now my strategy would be trying my best to improve my blood circulation and of course the first step is to make sure I have enough exercise, and this is important for circulation and general health. I will try to walk as much as possible whenever I feel fine, and in the long run maybe I should go for acupressure and acupuncture sessions at the TCM shop. So, Marko - we will discuss about this ya?

Pray for me.

=)